WILDSVILLE &045;&045; Tiny legs wriggling beneath cumbersome shells, turtles tumbled over each other in their storage boxes at Concordia Turtle Farm, waiting to be shipped to Europe.

It’s not hard to imagine why someone wouldn’t want one of those cute little creatures as a pet.

But baby turtles &045;&045; or hatchlings &045;&045; raised in the United States cannot be sold here unless they are more than 4 inches long.

Concordia Turtle Farm owner Jesse Evans said that puts a damper on what could be a significant market for him and other Louisiana turtle farmers. Right now, about 80 percent of Evans’ turtles are shipped to China, where prices have dropped in recent years.

So Evans is cautiously optimistic about U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander’s plans to introduce new legislation that would ease regulations on U.S. turtle farmers.

&uot;This would be a serious pressure release valve,&uot; Evans said, noting that having an alternative market could drive prices back up in China.

&uot;What China is trying to do to the turtle industry is the same thing they did to the catfish industry,&uot; he said. &uot;They’re gradually putting us out of business unless we can find an alternative market.&uot;

Alexander said this week he will introduce or sponsor a bill to allow the sale of pet baby turtles that have been proven to be salmonella-free.

Turtle farmers agreed with the federal government in the mid 1970s to ban selling baby turtles as pets, Evans said.

But Evans and other farmers, along with researchers, have spent the decades since &045;&045; and hundreds of thousands of dollars &045;&045; looking for ways to overcome the salmonella problem. Random samples of turtles are tested every week to make sure they are not infected.

&uot;We take extreme measures to make sure (the turtles) are not diseased,&uot; Evans said.

For example, the turtles waiting Friday to be shipped to Europe &045;&045; where regulations are strict &045;&045; go through an extra bath of solvent to make sure they are safe.

Now that they have overcome the salmonella problem, farmers want to be able to sell baby turtles as pets. But Evans cautions that he hopes any new legislation maintains that only legitimate turtle farms be able to sell the turtles.

&uot;We don’t want the industry to get a black eye again,&uot; said Concordia Turtle Farm employee Roy Farmer.

Farmer said the demand for baby turtles as pets is so high that as many as 5 million are sold illegally.

The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the turtle industry, set the ban on turtles smaller than 4 inches. &uot;They decided that was big enough not to fit into a child’s mouth,&uot; Farmer said.

Even if the ban isn’t lifted completely, turtle farmers hope the size limit could be eased.

&uot;Growing a four-inch turtle takes a year and a lot of money,&uot; Evans said.