The new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie has reptile activists worried that parents will rush to buy pet turtles for their kids. The American Tortoise Rescue in California is urging parents to buy toys or action figures for their children instead of live turtles. Hundreds of thousands of turtles were purchased after each of the previous "Ninja Turtle" movies, leaving many dumped, deliberately killed or flushed down the toilet. Another bigger problem with turtles is that they carry salmonella which causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal pain. The group warns families with children under 5 should avoid reptiles and amphibians as pets because kids' immune systems are still developing.
