Thank you for your incredibly useful contribution to the thread.
i can see the reasons WHY they are banned...but what about measures to be put in place so that people CAN own them...such as reptile care/sanitation booklets combined with a test and receive a license to own these animals? i know they have similar programs now...but they are hard to find, cost a fortune, etc. etc.Thank you for your incredibly useful contribution to the thread.
I don't think it's a ridiculous ban at all, though I wish human nature was such that the problem could have been solved by educating the public instead. I believe it's the combined result of salmonella scares in the "old days" when nobody knew about proper reptile sanitation and everyone fed their turtles raw meat, and the fact that idiots have been releasing non-native species in places they shouldn't be, which just plain screws up the world.
Educating the public, however, would have taken much longer and gotten much poorer results than just banning turtles outright. It's a sad state of affairs.
I guess it's just because there's nobody lobbying the right people and *asking* for it. Maybe someone should actually start a movement.
I'd be all in favor of that, particularly the license to own them. Maybe then we could ensure that everyone GETTING a turtle actually knows how to care for them, instead of keeping them in dirty water with no UV light and feeding them lettuce. 
Given the fact that the thread already received replies that answered the original question, I didn't think it would be too outlandish to chime in on a separate note. Since I seem to have offended you and a few others, allow me to extend you a heartfelt and sincere apology: <edit> and have a good day.
REALLY?! WOW! i guess i dont have it too bad in TN then...crocodilians, anacondas, venomous snakes (with permit), and all corn snakes are all legal here. why are corn snake morphs illegal?
Psst, wild animals have parasites, diseases, are possibly more likely to stress, and won't be able to breed and maintain the population. Enough turtles are endangered as it is.
Thank you for your incredibly useful contribution to the thread.
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Well said
Check out reptileauctions.com....know the risks, and wheigh them crefully. Most places are a dont ask dont tell policy.....ie you send money they send the turtles.....but that is because the definitions of the laws are somewhat grey in thier exact definition. IE here in along the coast baby turtles are illegal to sell as pets...but you can sell them with no special permits as long as they are for educational purposes or scientific research. no paperwork only a spoken agreement.
IMO I would avoid a turtle alltogether, a SW aquarium requires less maintenance (a fo tank...not a reef).
B<edit>. People should have to catch their own turtles. That way they will have some idea of what needs a turtle has. Instead of posting on a forum- I bought a turtle what do I feed it and what do I put it in.Psst, wild animals have parasites, diseases, are possibly more likely to stress, and won't be able to breed and maintain the population. Enough turtles are endangered as it is.
Captive bred all the way.
This is not earth logic. Any idiot can catch a wild turtle, just like any idiot can buy a turtle. They aren't any more likely to educate themselves on proper captive care afterward.
Turtles are endangered by being removed from the wild so that they cannot breed more wild babies. Whether they're sold to other people afterwards isn't going to change that.
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