

Don't buy kids pet turtles because they love the mutant ninja movie, rescue group says

Even if your kid is totally hyped about turtles thanks to the soon-to-be-released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, don't buy them one, pleads American Tortoise Rescue. Real turtles are boring to most kids, can transmit diseases and too often end up dead when a family tires of them, the group says in a letter to parents posted on its website this week.

The rescue group, based in California, says that since the first TMNT movie was released in 1990, thousands of turtles -- mostly small red-eared sliders -- were purchased, and many ended up dumped in lakes or rivers or "even deliberately killed or flushed down the toilet."

Children, the group added, "do not realize that real turtles do not fly, perform stunts or do any of the exciting moves fictional movie turtles do."

I could not quickly verify their movie-led-to-dead-turtles assertion, but the Humane Society of the United States agrees turtles make bad pets. In fact, it says "To protect your health, the earth and the animals, please don't get a turtle for a pet!"

Turtles can carry Salmonella and can transmit the disease to children. In 2007, a baby girl in Florida died from Salmonella she got from a turtle, the society said. If released in the wild, pet turtles can die, spread disease to other animals or compete with native species for food.

The rescue group says if you've got kids eager to recapture ninja turtle movie magic at home, buy them an action figure or some other turtle toy.

You know those won't be hard to find.



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