Baby eastern painted turtle!!!

[AU_Arowana-RG]

You could always build a holding a structure, furnish it well, and keep it for life.

 

[kittyhazelton]

That is a fair question, and I do wonder how severe the issue actually is. I know I have seen a documentary that pointed the decrease in Desert Tortoises on the interchange between wild populations and released pets, so at least in that species the issue has been researched and documented. I also know that The European Pond turtle and some species of Asian Turtles have seen their numbers decrease due to the introduction of Red Eared sliders and the competition for food that they bring and the exposure to new pathogens. In general while not as well researched as one would like, there does seem to be some truth to it.

not in turtles, but for amphibians the Chytrid Fungus is a good example of an introduced pathogen (believed to have come from african frogs originally)... people too often assume that just because their animal never got sick, it won't spread disease.... think of all the things you could be feeding the turtle that could carry pathogens non-native to the environment, such as crickets, minnows & other feeder fish. All these microscopic organisms that react differently in different climates & situations. In an aquarium we have the ability to control the parameters, but we too often forget about the microorganisms that flourish without a 2nd thought. For this reason, I would say either keep the turtle forever, or release it now! The longer it sits in captivity the higher risk it has for coming into contact with & potentially spreading something to native populations.