Water Turtle Ban

DID YOU KNOW?

One turtle, the Red-eared Slider, is no longer legal to keep in Massachusetts. This turtle has been prohibited because unwanted pets were released so often that they have now become established as an invasive, breeding, non-native turtle in several areas of the state. Any existing pet slider will be grandfathered and may continue to be kept for the rest of its life, but the owner should keep a date-stamped clear, in-focus photo of its belly (plastron) as documentation, to avoid penalties.

The enforcement of the Red-eared Slider possession prohibition was implemented in two steps. No new Red-eared Sliders have been imported into Massachusetts effective January 2014, and the sale of sliders in pet stores has been illegal since April 2014. Additional states are considering similar regulations.