Eduardo & Bob

Our new contraband turtles

Yesterday we made a trip to Chinatown to get “squishies”.   The shopping was a major success, with the kids finding what they wanted at prices that were amazingly cheap.

Then we headed toward Canal St. and the subway station and suddenly I heard Ben say “Mama!  Look they have turtles!!”

Uh-oh.

Ben has been asking for a pet turtle on a fairly regular basis for a few months now.  I have been delaying, not wanting the responsibility of another living thing on my hands.

But there they were.  Two little hatchling turtles, frantically trying to get out of the tiny plastic “aquarium”  (I use the term loosely) in which they found themselves.   And I knew we were going home with them.  We couldn’t leave them outside this souvenir shop in less than an inch of water with tourists gaping at them and claiming that they couldn’t possibly be real.

We had to rescue them.

$20 later ($15 for the turtles which included the stamp sized plastic aquarium – ! – and $5 for their food) we headed home.

By way of the pet store on 72nd Street.
You will never regret buying cheapest levitra prices as it is illegal to purchase the original levitra and other may not commander levitra. It is essential to ensure the genuineness of Dosage and Prices purchase cheap cialis the medicines you buy. Another purchase levitra dosage of Super P Force can be taken after consulting with your doctor. Administration of Forzest 20mg with water an hour before they start cialis levitra price up with their sexual issue.
Where we found out that it is illegal for anyone to sell turtles whose shells measure less than 4″ in length.   (Ours measure barely 2″.)

“So you mean,”  I said to the pet store employee, “we bought contraband turtles?”

Yes, in fact, we did.  But the pet store people were lovely about it, not making us feel like criminals for supporting the trafficking of illegal red-eared sliders.

$240 later (gulp) we were fully equipped with a turtle habitat worthy of two such cute little dudes.  They have a platform and a water heater and filter and UV lamp.  They seem pretty content.

I only hope they are healthy.  Fingers crossed they make it through the first couple of months, and then I think we’ll be in the clear.   I read that I could take a sampling of their feces to the vet to have it examined, but sorry, that’s where I draw the line.

Oh, and the reason that it is illegal to sell turtles less than 4″ in length?  Apparently the babies are far more likely to carry salmonella, which kids would get on their hands while handling the turtles.   One report made it sound only slightly less dangerous than the Black Plague.   Others said that as long as you wash your hands before and after handling them, you’d be fine.  We’re going with the washing of the hands.  (Oddly enough, when I was a kid I don’t remember ever washing my hands before or after handling turtles, frogs or barn cats, all of whom I’m sure carry death with them wherever they go.  And yet I’m still here…)

Anyway, my reticence about having turtles has completely evaporated in the 24 hours that Eduardo and Bob have spent with us.  They are hilarious and charming and have definite personalities.  Eduardo has a small red spot on the back of his shell and is slightly larger than Bob, which is how we tell them apart.  Ben spent a good 3 or 4 hours just watching them yesterday, and we’ve looked up all kinds of things about turtles on line, including how long they can hold their breaths, what is the optimal water temperature for them (which prompted another run to the pet store for a thermometer) and are their shells flexible when they are babies?   (They are.)

The enthusiasm and instant adoration by both Maya & Ben toward these little guys was worth every penny.  And if they live for 20-30 years as promised by the pet store people, I’m sure I won’t even remember the initial cost of their fancy habitat.