Joe Kennedy

Joe Kennedy is routinely named the region's best writer by readers of The Roanoker magazine.

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It's a follow-up to the column of last Monday in which I described the ultimate fate of a red-eared slider turtle named Tejada. Tejada had been bought at Myrtle Beach, brought back to Roanoke, adopted and given everything she needed to have a good existence.

But she was a lot of work and a lot of expense and there is no telling what might have become of her had a microbiologist with a turtle pond not stepped in to spare her life.

The world would be wonderful if Tejada were the only turtle anyone ever brought home from the beach or a school field trip.

The trouble is, it happens all the time, nationwide.

Federal law requires that red-eared sliders, a popular breed, have carapaces, or top shells, that are 4 inches wide before they can be sold.

Unfortunately, many are much younger when they get sold, and they grow quickly. Maintaining them in a proper, sanitary environment takes work and money. Many are let loose, even though they are not indigenous and such releases are against the law.

Sherry O'Shea of Roanoke runs a small turtle/tortoise rescue in Old Southwest Roanoke. She sent me photos of four "beach babies" that were bought in Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina.

She also sent a shot of the remains of a red-eared slider found near Highland Park. She believes it was preserved in mud eventually dispersed by rains.

She concluded from its shell that it had been a wild female.

Stepping up

It's safe to assume that many store-bought turtles are released in areas, like this one, to which they are not native. It's safe to assume that many come to an unpleasant end.

But some good souls take responsibility for the pets, no matter what the price. Barbara Kern said in an e-mail that her daughter, now a college junior, brought a turtle home from a school field trip five years ago.

The turtle, named Grey, was about the size of a half-dollar and came in a small plastic case. It now occupies a 50-gallon aquarium replete with heater, heat lamp, filters and other equipment. You can guess who cares for it.

"My husband and I take care of siphoning the tank and bleaching it weekly," Kern wrote.

Turtles can add pleasure to one's life, she said, as well as expense.

She contemplated getting rid of theirs when it became sick a few years ago, but her husband would not hear of it. A trip to the veterinarian cost $255. Her husband gave Grey, a female, a shot a day for two weeks.

"I would guess support for this animal has run into the thousands," Kern said. "It just didn't make sense to me."

A bigger tank looms, but she is willing to pay the price. Simply by basking and swimming, Grey provides hours of entertainment, she said.

Homes are scarce

Paula Warner of Christiansburg "inherited" a red-eared slider her daughter bought in South Carolina five or six years ago. Myrtle the turtle was about as long as a half-dollar. Now her carapace is 5 inches long and 5 inches wide.

Myrtle occupied several "holding tanks" and now lives in a large plastic storage tub. With a rock to sun on, she will bask for hours, Warner said.

In October, as usual, she will begin to hibernate.

Warner wants to keep Myrtle but fears that she'll become too large. She knows the turtle can't be sold in Virginia and shouldn't be released because pet turtles may not be able to feed themselves, and they could carry diseases that would infect other turtles.

They also could breed among themselves and drive out native species.

Warner notes that an organization called Turtle Homes tries to place sliders. Its Web site (www.turtlehomes.org) explains the difficulties of finding homes for a breed so common and numerous.

The answer to the turtle problem lies with unscrupulous breeders and sellers. As parents, we are obligated to teach our children that turtles are living creatures, not toys - and that, once purchased, they require a longtime commitment.

Joe Kennedy's column appears

Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.