Most originate from intensive farms in Louisiana and Mississippi. Commercial intensive terrapin farms usually consist of several artificial ponds each of which can contain up to 13,000 breeding adults. There is an extremely high annual mortality due to stress, disease, nutritional disorders, inadequate depth of water and overcrowding. The water, it need hardly be pointed out, is highly contaminated with numerous pathogenic organisms. There is a massive surplus of unwanted adult terrapins looking for good homes, yet thousands of tiny hatchlings continue to be bred each year making an already desperate humanitarian situation even worse.
Wild populations are already under intensive pressure from habitat loss due to human impact.
Widespread and uncontrolled collecting for the pet trade places them under even more severe pressure. At this size they require spacious accommodation, expensive filtration equipment and a considerable investment of their keepers time. This is not taking into account running costs, possible veterinary fees or feeding. There is certainly nothing wrong in keeping terrapins as a hobby if you intend to take them seriously and are prepared to provide them with a suitable environment. Indeed, there are thousands of terrapins in desperate need of people who are prepared to do precisely this.