4 inch rule - dumbest law ever passed

swreefer

swreefer

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Mar 9, 2003
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Anyone else think this has got to be one of the dumbest laws ever passed?
It is stupid to outlaw turtles under 4 inches. This ban was put in place because of salmonella scare and that kids could fit turtles under 4 inches in their mouths. Stupid.
Why is it that baby frogs can be offered for sale? They could fit in a kids mouth and there could be the chance of salmonella. What about baby lizards since some of them are only about 2-3 inches when they are sold at stores? They can fit in a kids mouth and could pose a problem with salmonella.
This 4 inch carapace law is just stupid. If it is only because kids can put them in their mouths, then either regulate the other baby reptiles/amphibians OR....here's a thought.......hold the PARENTS responsible for the things their kids do. Wow! imagine that. The parents would actually have to talk to the kids and tell them not to put them in their mouths. Imagine that...Parenting.

Besides. How can you not think these are cute when they are hatchlings?

"These turtles were purchased for educational and scientific purposes only."

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This 4 inch carapace law is just stupid. If it is only because kids can put them in their mouths, then either regulate the other baby reptiles/amphibians OR....here's a thought.......hold the PARENTS responsible for the things their kids do. Wow! imagine that. The parents would actually have to talk to the kids and tell them not to put them in their mouths. Imagine that...Parenting.
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I tend to agree with your post wholeheartedly. Kids will get salmonella if they want it, turtles shouldn't be blamed. Parents should also teach and monitor their own children.
I know when I was young there was an attempt to outlaw turtles form the hobby completely. I do not know if it was a local or nationwide attempt though.
We used to catch turtles every spring and bring them home to our Outdoor "pond" and keep them all summer. Dad would make us turn them loose in the early fall so they could hibernate. I can't say that I ever got salmonella from a turtle, although I am quite familiar with salmonella. I do know that mom Was a stickler for clean hands after being around the animals.
We generally had a dozen or so snakes and a good number of turtles out in the back yard every summer. Looking back, I'm not sure I'm proud of how we kept them, but they did live well eat good and get returned to the wild from whence they came.

Dave
 
I remember having a couple as a kid and never got salmonella...
I didn't hear the bit about kids fitting them in their mouth, the salmonella thing is what I heard. I would imagine from the breeding in captivity under poor conditions is where that came in, much like the risk of salmonella in hen's eggs.
 
The size law is more a matter of how they are kept and sold, as I understand. Babies were kept in huge numbers in foul conditions where salmonella could thrive, larger animals were more expensive and maintained better in the shops.

I remember tanks crammed with baby turtles, and people buying them without any clue as to how to keep them alive. Salmonella was the best thing to happen to turtle hatchlings.
 
True. It has helped the harchlings but it makes it so difficult for a responsible keeper to get them now.
Mine are maintained in a 3 foot plastic cage made specifically for housing these animals with a large pool, raidant heat panel, and UVA/UVB lighting.
As you can see from the pic, they are not crowded at all.
I just think laws to prevent stupidity on the part of people in turn lead to more laws that never should have been written in the first place.
 
swreefer said:
OR....here's a thought.......hold the PARENTS responsible for the things their kids do. Wow! imagine that. The parents would actually have to talk to the kids and tell them not to put them in their mouths. Imagine that...Parenting.
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Because often times, for children to learn anything, they have to either get harmed from the thing (eating it and dying wold help) or get shown that its a bad thing, sometimes with force. And now aday's if you yell at your kid, its considered mental abuse and child services come and take the kid away. I blame the democrats!!! :laugh:
 
Actually, the hazard was from kids putting their hands in their mouths, or on food, after handling the turtles.

If a parent can tell me with a straight face that their kids would wash their hands every time after handling turtles, I would have a little trouble taking them seriously.

Should they have outlawed them on that basis, probably not. They haven't outlawed raw eggs. On the other hand, it has prevented the suffering of tens of thousands of turtles, so it has my vote.
 
Just another useless law to protect people from themselves, like how you cant pump your own gas in Jersey, or mandatory seat belt laws. Do these laws save lives? Maybe, maybe not. But they're pointless.
 
If a parent can tell me with a straight face that their kids would wash their hands every time after handling turtles, I would have a little trouble taking them seriously.
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Studies have been done...unfortunately many adults don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom...how can you expect a kid to wash after handling a pet...

They haven't outlawed raw eggs.
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Well they sorta have. My daughter got her food handlers license. It's illegal to serve undercooked eggs in nursing homes and hospitals..where you are likely to find sick people, whom the salmonella would make sicker. That's state of Illinois at least, she's at work or I'd ask if it was a federal mandate. Some restaurants won't, but not many. Personally...I prefer my eggs over easy..
 
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