Can you still buy pet turtles in Alberta, Canada from a pet store? I have heard that you can't buy them because they carry a disease or something. Is it true that you can't buy them any more?
Thanks, please answer!
Answers:
You may want to ask the folks at Reptile Rescue Alberta about this. I know they've adopted out turtles and tortoises in the past. The web site (which doesn't seem to have been updated lately) is at http://members.shaw.ca/reptile.rescue/... and the contact information posted there is:
E-mail: reptile.rescue@shaw.ca
Phone: (403) 277-7380 (10:00 am to 10:00 pm, Mountain time)
Turtles carry salmonella, and can spread it to humans who handle them. Toddlers who pick up random objects and place those objects in their mouths have sometimes picked up hatchling turtles and placed the turtles in their mouths. This has led to many cases of salmonellosis in young children. For that reason, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States banned the sale of hatchling turtles with shell length less than four inches (10 centimeters). I don't know if Canada or Alberta have comparable bans.
Caring for turtles is a lot of work, and can be surprisingly expensive. The Calgary Humane Society has a "turtle budget" at http://www.calgaryhumane.ca/turtle_budge... that shows set up costs of $700.85 and annual costs of $346.68, not including the cost of emergency veterinary care. Due to the time, space, and expense of caring properly for a turtle, many people end up abandoning their turtles. If you determine that owning a turtle is legal in Alberta, I'd encourage you to give one of these turtles a second chance by adopting from an animal shelter or rescue group. Some won't have turtles immediately available, but will gladly put you on a waiting list. Shelters love to have people on these waiting lists because that way, as soon as a turtle is brought in, they can phone someone to come and adopt the turtle right away and not be stuck dealing with a turtle's complex care requirements for weeks or months on end. In some cases, having an adopter lined up ahead of time will save a turtle from being euthanized to make space for other animals at the shelter.
Regardless of the legal status of turtles, and whether you have young children in your home, salmonella is a very real concern. Careful hygiene is essential.
I Live IN the US and You Really cant buy them becuse people say they have salmenala but i no u can buy them online
hope this helps
The little tiny ones ( can't remember the name) are only sold to educators because they really do carry diseases. You can buy big box turtles though. I live in the US however... sorry
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