Red-Eared Sliders: Basic Facts and Health Care

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/res.html

Most Red-Eared sliders destined for the pet trade are doomed to die a premature death from the day they hatch. The vast majority are sold to unknowledgeable dealers who in turn sell them without adequate care information to equally unknowledgeable purchasers. The Tortoise Trust would like to see it made a legal requirement that all exotic animals can only be sold if accompanied by accurate and adequate information on basic husbandry. Some 3 to 4 million Red-eared sliders are exported from the U.S.A every year. Most originate from intensive farms in Louisiana and Mississippi. The same commercial turtle hunters who supply replacement breeding stock for these farms are also responsible for collecting as many as 25,000 - 30,000 adult animals per week for export to foreign food markets (mainly in the Far East).