ABSTRACT
Trachemys scripta, the slider terrapin, has been traded worldwide since at least the 1950s, and quickly became a very popular pet because of its cheap price and the reasonably simple husbandry. Sliders are probably the most commonly traded reptile: more than 52 million individuals were exported from the US during the period 1989-1997 (Telecky, 2001). Although sliders are mostly traded as pets, in some areas they are also imported or farmed for human consumption, particularly in Asia (Scalera, 2007). Three subspecies of T. scripta are currently recognized (Bonin et al, 2006): Trachemys scripta scripta (Thunberg in Schoepff, 1792), T. s. elegans (Wied, 1838) and T. s. troostii (Holbrook, 1836) (Figure 28.1). Trachemys scripta elegans (the redeared slider terrapin) was the most widely traded subspecies until 1997. The European Union interrupted the import of T. s. elegans in 1997 (Regulation 338/1997; Regulation 349/2003) due to the high risk of biological invasion. However, these regulations considered only the subspecies T. s. elegans and, as a consequence, the trade in the other two subspecies (T. s. scripta, T. s. troostii and hybrids among subspecies) sharply increased after the ban (Scalera, 2007). Young sliders are sold at a size of just a few centimetres, but can grow quickly. As owners are rarely prepared to maintain large adults for many years, they often release terrapins into natural or semi-natural wetlands (TeillacDeschamps et al, 2009).
