American Sliders

Question
I have two American sliders that I have raised since infancy when they were the size of quarters.  They are now 5 and 7 inches long, have moved up in housing 3 times (now in a 20 gallon tank).  Before I enlarge their housing again, I am interested in finding them a home. I am told it is unadvisable to release them into the wild because they may not know how to survive or hibernate.  Any ideas for a good home in the NYC area?

Answer
Releasing a turtle in the wild is a bad idea for many reasons, but it will survive and hibernate- those are deep instincts.

However, there are problems with disease, forcing out native species, etc., so my recommendations are:

1. Try to find a good home, either by googling new york reptile rescue or putting up fliers in local pet shops offering the turtles for free to a good home, or something like that.

2. If that does not work to your satisfaction, find a city park lagoon with turtles to release them in. That way, they will not interfere with a wild population.

Jut FYI- with about 11 inches of turtle, we would recommend about 110 gallons of water, so I am glad to see you recognizing that they need more space.