Submitted by RoverTheMonster t3_11m54z7 in philadelphia
Like what’s special about them? Why would someone buy one?
Submitted by RoverTheMonster t3_11m54z7 in philadelphia
Like what’s special about them? Why would someone buy one?
There used to be a turtle trap house somewhere near like 21st and federal that got shut down years ago that apparently supplied most of them, didn't realize they came back.
I'm driving through the wrong intersections. Everyone just asks me me for money. No one told me I could be getting turtles out of this.
No I think you’re driving where you should be. I posted this after driving past someone selling turtles at K&A and saw the same thing last week at 34th & Girard
Came here to say this. I don't think I need to drive down to K&A just for the chance to buy a turtle though....
>turtle trap house
This is messing with my childhood TMNT memories.
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Sometimes they have hermit crabs
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There was a time where damn near everywhere along Roosevelt boulevard there was a dude trying to sell you a turtle. This was like 10+ years ago.
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Yeah I remember constantly seeing dudes on the el with them and even at lights, like at passyunk and vare
Wasn't it ties to Kenyatta Johnson somehow? Like he sold said house for a dollar to someone using councilman prerogative?
Sounds familiar but can't seem to find the article on google or in this subreddit. It's wild.
I laughed hard at turtle trap house.
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I remember when it was the best pretzels ever.
I saw them outside city hall last week
Special? $10 each or 3 for $20.
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They are illegal! Baby turtles are illegal to sell, really grinds my gears
Years ago we took our kids to the zoo and there was a guy selling baby turtles and Michael Jackson tee shirts at the gas station next to the zoo. Of course my kid wanted a turtle! Now I realize that baby turtles are very easy to catch along creeks and canals, red eared sliders are invasive. They are everywhere along the Schyulkill canal in Mont Claire for example.
F'n Herb Denenberg ruining a good thing. :(
Never in my life as a Philadelphian has anyone ever tried to sell me a turtle at an intersection. Puppies, ferrets, weed and scalped tickets - but never turtles
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Yep. Both the species and the risk of salmonella outbreaks with that size/type of turtle.
They sell your the cage … ans it comes with a free turtle .. loopholes
Snakes too. I think people buy them for their kids
PSA please do not buy these. They can make you very sick as they carry salmonella often.
You’re paying way too much for turtles, who’s your turtle guy?
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Ferrets?????
Dont buy turtles. They can live 20+ years, require a large tank, heating lamps, water heaters, food, filters for cleaning. My sister bought me two as a gift for Christmas 10 years ago. I have one bc the survivor killed the other. These are not pets they are commitments
> These are not pets they are commitments
All pets are commitments!
I knew as soon as I posted that someone would say this. Yes it's true
Cocaine Turtle?
At one point my dorm room had a turtle tank with 2 turtles. As other people gave up their subway purchased turtles that number grew to 7 turtles. They lived for 8-10 years
How much is too much for a turtle?
They used to sell them at the city hall EL stop too.
They used to sell them at the Roosevelt mall flea market . I bought one and the lil dude lived for over a year and a half before he went tits up.
Of all the illegal ways to make dog shit money, this is one of the dumbest.
My grandma used to have one in her backyard. She used to own an acre of land and the turtle would show up every so often and thrive by itself.
I feel like when they were all the rage there was always someone hawking them at intersections or bursting into chinese takeout joints with them
I imagine Michelangelo tying off his arm to main some pizza sauce
Can confirm ive seen it somewhat recently at the city hall station
They post up at Harbison and the Blvd all summer long.
I bought mine for 20$ at the Cecil b stop in 2012, it came with a little plastic tank with a palm tree. Now I have a 10 year old turtle and a 90 gallon tank that requires regular maintenance. They’re a really big commitment, I did not expect this turtle to live 4 months let alone 10 years.
I bought two off of the street a year ago. Turns out they need a ridiculous amount of care, and they are expensive to own. One already needed a surgery 🙄. I wonder if any of the other babies have survived from that day.
I'm not sure if it's connected to a few masjids or not. The guy at Berkley and Pulaski in Germantown sells turtles and lizards in spring and summer. He also sells juice. I think he's part of the masjid on Germantown ave.
Jesus can humans stop bothering animals for the love of god?!! If it's not a cat or a dog it's not a pet it's a prisoner because it would leave your house if it could.
sad that's how he has to get his cowabunga's now
This always makes me so sad. It's animal abuse
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Like 10ish
I saw someone releasing a bunch of baby turtles into the water at Penn treaty park once. I couldn't tell if they were trying to save them or...?
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Usually baby red eared sliders
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Sure, for street turtle, but I've got a turtle card so I get primo purple haze Himalayan turtles from the turtle dispensary. Sure, I've got to pay taxes on them, but they're organic and you can really lose yourself in the sworls on their shells.
>I did not expect this turtle to live 4 months let alone 10 years.
Fast forward to your grandkids telling their grandkids that your poor impulse control is the reason for the 70lb turtle in the back yard.
That would be a good band name
Man, I miss Philly
This has got to be about "Rocky" somehow.
I’m looking for a turtle, let me find the right intersection
Why would someone buy them? On impulse, like my wife did. It was a mistake, they live forever, get fucking huge, and smell terrible. We ended up giving it to her weird brother who likes reptiles.
Lol this been a hustle from the streets for years now. My boy used to sell em In Camden.
I saw one of these dudes at the gym recently. Just vibing on the elliptical with a kritter keeper full of baby turtles next to him.
For those unaware: reptiles bought at a store shouldn’t have any chance of salmonella. That’s more common in wild-caught animals, which these most likely are
That’s a super short lifespan for turtles
I grew up in the Poconos. This was relatively common. I knew people that would drive to NYC to sell them. Turtles are really easy to raise. I used to catch them in rivers and ponds. I'm assuming people can grab a few turtles and breed them. All of a sudden you have hundreds.
Intersection near my house typically has pressed juice. Little turtles and snakes a couple of days a month. One day they had small pies. I don’t know how the sales are decided, but I am curious.
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I like turtles
Yup. Someone else described it on here better. Berkley & Pulaski.
I thought under a certain size they could have salmonella regardless of captive or wild?
Better watch out or Herb Denningberg will show up at your front door. I’ll call him on you.
My cat always wants to escape :(
Size restriction is partially because children put them in their mouths. Kids are nuts
Yea apparently a bunch of our neighbors have been complaining to rep parker about them and about a month ago she declared "problem solved, the guys will not be back." I think cops have been doing regular checks on them and confiscating their inventory when they see them. But they're still there every day. The money must be too good to pass up
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Any size from anywhere can carry salmonella, even healthy turtles
Yeah like.. Did he see actual turtles? Or is it like saying “Big yellow bird! I got that big yellow bird!” Meaning drugs…
Please call ACCT if you see the turtles and report them!
They appeared in Trenton, NJ this week.
Yea but a pet loves you back. Turtles just kinda... Tank
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Does anyone know if you could just buy all their turtles and release them back from where they came? I feel so bad for these turtles and I’d spend some cash to just get them back home.
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they get them from the creeks i think. i had one and it got stolen when i left it on my porch.
rip speedy.
have you been in north philly? just going down allegheny from west to east you'll get turtled up.
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You cannot, the supply of turtles is infinite.
you linked to a canadian organization, i’m pretty sure red-eared sliders are fine to keep here (when bought from a legit source and not on the street of course)
Oop, grabbed the wrong link, but yeah it's still an invasive species.
Is the turtle soup scene back? Galapagos tortoises took forever to be properly classified because they were so incredibly delicious apparently
Even if you could, these are probably invasive species that shouldn't be released into local ecosystems and there's no viable way to get them back to whatever part of the world they originate in.
My neighbor has a full ass Tortoise. It has its own room and isn't fully grown yet at 200 lbs. He had to have a will drawn up so he can bequeath it to someone because the Tortoise will outlive him just to even purchase the thing.
He tried to get me to inherit it and my wife was a solid "No".
Fast forward and your great x20 grandkids can survive on their island turtle as climate change has flooded the planet
All pets are commitments!
I buy one every time. Turtles are the next big thing.
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Yeah these are usually red-eared sliders, which are not native and will screw with the local wildlife. That's one of the huge problems with these turtle guys -- people get sick of their pets and release the turtles into local ponds, where they absolutely take over.
Yes. It's where people used to try and sell me ferrets.
Thanks, VSCO girls and your hydroflasks. Now look where you got us.
> Turtles just kinda... Tank
I expected to be downvoted, and you're not wrong.
I know someone who bought some red sliders in this manner. They are Philly turtles with a Philly attitude straight up, one ended up eating the other while they had abundant food and space.
Edit: Posted this tragedy to just let everyone know, think before you buy street turtles. They are a big responsibility.
Not if you make it into soup. Mmmmm, turtle soup
lucky, all i got was turtles and ket pushers
I got one as a kid outside the zoo. It was Memorial Day Weekend 2008. That turtle is still alive, is female (has laid eggs), and is named Shelley. She's pretty cute and lives in my grandfather's spare bathtub in the winter, and a stock tank in the backyard in the summer. I would not recommend having a red eared slider or really any turtle as a pet to anyone that doesn't already like herps... like a lot.
Edit: I also specifically wouldn't buy a street turtle, like others have mentioned there's a big Salmonella problem, unethical breeding, and they're illegal to own as they're an invasive species
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It's just a hustle.
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It’s very doubtful that they are coming from the wild. They aren’t very difficult to breed in captivity.
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I saw someone carrying one around 16th and Market the other day.
lorddendem t1_jbfv0py wrote
To my knowledge, they are selling turtles that are not suppose to be sold. Either illegal due to species or size.