Surrendering a Pet Turtle
Do you have a turtle that you can no longer care for? We can help. We will gladly take in your pet turtle and try to find him or her a new permanent home if we have space to do so when you ask. Please know, however, that turtle you surrender to us will not remain here permanently. We simply don't have the space to keep all the turtles that come through here. We will take your turtle and place him for adoption with our other turtles in need of homes. We will have 100% control over where your turtle ends up. But, don't worry...we are VERY picky about where our adoptable turtles go. Starting with our 8-page adoption application and ending with photos and/or home visits, you can trust that we are very thorough when it comes to selecting the perfect home.
We will also happily work with you to try and build a better home arrangement for you and your turtle that will possibly allow you to keep your turtle rather than surrendering him. There are many innovative and cost-saving ways to keep turtles, and we will happily share with you our tricks and secrets that may help keep you and your pet together.
Although not required, we do ask that you consider making a donation of $25 or more when/if you surrender a turtle to us. Feeding and housing your turtle while he/she awaits permanent placement can be quite costly. Any amount you can give to help offset the cost of care for your pet is greatly appreciated.
We take in all species of pet turtles...except one...
We will also happily work with you to try and build a better home arrangement for you and your turtle that will possibly allow you to keep your turtle rather than surrendering him. There are many innovative and cost-saving ways to keep turtles, and we will happily share with you our tricks and secrets that may help keep you and your pet together.
Although not required, we do ask that you consider making a donation of $25 or more when/if you surrender a turtle to us. Feeding and housing your turtle while he/she awaits permanent placement can be quite costly. Any amount you can give to help offset the cost of care for your pet is greatly appreciated.
We take in all species of pet turtles...except one...
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The Slider (Trachemys ssp.) Includes: -Red Eared Sliders -Yellow Bellied Sliders -Cumberland Sliders -Rio Grande Sliders ......etc. |
The slider (Trachemys ssp.) is the most common turtle in the pet trade. Many people purchase them on impulse or find them as hatchlings and take them home to be pets, not realizing how big they'll get or how much maintenance they'll need.
Here at CMTR, we field anywhere from 4 to 6 calls each week from people who have one and have now found themselves in a position to no longer care for it. As much as we would truly love to take them all in, we simply don't have the space. If we took in every single unwanted slider, we'd have no room for the hundreds of other turtles that are hurt or sick and need our help. So, sadly, we have to say no to sliders.
So what should you do if you need to find a home for a slider? Well, the first thing you shouldn't do is waste any time calling around to other rescues, aquariums, or zoos. We're unaware of any in the entire U.S. that will take them. (If you know of one that I don't, PLEASE correct us and let us know.) We've gotten calls from as far away as Michigan, from folks looking for someone - anyone - to take their slider. A better plan is to try to find a private adopter. You can list your turtle for adoption (NO money changing hands, must be completely free) on Facebook, Craigslist, or Petfinder. Or you could look into different ways of making your current situation better so that you can keep your turtle.
Whatever you do...DO NOT RELEASE YOUR PET SLIDER. In many places in the U.S., it is illegal to do that. Plus, you're doing a great disservice to not only your turtle, but all the turtles he or she may come into contact with once he's back out in the wild. Turtles harbor pathogens and bacteria. These pathogens may manifest zero symptoms in your pet turtle. However, once out in the wild, he could pass these pathogens off to an entire population of wild turtles that may be more vulnerable. You could actually cause massive die-offs from releasing just one pet turtle into a wild environment. Additionally, turtles that have been captive for a while will now see humans and maybe even dogs as friends. We all know that not all humans are good or kind, and if you've followed our page, you know the heartbreaking damage dogs can do to turtles by chewing on them, so we want turtles in the wild to maintain their fearful nature of predators.
In the end, the best option is to never get a pet unless you're willing to go the long haul with it. Turtles can live 30-100 years in captivity depending on species, and "once a pet, always a pet". So before you bring another life into your home, please make sure you can adequately care for it, for its entire life. If you can't make that commitment, then a turtle may not be the right pet for you.
Here at CMTR, we field anywhere from 4 to 6 calls each week from people who have one and have now found themselves in a position to no longer care for it. As much as we would truly love to take them all in, we simply don't have the space. If we took in every single unwanted slider, we'd have no room for the hundreds of other turtles that are hurt or sick and need our help. So, sadly, we have to say no to sliders.
So what should you do if you need to find a home for a slider? Well, the first thing you shouldn't do is waste any time calling around to other rescues, aquariums, or zoos. We're unaware of any in the entire U.S. that will take them. (If you know of one that I don't, PLEASE correct us and let us know.) We've gotten calls from as far away as Michigan, from folks looking for someone - anyone - to take their slider. A better plan is to try to find a private adopter. You can list your turtle for adoption (NO money changing hands, must be completely free) on Facebook, Craigslist, or Petfinder. Or you could look into different ways of making your current situation better so that you can keep your turtle.
Whatever you do...DO NOT RELEASE YOUR PET SLIDER. In many places in the U.S., it is illegal to do that. Plus, you're doing a great disservice to not only your turtle, but all the turtles he or she may come into contact with once he's back out in the wild. Turtles harbor pathogens and bacteria. These pathogens may manifest zero symptoms in your pet turtle. However, once out in the wild, he could pass these pathogens off to an entire population of wild turtles that may be more vulnerable. You could actually cause massive die-offs from releasing just one pet turtle into a wild environment. Additionally, turtles that have been captive for a while will now see humans and maybe even dogs as friends. We all know that not all humans are good or kind, and if you've followed our page, you know the heartbreaking damage dogs can do to turtles by chewing on them, so we want turtles in the wild to maintain their fearful nature of predators.
In the end, the best option is to never get a pet unless you're willing to go the long haul with it. Turtles can live 30-100 years in captivity depending on species, and "once a pet, always a pet". So before you bring another life into your home, please make sure you can adequately care for it, for its entire life. If you can't make that commitment, then a turtle may not be the right pet for you.