Editing Red-eared slider (section)

==As pets, invasive species, and human infection risk==
[[File:Trachemys scripta elegans23.jpg|thumb|''T. s. elegans'']]
Red-eared slider turtles are the world's most commonly traded reptile, due to their relatively low price, and usually low food price, small size, and easy maintenance.<ref name=Herrel-vdMeijden-2014-04/><ref name=Csurhes-Hankamer-2012>{{cite report |author1=Csurhes, S. |author2=Hankamer, C. |year=2012 |title=Red-eared slider turtle |department=Invasive species risk assessment |publisher=Government of Queensland |series=Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Introduction – Is a slider right for you? |department=Slider Guide |website=Turtle Source (Turtlesource.webs.com) |url=http://turtlesource.webs.com/sliderguide.html |access-date=2009-12-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091206063335/http://turtlesource.webs.com/sliderguide.html |archive-date=2009-12-06 }}</ref> As with other turtles, [[tortoise]]s, and [[box turtle]]s, individuals that survive their first year or two can be expected to live generally around 30 years. They present an infection risk; particularly of ''[[Salmonella enterica|Salmonella]]''.<ref name=Csurhes-Hankamer-2012/><!-- how-to, not encyclopedic This risk can be mitigated and minimized by changing the aquarium water at least once per two weeks for teenagers and once per week for babies or use a proper [[Aquarium filter|Aquarium]] [[water filter]] system. To protect oneself from infection wash hands whenever handling a red-eared slider or the water they dwell in. When they mature they can inflict painful bites, leading irresponsible owners to release them into the wild with negative ecological, social and, economic impacts. -->

===Infection risks and United States federal regulations on commercial distribution===
[[File:Red-eared sliders and Mallard in Golden Gate Park 1.jpg|thumb|right|A line of basking red-eared sliders faces an inquisitive [[mallard]].]]

Reptiles are asymptomatic (meaning they suffer no adverse side effects) [[Asymptomatic carrier|carriers]] of bacteria of the genus ''[[Salmonella]]''.<ref name="salmonella">{{cite web |author=Iglesias, Isabel |title=Tortuga de orejas rojas |website=tiendanimal.es |url=http://www.tiendanimal.es/articulo.php?id=59&languages_id=3&categoria=20 |access-date=21 July 2007}}</ref> This has given rise to justifiable concerns given the many instances of infection of humans caused by the handling of turtles,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Multistate outbreak of human salmonella infections associated with exposure to turtles 2007–2008 |date=25 January 2008 |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=69–72 |periodical=Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (CDC MMWR) |place=United States |publisher=[[Centers for Disease Control]] |url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5703a3.htm?s_cid=mm5703a3_e}}</ref> which has led to restrictions in the sale of red-eared sliders in the United States. A 1975 [[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) regulation bans the sale (for general commercial and public use) of both turtle eggs and turtles with a carapace length less than {{convert|4|in|cm|abbr=on}}. This regulation comes under the Public Health Service Act, and is enforced by the FDA in cooperation with state and local health jurisdictions. The ban was enacted because of the public-health impact of turtle-associated [[salmonellosis]]. Turtles and turtle eggs found to be offered for sale in violation of this provision are subject to destruction in accordance with FDA procedures. A fine up to $1,001 and / or imprisonment for up to one year is the penalty for those who refuse to comply with a valid final demand for destruction of such turtles or their eggs.{{refn|{{cite web |website=GCTTS |department=FAQ |title="4&nbsp;Inch Law", actually an FDA regulation |url=http://www.gctts.org/node/31}}<br/>See also <ref name=FDA-Reg-§1240.62/>}} Many stores and flea markets still sell small turtles due to an exception in the FDA regulation that allows turtles under {{convert|4|in|cm|abbr=on}} to be sold "for ''[[bona fide]]'' scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes, other than use as pets."<ref name=FDA-Reg-§1240.62>{{cite report |title=Turtles intrastate and interstate requirements |series=FDA Regulation |at=Sec. 1240.62, page 678 part d1 |url=http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/12feb20041500/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/aprqtr/21cfr1240.62.htm}}</ref> As with many other animals and inanimate objects, the risk of ''Salmonella'' exposure can be reduced by following basic rules of cleanliness. Small children must be taught to wash their hands immediately after they finish playing with the turtle, feeding it, or changing its water.

===US state laws===
Some states have other laws and regulations regarding possession of red-eared sliders because they can be an invasive species where they are not native and have been introduced through the pet trade. It is illegal in Florida to sell any wild-type red-eared slider, as they interbreed with the local [[yellow-bellied slider]] population, {{nobr|''T. s. scripta'',}} which is another subspecies of [[pond slider]]s, and hybrids typically combine the markings of the two subspecies. However, unusual color varieties such as albino and pastel red-eared sliders, which are derived from captive breeding, are still allowed for sale.<ref>{{cite news |title=Turtle ban begins today |series=New state law |website=newszap.com |date=2007-07-01 |df=dmy-all |url=http://www.newszap.com/articles/2007/06/30/fl/lake_okeechobee/aok02.txt |access-date=2007-07-06}}</ref>

[[File:Trachemys scripta elegans in koi pond at Hakone Gardens.webm|thumb|Red-eared slider swimming in an outdoor [[koi pond]]]]

===Invasive status in Australia===
In Australia, breeding populations have been found in New South Wales and Queensland, and individual turtles have been found in the wild in Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia.<ref name=Csurhes-Hankamer-2016>{{cite report |author1=Csurhes, S. |author2=Hankamer, C. |orig-year=2012 |edition=updated |year=2016 |title=Red-eared slider turtle |department=Invasive animal risk assessment |series=Biosecurity Queensland |publisher=Queensland Government |place=[[Queensland]], AU |url=https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/76836/IPA-Red-Eared-Slider-Turtle-Risk-Assessment.pdf |access-date=2017-05-29}}</ref>

Red-eared slider turtles are considered a significant threat to native turtle species; they mature more quickly, grow larger, produce more offspring, and are more aggressive.<ref name=Csurhes-Hankamer-2016/> Numerous studies indicate that red-eared slider turtles can out-compete native turtles for food and nesting and basking sites.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Polo-Cavia, N. |author2=López, P. |author3=Martín, J. |year=2010 |title=Competitive interactions during basking between native and invasive freshwater turtle species |journal=Biological Invasions |volume=12 |issue=7 |pages=2141–2152|doi=10.1007/s10530-009-9615-0 |bibcode=2010BiInv..12.2141P |s2cid=37769857 }}</ref> Unlike the general diet of pet red-eared sliders, wild red-eared sliders are usually omnivorous.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Prevot-Julliard, A. C. |author2=Gousset, E. |author3=Archinard, C. |author4= Cadi, A. |author5=Girondot, M. |year=2007 |title=Pets and invasion risks: is the Slider turtle strictly carnivorous? | journal=Amphibia-Reptilia |volume=28 |issue=1|pages=139–143 |doi=10.1163/156853807779799036 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Because red-eared slider turtles eat plants as well as animals, they could also have a negative impact on a range of native aquatic species, including rare frogs.<ref>{{cite conference |author=O'Keefe, S. |year=2005 |title=Investing in conjecture: Eradicating the red-eared slider in Queensland |conference=13th Australasian Vertebrate Pest Conference |place=Wellington, New Zealand}}</ref> Also, a significant risk exists that red-eared slider turtles can transfer diseases and parasites to native reptile species. A malaria-like parasite was spread to two wild turtle populations in Lane Cove River, Sydney.<ref>{{cite report |year=2009 |title=Red-eared slider: Social and economic impacts |series=Animal pest alert |volume=6/2009 |department=Department of Agriculture and Food |place=Western Australia}}</ref>

Social and economic costs are also likely to be substantial. The Queensland government has invested close to AU$1 million in eradication programs to date.<ref name=Csurhes-Hankamer-2016/> The turtle may also cause significant public-health costs due to the impacts of turtle-associated salmonella on human health. Outbreaks in multiple states and fatalities in children, associated with handling ''Salmonella''-infected turtles, have been recorded in the US.<ref>{{cite journal |publisher=[[Center for Disease Control]] |place=United States |year=2007 |title=Turtle associated salmonellosis in humans |department=United States 2006–2007 |periodical=Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (CDC MMWR) |volume=56 |issue=26 |pages=649–652}}</ref> Salmonella can also spread to humans when turtles contaminate drinking water.<ref>{{cite report |author=Bomford, M. |year=2008 |title=Risk assessment models for establishment of exotic vertebrates in Australia and New Zealand |publisher=Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre |place=Canberra, ACT, Australia}}</ref>

The actions by state governments have varied considerably to date, ranging from ongoing eradication efforts by the Queensland government to very little action by the government of New South Wales.<ref name=ISC-AU-2014>{{cite report |publisher=Invasive Species Council |place=Australia |year=2014 |series=Biosecurity Failures in Australia |title=Red-eared slider turtles |url=https://invasives.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Biosecurity-failures-red-eared-slider-turtles.pdf |access-date=2017-05-29 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Experts have ranked the species as high priority for management in Australia, and are calling for a national prevention and eradication strategy, including a concerted education and compliance program to stop the illegal trade, possession, and release of slider turtles.{{refn|''For example see''<ref name=ISC-AU-2014/> and <ref>{{cite report |author1=Massam, M. |author2=Kirkpatrick, W. |author3=Page, A. |year=2010 |title=Assessment and prioritisation of risk for forty introduced animal species |publisher=Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre |place=Canberra, AU}}</ref> }}

=== Invasive status in India ===
Red-eared slider turtles are threatening to invade the natural water bodies across [[northeast India]], which are home to 21 out of 29 vulnerable native Indian species of freshwater turtle.<ref>{{cite news |author=Karmakar, Rahul |date=15 May 2021 |title=Native Indian turtles face U.S. slider threat across northeast |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/native-indian-turtles-face-us-slider-threat-across-northeast/article34555420.ece }}</ref> Between August&nbsp;2018 and June&nbsp;2019, a team of herpetologists from the [[non-governmental organization|NGO]] "Help Earth" found red-eared sliders in the Deepor Beel wildlife sanctuary and [[Ugratara Devalaya]] temple pond.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Purkayastha |first1=J. |last2=Bhattacharjee |first2=R. |last3=Bohra |first3=S. C. |year=2020 |title=First record of the exotic red-eared slider, ''Trachemys scripta elegans'' {{small|(Wied&nbsp;1838)}} (Emydidae) from Assam, India |journal=Reptiles & Amphibians |volume=27 |issue=2 |pages=286–287 |doi=10.17161/randa.v27i2.14370 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Further reports have been made from an unnamed stream, feeding into the [[Tlawng]] river, on a farm in the [[Mizoram]] capital, [[Aizawl]].{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}