tommy the turtle

[NYCorchidman]

Are these wild in your area??

I used to buy them as a pet.
Mississippi Red Ear Turtle, right?

I only liked them as babies. Once they get a little bigger, and they turn brown.

[RJSquirrel]

they are Red Ear turtles or sliders as they are called in some places.

They are everywhere in the fresh water bayous. They can get large. They make stinky pets.

As these are the same ones that you can buy in the pet stores for a few bucks indeed.

It is illegal for pet stores to sell a Red-eared Slider that has a carapace (shell) less than 4 inches in diameter. This is because of the risk of salmonellosis. So they arent the best choise for pets for children.

Ive seen these down here in the lakes grow up to about 18 to 20 inches across. They can destroy the fish in a small pond in a very short time. They can live to be 50 - 70 years old.

[Baz in Oz]

Judging by the look in his eye, I would say it is planning to get large enough to eat you!

When I was a kid I picked up a little long necked tortoise at our local river. It was only about an inch long.

I put it in a glass fish tank with some tiny fish and the fish started vanishing and I saw the little tortoise swim up and bite a fish in halves.

Baz

[RJSquirrel]

the long necked turtles you have in AU are quite a bit larger and indeed meat eaters of which you had discovered....

heh your fish were food

[NYCorchidman]

Don't they all carry salmonella? Your comment suggest only baby turtles less than 4 inch carry bacteria?

Sadly, most people are not aware of this fact. It's not deadly, perhapy if you don't wash your hands after handling them because they look so cute and innocent and then eat something with your hands, you might get stomachache and diarrhea.

By the way, there are lots of turtles in the ponds of Central Park, which I have no idea what they are, but every now and then I see the red eared turtles and they are all pretty big. I'm sure people tossed them there once they turned brown. hahaha.

Oh, the ones I used to have, the tiny green babyes were all smaller than 4 inch across.
I think they are hatched in artificial settings and then as soon as they get out of the eggs, they are shipped right to the pet shops.

[SydneyH]

What a cutie! I used to have one as a kid. He was always escaping his dish and roaming around the house.