What to do if you see baby turtles being sold

Washington DC

Description

Avoid the baby turtle! It's a scam. Baby turtles grow into BIG turtles, especially if they're the little green red-eared sliders being sold in little plastic containers. If you see street vendors or vacation beach ware stores selling little green turtles about the size of a quarter, please remember these turtles DO NOT stay small; they can grow to be 6-12" when full grown and may need more than a 75 gallon aquarium when full grown. It's illegal in all states to sell baby red-eared sliders as pets in connection with a business or use them as carnival prizes. In DC, if you see street vendors selling green baby turtles in little plastic cases, please call animal control 24/7 at . In Maryland, please report it to the DNR NRP 24/7 hotline (you can remain anonymous). In VA, contact the Conservation Police, . You can also call your local animal control and county health department. If you're on vacation (such as in Florida or NYC), call the regional FDA office and the state health department, as well as animal control. FDA Regional Offices: Florida - New York - Maryland - South Carolina -