DEAR HARRIETTE: My children coerced me into buying them pet turtles. Lo and behold, I am the only one taking care of them. My kids don't even pay attention to them! I called the pet store and they said that they cannot accept the animals back years after purchase. I have been plotting to release the turtles into a local pond. I am not sure if they will survive, but I cannot spend any more time and money on these creatures. What should I tell my children if they ask where the turtles went? I don't want them to think that I am heartless. -- Swim Away, Fort Lee, New Jersey
DEAR SWIM AWAY: I know your pain! I willingly bought my daughter two turtles 10 years ago, mistakenly thinking they were easy to care for and that they would be a short-lived pet experience. I had not done my homework; turtles can live as long as 100 years! And they grow to be huge.
What we did at the end of last year was to give our turtle to our local pet store. We had built a great relationship with them, and they took our turtle and sold it to another customer. We had also looked into re-homing our turtle, which some exotic pet hospitals can help you do, but that can be expensive.
Do know that it is illegal to put the turtles into your local pond. Captive turtles are not accustomed to a natural ecosystem and often overeat when they are freed. This in turn can upset the ecosystem for the other aquatic animals.
(Harriette Cole is a life stylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)