In the past few years I have been taking in unwanted Red-earred Sliders. I would prefer to do this than having them dumped into our streams and creeks where they can spread disease and upset the eco-balance of our own native species.
Red-earred Sliders are the mainstay of the pet trade in Canada but are really native to southeastern part of the US. They have adapted well to our climate and now hibernate and are reproducing.
These turtles can live up to 25-30 years and can grow to the size of 10-12 inches and weigh up to 6 lbs.
One of the many reasons why they should not be released into the wild is because they are a very aggressive turtle that completes with our own native species for food and space--displacing our own native turtles.
Turtle Haven in 2004 worked with the Waterloo Region and had turtle-crossing signs installed. Hopefully in 2005 TurtleHaven will be able to establish a Turtle ReHab Centre for injured native turtles.
So have a look around at my site and drop me a line.
