You can walk into Petco, on Wendover Ave in Greensboro, and find turtles for sale in their reptile department just like in a lot of petstores. They also sell supplies and books, it does not take long to realize that turtles might seem like simple pets but they need a lot of supplies. Pets that require a lot of supplies usually have a lot of care needs. Unfortunately, like a lot of high care animals turtles are bought and sometimes turned loose or end up in shelters/rescues. The new owners did not think it over, or do prior research before buying them then a month or so later they feel overwhelmed.
The truth is turtles can live for many decades. They need a large enough environment to move around in (30 gallon+ aquarium). They require water, substrate and rocks, to mimic a natural habitat. Turtles can’t naturally store D3 so they need a UVB light. Also they require vitamins/minerals, and a warm living environment (heater and thermometer). Turtles can develop metabolic bone disease if these needs aren’t met.
I actually know a turtle, as crazy as it sounds he is friends with my bunny on Facebook. His name is Jonah Turtle and he is quite the character. His mother Michal-Lynn knows a lot about reptiles in general, and they use his Facebook page to spread knowledge about turtles and other animals. I wanted to share their story, in her words about how she met Jonah.
In May 2006 Michal- Lynn found out about a bunch of baby aquatic turtles that had been kept by someone who bred them to sell for money. They weren’t as profitable as the woman had hoped for so now these babies were now in need of homes. Michal- Lynn already had owned tortoises and box turtles over the years, but had never an aquatic turtle. Despite this fact, she decided to go check them out because she had a soft-spot for anything with a shell. When she got there, about ten little turtles temporarily being housed in a kiddie pool. Her heart melted the second she saw all those tiny webbed feet and beady eyes.
She kept telling herself that she had never kept an aquatic turtle before, didn’t have the set-up, and was just there to look, maybe donate a few dollars, but not to adopt. Then her eyes fell on the smallest one. His shell looked messed up, he was thinner than the rest, and was sort of hanging out by himself. She couldn’t bear to leave him there. Although she didn’t know much about water turtles although she knew plenty about turtles in general. Ten minutes and a $15 adoption fee later, she was on her way to the pet store to purchase a new aquarium, filter, and a ton of turtle accessories.
Almost 5 years later, the sickly little turtle has grown into a healthy juvenile. It was only a few years ago that, during a particularly boring and slow day, she decided to start a MySpace page for him. She quickly found out he was not the only animal with such a page. A couple friends quickly turned into a couple hundred, from other turtles to hedgehogs to rabbits to dogs and cats. Recently, since almost everyone else had relocated there, she created a Facebook page (Jonah Turtle) for him. With the help of others, he’s been able to reconnect with most of his old MySpace friends and has made plenty of new ones.
I am a huge fan of Jonah Turtle’s Facebook page; he even is quite the little matchmaker ( He runs a Singles group for pets also on Facebook). Him and his mother make donations, and lead prayers for other sick animals or owners. Michal-Lynn is constantly amazed at the amount of compassion that can be found on the Facebook animal pages. A lot of them are inspiring and informative. Jonah’s page can make anybody laugh on a bad day, he has character and charm that can’t be matched by most people.
I wanted to share his story as part of this article, because people do not realize that sometimes the responsibility goes a lot deeper than not wanting any turtle any longer. Turning a turtle loose in the wild disrupts the local ecosystems because they compete against the native turtles. In some states, like Florida, it is illegal to release Red Ear Slider turtles into the wild. The turtle becomes vulnerable to weather, predators, and even vehicles. Imagine being taken from your house, and dropped off into the middle of a jungle. You would have a hard time surviving. Same goes for turtles if you are going to choose a turtle for a pet it is your job to be responsible not the turtles. Who knows your next best friend just might have a shell! Always ask pet stores for care sheets, research online (www.petturtle.com, www.petco.com, www.petuniversity.com ) or purchase a book before buying any type of turtle. An informed owner is a happy owner.
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