He is keeping wc turtles too
Because, you posted it, making us responsible for your actions. You broke state law, you have to release him. You made this public. Trust me, you don’t want this one on your record.
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Ok I will release him
Just because one person breaks the law does not mean you should take it as an invitation to do so as well, it’s almost worse that you knew you weren’t supposed to take this animal and you still did. Not only that, but it’s really not that hard to find captive bred babies if you really wanted a garter, every local MN reptile show I’ve been to has them, MM has plenty, it’s not hard to acquire one legally.
I think you really need to take a moment to stop and reflect on how you’re choosing to be a keeper. Slow down the speed at which you’re acquiring animals and making so many big plans. You’re young, you tend to think you know what you’re doing, but you also knew what you were doing was wrong and yet continued forward anyways. Your actions reflect on this hobby as a whole, and you need to take that into consideration with every choice you make. Many of your threads have had veterans giving you good advice, and you’ve been very resistant to accepting any of that information. We’re trying to help you, for your own sake and that of your animals.
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I just released him
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I know that must’ve been difficult, but you did the right thing.
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It was very difficult, I know I did the right thing
I had some wild caught BEFORE the law so when it was legal
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It sucks that laws change, but unfortunately, we must respect when they do. Gotta allow the protection of these species so we have them in the wild the future.
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Another thing is my cousin who has the turtle found them probably on the side of the road kept them after the I found my garter snake that I don’t have anymore In my backyard and that’s where I released him.
Depending on what species of turtle it is and the size, if he had a fishing license and took it in season, he may not have broken the law. Unlike snakes, it is legal to collect some species of turtles.
He caught a painted turtle and a snapping turtle and he’s 9 so idk if he has a fishing license
As long as it was in the shell length requirements and seasons, and his family had a license (since he is a minor) those species are both legal to capture. Even if they weren’t, it’d be a hard one to prove and they’d likely be allowed to keep them because they were taken by a nine year old. You’re older and knew what you were doing was illegal, and openly admitted so. These things aren’t comparable.
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You did the right thing by releasing him.
As mentioned, if you want a garter snake (and I don’t blame you for wanting one, they’re super cool!), you should get one (or several, since I believe they do best in pairs or groups) that’s captive bred. There are quite a variety of garter species that are commonly bred in captivity and most of them aren’t especially expensive, so you should have plenty of options to choose from. There are lots of listings in the MM marketplace, or you could go to an expo or find a breeder locally. It’s always better to get captive-bred reptiles. It’s better for the animal, it’s better for the keeper, it’s safer for your existing reptiles, and it protects wild populations.
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I have a local reptile store in Minneapolis I could go there and get like some checkered garters or common