Story from http://www.reporterherald.com/news_story.asp?ID=26355
Soft-shelled turtles need new homes
By Rachel Carter
Longmont Times-Call
Publish Date: 1/2/2010
LONGMONT Of the 50 tiny Asian soft-shell turtles that arrived last spring at the Colorado Reptile Humane Society, the shelter still has 42 of them.
Six are with foster families. One was adopted. And one died.
Despite the fact that the turtles were far too young to be imported to the United States, they have thrived at the Colorado Reptile Humane Society.
Weve been stunned by how well theyve done here, executive director A.E. Nash said in the living room of her north Longmont home, a home that doubles as a shelter for about 180 animals including snakes, iguanas, turtles and lizards.
With juvenile animals, you just never know; were thrilled that we didnt lose more.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife inspectors seized the 50 turtles at Denver International Airport in March and turned them over to the Colorado Reptile Humane Society.
A Denver-area aquarium shop and pet store illegally imported the turtles from Thailand. The species Pelodiscus sinensis is legal in the United States, but these turtles were too young to import.
In fact, nearly a year later, the turtles still would not meet federal importation standards.
When the turtles were seized, their shells were about an inch long and each one weighed only a few grams.
Now, each turtles shell is about 21/2 inches long, but federal regulations ban importing turtles with shells that are less than 4 inches long.
When they are fully grown, the females shells likely will be about a foot long and the males will be smaller at about 6 to 8 inches, Nash said.
The shelter will offer specials on adoption fees and will continue to sell inexpensive used equipment for the animals habitats, she said. The shelter also plans to make more animals available for foster care later this month.
Find out more about this topic by visiting the Colorado Reptile Humane Society Web site: www.corhs.org.
Soft-shelled turtles need new homes
By Rachel Carter
Longmont Times-Call
Publish Date: 1/2/2010
LONGMONT Of the 50 tiny Asian soft-shell turtles that arrived last spring at the Colorado Reptile Humane Society, the shelter still has 42 of them.
Six are with foster families. One was adopted. And one died.
Despite the fact that the turtles were far too young to be imported to the United States, they have thrived at the Colorado Reptile Humane Society.
Weve been stunned by how well theyve done here, executive director A.E. Nash said in the living room of her north Longmont home, a home that doubles as a shelter for about 180 animals including snakes, iguanas, turtles and lizards.
With juvenile animals, you just never know; were thrilled that we didnt lose more.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife inspectors seized the 50 turtles at Denver International Airport in March and turned them over to the Colorado Reptile Humane Society.
A Denver-area aquarium shop and pet store illegally imported the turtles from Thailand. The species Pelodiscus sinensis is legal in the United States, but these turtles were too young to import.
In fact, nearly a year later, the turtles still would not meet federal importation standards.
When the turtles were seized, their shells were about an inch long and each one weighed only a few grams.
Now, each turtles shell is about 21/2 inches long, but federal regulations ban importing turtles with shells that are less than 4 inches long.
When they are fully grown, the females shells likely will be about a foot long and the males will be smaller at about 6 to 8 inches, Nash said.
The shelter will offer specials on adoption fees and will continue to sell inexpensive used equipment for the animals habitats, she said. The shelter also plans to make more animals available for foster care later this month.
Find out more about this topic by visiting the Colorado Reptile Humane Society Web site: www.corhs.org.
