The following pictures are not easy to look at but it is a hard reality. This Red ear slider (RES) was turned into our rescue after being found by a concerned citizen on the side of a busy road. These turtles are not a native species to Long Island, but rather an introduced species. For many years people have taken their RES and dumped them in local ponds and lakes thinking they are giving the turtle a good life. What they failed to realize is that they are causing havoc to our natural inhabitants. RES are very aggressive and their competitive nature has brought nothing but harm to our native species. Lack of habitat is a concern for all wildlife, but when that little bit of habitat that is left is invaded by introduced species the more aggressive turtle is going to survive. As you can see by the photo below this slider was not lucky enough to be one of the turtles to thrive in its new natural habitat. The person that dumped this turtle not only did a disservice to our environment but also to this poor RES. No turtle should suffer like this, especially someone’s dumped pet.

I implore everyone, please DO NOT buy that cute little RES in Chinatown, or in Myrtle Beach, or in Florida or wherever else they are being sold unless you are 100% certain you can keep the turtle for life. Please be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars on a proper set up. Female RES grow to be about 12”, the size of a large dinner plate, males a little smaller but they still need a large set up. They cannot live in a 20-gallon tank never mind one of those little plastic pet carriers they are sold in. Be prepared to spend a lot of money on good filtration, and even with good filtration be prepared for the stink that emits from the turtles tank. They need proper uvb lighting and heating and a basking area. If you are not prepared to supply all of this for 40 years or more DO NOT buy that cute little green turtle.  

Rescues are deluged with RES on a regular basis and it’s getting to a point we cannot find homes for them any more. We have to charge people who surrender them to cover the cost of shipping them to new homes. Most people are okay with this, but many think they are donating the turtle why should they pay money as well. They just don’t realize how out of control the RES problem has gotten. It has to stop and again I implore everyone to be sure you can make the lifetime commitment before you purchase a RES. It just breaks our hearts to get turtles into the rescue that look like this because someone was too careless and heartless to provide a proper home for this once beautiful turtle.