Hi, my name is Paris Werner. I am currently a second year Master’s student at Pennsylvania State University and I am studying why people like to keep turtles as pets and which traits make some species more popular than others! Turtles are extremely fascinating creatures, especially because of all the different colors, patterns, and shapes they exhibit. Pennsylvania State University and the USDA are supporting my research to help understand turtle ownership and to inform best practices for sustainable turtle ownership.

One part of my research project is an online survey that explores how knowledgeable turtle pet owners are, their attitudes toward turtles, and which characteristics they prefer when buying pet turtles. If you own pet turtles, or even have thought about owning pet turtles, I would appreciate it if you took my survey. To sign up, submit your name and email address using the form on the right! All personal information will be kept completely confidential and will only be used for this research project.

Photo credit: Paris Werner

Another part of my research is looking at online market data to better understand which turtles are currently for sale. I’m curious why some species are so popular and which traits lead to large differences in price! This project is really important to me, even though I am interested in all kinds of wildlife. I originally left college with the goal of studying birds for my graduate work. I even went to the Dominican Republic for seven months just to study its local woodpecker! But then I realized what little attention reptiles get and I want to change that, especially for turtles. My goal is to help responsible pet owners around the world learn more about turtles and turtle conservation. Thank you so much for visiting my research site!