Where *NOT* To Buy Turtles! 

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I freaking love Dan's reaction to the websites! Also if you don't want to buy a turtle adopt if you are willing to even possibly rescue ones from owners who are not able to care for them any longer. I got my Yellow belly from a lady who had the turtle and other reptiles dumped on her for her to take care of with no context. The lady was very nice and cared alot about the turtle getting a new home with a person who knows what they're doing, we met up half way because we lived 2 hours away from each other and she made sure to ask what all that I know about turtles and taking care of them. I still stay in contact with her and send her pictures of how Harley the turtle is doing. I could tell that Harley was well taken care of based on how big she was, her shell was very clean and had no shell rot, her skin color was vibrant and not a grayish color. The only problem was that she was spoiled with chicken and I had to ween her off it and try to get her to eat more vegetables. She finally started eating vegetables and some fruit last week! I'm so happy I got to adopt from someone who really cared about turtles and reptiles.

I’m dying from your anger 😂😂😂 but glad you made this 🥰🥰🥰

As a kid, I got a red slider as a gift from a random family friend who said “when you were little you used to say you wanted one so here you go..” I didn’t expect it at all, but we took care of Yoyi for four, almost five years. We had to move so they were re-homed to a friend who had lots of turtles. I was never sure if Yoyi was a female or male, but I do recall them having about a 6 inch shell.

Bro waking up from a nap and seeing a DANTHETURTLEMAN upload that like heaven

Thank you for putting this information out there it certainly needed to be said 👍🏻

Turtle source is a decent site.

This is the PERFECT video!!! I assume some don't like it, because they're DOING IT!!! Thank you Dan for ALWAYS putting Turtles and US first! YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!

Thank you for the insight.

Excellent video 100percent support this information .

Thanks Dan you helped me very much today.

Thanks for the videos. Finally someone pointed out the Malayan Snail Eater!!!!! Been bothering me for a long time. Recently got addicted to Map Turtles point me in the right direction? Texas, Cagles, Delitcolas?

Great stuff man! Keep up the passion!

i think its a similar situation for live fish websites too, i ordered from a website once and pretty much every fish had ick, which i had to treat and then give it to a friend for his pond. on the other hand, a fish breeder i bought from once on Instagram decided to give me a huge discount on some high quality plecos!

Thank you for this! Couldn't have come at a better time for me haha

I absolutely love your passion. I have rescued 5 turtles, all red ear sliders. They are my sweet girls, and I am passionate about them as well. Digging a larger pond for them this summer and maybe I will find a male to keep the girls busy.

I hope this information sinks in to at least one person that’s thinking about becoming a turtle mom or dad. Besides doing your research on all things a turtle or tortoise to make sure this is what you want and take care of I’d say check also with a reputable rescue. There’s so many that need homes is absolutely sad, Creepy Critters in Los Banos, Ca, even takes in babies (hope this shameless plug is ok Dan, if not it’s ok to delete😉). Just do your best in researching everything ❤️❤️ They are amazing critters but they are A LOT of work!

Hey Dan, I’m really hoping to get a juvenile stinkpot in soon, I have a proper tank set up for a juvenile or adult and I’m wondering if there’s anywhere in particular you would recommend?

Love the video. As someone who works with spotted turtles living in Minnesota I personally don’t even ship in the winter or summer months. Spring and fall are best and hatchlings are more fragile so I like to keep them at least a month before sending them. Also not sure if you got my message about the additional spotteds. I think you would do great with them!

The pink belly snapper is not a pink belly sideneck they’re two completely different genus.... Elseya novaeguineae is the pink belly snapper, Emydura subglobosa is the pink belly sideneck

Your reaction was the same as mine when I went to that website 🤣🤣🤣

Absolutely agree!! On another note your hatchlings in the background got huge Bro!!!

I guess we got lucky. I'm in Oregon, and bought from a place in California, 2 red ear sliders. They didn't cost that much, and they came in a little box that said "live animal". They took barely two days to get here,. I opened the box and they did have a little heat pack. No food was added, nor a paper towel. I took them out, and they looked good, so I put them in their little starter tank. They seemed energetic, and grew fast. That was 5 years ago, and they're still doing perfectly. 🐢🐢

2 years ago time I ordered a baby turtle off of eBay and it came 4 days later in a letter envelope... he was cold but lived and is still alive today 😁

Maybe need a shirt that says “Dan calls me a turtle nerd and I like it!” Lol

Omg I was actually going to shop on that website you mentioned until I saw this video thanks

Dan, what do you think my turtle will have problems with healt(viruses, bacteria...) if I bring new one in house. Iam asking because it was isolated from other turtles long time? Or what to do to avoid problems in future?

Actually I don’t think that pink belly snapper was a mix up! Not a snapping turtle but it the common name for Elseya novaeguinea, very very similar to PBSN

Where would you suggest getting some western painteds or southern painteds?

Heyyyy I love your videos bro

I just ordered a western baby turtle of one of those websites thanks for suggesting that

This story of my turtle is a repost I took from my own post. *** In May, Trooper will be turning 6. We got her as a hatching sold at the side of a road. Do NOT buy turtles this way. This is why so many turtles die out at a young age. People buy them as cute little babies and don't realize they have so many requirements, as we did. We got her in 2015. She was a sickly baby since she lived in a small container. She had soft-shell disease due to lack of proper food, and no basking and UV. She lived that way for 2 years, because of my foolish ignorance. She nearly died many times as well. She took falls, got stuck in things, got so cold... She didn't deserve any of that. In 2017 I used my savings to buy her a tank with proper heating and filtration. Her growth exploded too since she was finally getting fed properly. She was happy and healthy. I am shocked that she never had respiratory infections. She had shell rot though, which I researched and treated. She earned her name. But I really wish I knew what I was doing before I got her. Urgh. Next goal is to get her a bigger tank. Tanks are expensive, but if I can at least get a 55 or 70 gallon, that would be great. Her tank is too small now. Her shell isn't perfect either. Due to her troubles as a baby... and she has pyramiding too. Trooper is certainly a trooper. She fought hard when she shouldn't have to. It could had easily been avoided. Don't make the same mistake as me! If you are thinking about getting a turtle, or any kind of pet, do research, and don't impsule buy! They have lives too! Also don't release turtles into the wild. RES are quite invasive in some states! (Oh, and goldfish.) TL;DR: Trooper was brought as a hatching from the side of the road as an impulse buy. She suffered for a couple years because of that. She defied odds and fought through. She later got a tank and proper lightning and food and today she's happy. Don't buy turtles from the road. New goal: Bigger tank. 🐢 EDIT: Removed a promotion I should had took out.

may i ask how much does a diamondback terrapine cost generally?

I am looking for turtles where can we find your website to buy turtles

Hey Dan I had a question I am a breeder down in California and I breed many species are usually sell through Fauna but for the past few months I’ve been working on developing a website to be clear you couldn’t buy from the website but you could view the current animals available and contact me specifically do you think I should continue with this idea or drop it altogether Thanks Chris

Thanks

I was going to ask you about TortoiseTown, but you hit every point in your video. Unfortunately, I got financially raped buying a male hatchling red eared slider from them. All together with shipping, the turtle with a small jar of food cost me about $100. And yes TortoiseTown did all the "options" you warned against. Wish I had seen this video 9 months ago so I wouldn't have made the first (and last) time mistakes that I didn't know about until now. But, my little guy is healthy and happy so far so at about 8 months old so I guess that's a miracle in itself. I'll never order another pet/friend from TortoiseTown again though now that I learned about how shady their practices are in relation to live animal sales. Thanks for the informative vid. You got a sub because of your honesty.

Thanks for pointing me towards a website! I've been spending way too much time dealing with breeders. I can just "add to cart" and I'm good to go! Thanks again Turtle Boy :)

I Had ordered a baby Ouachita map turtle from my turtle store it Came Starving And Completly Drugged and They threw a Turtle in a tubberware in some packing peanuts

i totally agree with everything said in this video and the other one about what you should look for. it makes me feel bad because the turtles that are sold just for profit never asked to be layed or hatched and still need care for the ones in good condition. my question is this, is there anything we can do in the terrapin community to stop these horrible,abusive and often bogus sellers from breeding,incubating and hatching turtle and tortoise clutches? i have kept a few different species before such as my red ear ,eastern painted turtle, eastern box turtle and so on and ive loved and cared for them all. these bogus places are definitely a trap for anyone new trying to get a turtle and the conditions at times their left in is disgusting. ive always wondered what i or we as a community can do

Aw I wanted to know your opinion on Turtle Source, probably the only website I'd consider buying from if that was the only option ever LOL

Hi I am getting a reeves turtle thanks so much for telling me where and where not to buy turtles

Ok so I bought from myturtlestore.com and I didn’t realize I was getting ripped of so bad thanks for making this video um can you make about the what they call the river cooter turtle And say what it’s really called and how much it really is and what the pros and cons about that turtle and what inclosure I should keep him in because I am thinking about getting a kiddy pool because right now he is in a 10 gallon tank please and if you do thank you very much and I love your videos they are very helpful

funny, i was one of those browsing websites for sales of diamondback Terrapins. Now i def will not buy from them. Going to try to make the reptile expo in anaheim convention center next month and hope someone is selling. Thanks man!

Where can I find a breeder? I am in Wisconsin, and turtles are illegal to be sold in Dane county.

And I’m going through it right now with this website trying to Dispute that charge now

Pink belly snapper is a species of side neck turtle, not to be confused with Emydura subglobosa the pink belly side neck they’re very similar looking but two different species

WHERE CAN I GET BABY TURTLES FROM THEN I LOOKED EVERYWHERE LOCALLY

does anyone know any breeders that sell common musk turtles if yes tell me ive been looking for about a week and can't find one

Turtles are cute i have a Mississippi map turtle and she is loving her little basking rock 😁

How do I find a musk turtle breeder near Tampa Florida?

I bought my reeves turtle in a pet shop. As I live in Ireland, turtles are not that common a pet as they are in other countries. Fortunately the staff in the shop were well educated and experienced in turtle care.

Thank you so much! I am looking to get a turtle and now know NOT to get one online!!

Man I sure wish I had seen this! I made that mistake 2 times. First turtle didn't last a week! Second turtle seemed not well but using a lot of TLC he pulled thru! Never again will I order from a website!!

hey can u tell me a good place to buy dwarf turtles

Amen!

Wish i would of seen this before I ordered from them

I just ordered from the website. I added additional heat packs and food. I also did express shipping. My turtle bet not die. 😢btw you’re not old. You’re a cutie pie 🤭

I got two from that website. And both are very healthy, had them both for over a year..

Do you have any opinions about The Serpentarium chain store in Sacramento Area, California and Dallas, TX (snakemuseum.com)?

How do I find a legit breeder/saler? I'm looking for a baby musk turtle hatchling. Tia

I find this very entertaining that I just bought one but it was from morph market and I went there because they are breeders I didn't get it for free but I did get cut a deal so your accurate (subscribed)

I want Mississippi map turtles or Eastern painted turtles for my koi pond but now that you said that I'm scared 😬

i found my baby turtle (near 1-3 months old) right next to a storm drain next to my house... i live on a hill and he was just walking from the drain soooooooo

Another online company you should advise people not to buy from is tortoise town. I had 2 bad experiences with this company. The second time my turtle was never shipped and they wouldn’t answer the phone and I couldn’t leave a message. Didn’t respond to my emails until I demanded a refund. They sell other reptiles too. Nobody should ever deal with them and I think they run another website called cb reptiles.

I was looking at that website last night.... last night... I want to buy a terrapin

I brought a turtle from my turtle store sadly it only lasted for three weeks 😪 I couldn't talk to no one just got voicemail

I'm appalled at that store. I've got a sympathy headache from that. My dude, you have my respect for naming names.

Not going to lie you are really cute when you get so feisty lol. Great video as always...

Do you happen to set up at expos?

I have only bought from an online store once, unfortunately it was My Turtle Store, the baby was almost dead, it was cold stunned and dehydrated, I regret doing it, the little one is thankfully still alive, but I'm definitely not doing that again.

It sucks that at all the expos by me turtles and tortoises are bought at wholesalers and then brought to sell at a table. multiple venders clearly buy from the same wholesaler or something because for like 2 months straight (4 biweekly shows) all of them have the same stock whether its CA wood turtles or yellow belly sliders and the odd Herman’s and Russian torts. Are there ANY online sellers that are supported by the TSA or something to that effect? I’ve heard about the turtle source from kamp kenan but that’s the only other place I’ve ever seen on video like that, does anyone have any opinions on those cats? It seems like it’s kind of slim pickings around here the pet shops are the same just about

The only website I use is Arizona Sulcata because it's a local breeder you guessed it in Arizona. Prices are reasonable not cheap REASONABLE. Forgot to mention this is for only a few selective tortoises

I live in the UK and tortoise are rare in homes as pet , I have looked everywhere to buy them but i have no choice but to look at online websites

I brought 2 baby red ear sliders from turtleshack years ago. 1 was sick, the other one died not long after delivery.

Love the diamond back terrapin unfortunately in Texas I can’t own thise

Can you do a red eared slider turtle murch

I bought 2 Mississippi map turtles from a local reptile center here in Mesa Arizona. Both died in 2 weeks.. my waters parameters were great! Basking temp great... Large tank.. I returned them and all they told me was they arrived from a outside breeding pond in Florida. Smh and I bout them the same day they arrived... I feel like they were lying.. but whatever.. going for local breeder or none at all.

What are your thoughts about Craigslist I posted a comment to ask you about it. But it seems they got deleted

Hi, new subscriber here! I recently rescued a turtle in my backyard. It was being picked on by some birds. I'm not quite sure what type he or she is, but there are several types of turtles out here in northeastern NC. I fell in love with this cute turtle. Any tips?

Could you do a video on theturtlesource? Or at least share your opinion on them? Thanks!

I know you keep terrapins Dan but I would love a shirt that has a red eared slide that says I'm a turtle nerd

Wait...i got my baby turtles from a mexican place named "el polga" uh is it fine to get turles there

Thank you for rescuing me. I was just about to order a turtle from my turtle store for my daughter. It seemed a bit odd that the heat pack was optional…….

that is in fact not a pink bellied sideneck turtle but a new guinea snapping turtle (Elseya novaeguineae)

Don’t buy turtles where that guy from discover ads buys a turtle

how do I find a local breeder?

Hilarious and true!

$20 seems pricey for a Mississippi map, paid $10 for mine at a reptile show.

Yea...uhhhh...funny thing....i really didn’t know much about turtles (buying wise, i knew a ton about the turtles themselves) and may have bought that eastern painted you showed me. I had no idea and thought “hey i guess these are the prices.” So i actually did every optional item and prolly blew a ton of money. But thats not even the worst part. Around a month before that i bought a southern painted from their website....i am most certain i got a runt. It was small, not growing, lethargic, ate well but just i couldn’t nurse it back to health. They have a 7 death day policy(dumb) and mine uhh died about a month later. After i read about a runt i stupidly went back to the same website and bought that eastern. Worked out much better this time but basically flushed tons of money down the toilet. And now you’re telling me i may not even get male(bought a male)? If i knew then what i knew now....your channel actually really helps me with BS like this...i was kind of getting angry with you during this video.

It's a shame how the pet trade has come to this kind of tomfoolery. I've recently found my own pet peeves with betta breeders intentionally breeding phenotypes with harmful health effects. At this point I approach every product and species from the standpoint of: is this compromising the animals health for profit?

I understand why you’re fired up its sad how these companies treat the animals and the inflated prices they are charging for these turtles is ridiculous

FOUR turtles in that tank is WAY TOO MANY TURTLES! This guy has a lot of good ideas but ALL of his tanks are w-a-y too overcrowded!

Whenever I see American prices for turtles I’m amazed and reminded why there are so many neglected turtles there (no offence). In Canada a Mississippi Map goes for almost $250 and over $300 for pink belly side necks. I assume due to all the regulations here but it also pushes you put more thought and care into getting one because it’s an almost a $400 investment so you better be getting it everything it needs for the best chance at survival

I have ordered many turtles from my turtle store and they have all come in perfect healthy condition and have always been great

Agree！

Ive just started RU-vid and im posting vids and soon im getting a painted turtle and will be posting videos about it

Correction** Pink belly snapper and Pink belly sidenecks are completely different turtles

Dang it I just purchased a southern painted turtle online 😧. Hope I can still cancel my order.

What about turtle source