They're sold for a few dollars at flea markets and pet stores. Most are dead within a year. The survivors are dumped in local ponds — and they're destroying ecosystems across the country.

Red-eared slider turtles are the most traded reptile in the world. They're marketed as easy, low-maintenance pets, but the reality is very different. These animals require specialized care, live for up to 40 years, and grow far larger than most buyers expect. Overwhelmed owners abandon them, and when they do, these non-native turtles outcompete native species for food, basking spots, and nesting sites — pushing already-vulnerable wildlife toward local extinction.

The suffering doesn't start at the pond. It starts at the source. Baby sliders are hatched in crowded, unsanitary conditions, shipped in bulk, and sold to families who have no idea what they're taking on. The vast majority die from neglect, malnutrition, or improper housing within months of purchase.

The sale of red-eared sliders is an animal welfare crisis and an ecological disaster — and it's entirely preventable.

The FDA has banned the sale of turtles under 4 inches since 1975 due to Salmonella risk, but loopholes remain, and enforcement is inconsistent. The United States has the power to go further — banning the retail sale of red-eared sliders entirely and protecting both animals and ecosystems from an industry that profits from ignorance.

Humane societies, wildlife rehabilitators, and conservation groups are united on this: the sale must stop.

Sign this petition to demand a ban on the sale of red-eared slider turtles