One of the unfortunate truths about the Turtle Fever phenomenon of the late 80’s and early 90’s was that a lot of innocent turtles actually ended up in danger as a side effect. When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were at the height of their popularity, parents ran out to pet stores and bought real live turtles for their children. What better gift for your TMNT loving child than the living representation of those characters? Well, the sad truth is that a lot of those parents didn’t know how to take care of them, they weren’t prepared to keep them as pets, and a lot of those animals ended up abandoned as a result.

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it would appear that history is repeating itself once again. The RSPCA of the United Kingdom recently confirmed that they have been receiving thousands of calls about these poor animals being mistreated and abandoned, and they are urging people to think twice before buying pet terrapins for their children. These animals can live for a long time – up to 50 years in some cases – and a pet owner should be prepared to take care of them properly for a long period of time if they actually intend to get a pet turtle.

It’s important to talk about this issue, because it would appear that some turtles fans haven’t learned the lessons of the past. Nobody wants to see an animal abused, and it isn’t fair to your pet if you just decide one day that you no longer want to take responsibility for it. You can’t take an animal that has been living in your home and hope that it will naturally acclimate itself to the ecosystem of a pond or similar areas, because it will most likely be unable to do so. Abandoning your pet is considered animal abuse, and that is a serious offense.

Here at TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles.com, we love turtles. We don’t just love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, we’re also pretty fond of the actual animals that inspired these creations as well. The last thing we want to see is a lot of helpless terrapins being mistreated and abandoned just because Turtle Fever is back in full effect once more. If you are considering the possibility of getting a pet turtle, make sure that you are prepared to feed it the food that it needs to survive and take care of it for a long time, because every animal deserves a long and healthy life. Don’t let your passion for the Ninja Turtles go far enough to endanger the lives of animals.

If you’re concerned about abandoned terrapins, please share this message with your friends and family and make sure that they understand the level of responsibility that comes with owning a pet turtle. Thanks for being totally awesome fans!