Turtles/Terapins in local ponds

[Who me ?]

Locally I'm seeing a few of these shelled things in local ponds, and I've even heard tales of them in canals. Is this a new phenomenon or just pets getting thrown out in the pandemic?
If ex pets, will they survive a hard winter, or is this a new breed able to cope with a cold winter?

Edited by Who me ? on Wednesday 19th May 00:12

[Chubbyross]

We see them every summer in our local river in Islington. No idea where they came from.

[jimPH]

Just goggled them in Islington:

https://bugwomanlondon.com/2016/06/11/bugwoman-on-...

I think that this is a yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta), and I fear, judging by the size of him, that he may have been living here for a while. In the 1980’s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles started a craze for pet terrapins, which many parents found themselves unable (sadly) to resist. Unfortunately, most people didn’t realise that terrapins are messy eaters, can be smelly if not cleaned out often enough and, worst of all, they have the audacity to grow bigger every year. Many of the reptiles found themselves liberated into rivers and ponds once they were no longer small and cute, and were found, in fact, to be live animals, not toys, with a propensity for grumpiness and a rather sharp bite. The film was reprised last year, and I suspect that a second wave of terrapin buying might have been encouraged. The red-eared terrapins that were the main victims last time are now banned from import, but several of their close relatives can still be purchased. Maybe this chap was one of those. At any rate, he seems happy enough at the moment, and maybe his sheltered situation and the abundance of food (there is one spot where ducks are regularly fed more bread than they can possibly eat) has seen him through the winters. I hope so, somehow. There is little evidence that an occasional terrapin does any harm, and no evidence that they are able to breed in this country, even if by a miracle they meet up with a friend of the opposite sex. If this chap lives out his remaining lonely days in the sunshine, I for one won’t begrudge him his fate.

[Chubbyross]

Thanks for posting that. We get all sorts of wonderful wildlife around here. The terrapins have been around for years and seem to be happy. I usually spot several during the summer, basking on rocks. We get the occasional heron as well.

[Gretchen]

Lots locally on the Ouse and in the boating lake. One has been there decades I’m sure.

[nikaiyo2]

[quote=Who me ?]Locally I'm seeing a few of these shelled things in local ponds, and I've even heard tales of them in canals. Is this a new phenomenon or just pets getting thrown out in the pandemic?
If ex pets, will they survive a hard winter, or is this a new breed able to cope with a cold winter?

Edited by Who me ? on Wednesday 19th May 00:12

[/quote]

A lot of reptiles go through a period of brumation in the winter and can survive surprisingly cold temperatures. They will struggle to breed outside of their more natural temperature ranges.

[Chubbyross]

nikaiyo2 said:

[quote=Who me ?]Locally I'm seeing a few of these shelled things in local ponds, and I've even heard tales of them in canals. Is this a new phenomenon or just pets getting thrown out in the pandemic?
If ex pets, will they survive a hard winter, or is this a new breed able to cope with a cold winter?

Edited by Who me ? on Wednesday 19th May 00:12

A lot of reptiles go through a period of brumation in the winter and can survive surprisingly cold temperatures. They will struggle to breed outside of their more natural temperature ranges.

The ones in my local river have been there for at least six years. I can’t imagine they die off every year and more pets are thrown out to replace them. They’re clearly adapting to our rather haphazard weather conditions.

[Gretchen]

Pretty sure it’s believed most were released in to the rivers and canals etc in the 80s after the Teenage Ninja Turtle craze and everyone went out and bought Red Eared Terrapins not knowing their adult size and care.

[Gretchen]

To add certain exotics that we used to see kept as pets are being phased out in the U.K. as their breeding is now banned. Raccoon Dogs are one example.
There are plans to introduce more animals to this list and a ban on keeping Primates - so this will include Marmosets, Capuchins, Tamarins etc. Unless ‘kept to zoo standards’ I wonder if any will be released in to the wild... I remember being able to buy a monkey from a local pet shop. In fact my kids Great Uncle used to bring animals back from his travels and these included a Monkey, several Tortoises and a few Parrots.

[jimPH]

I need to correct my cut and paste above, as it seems terrapins are actually not good for the local environment and are an envasive species:

https://www.froglife.org/2016/05/16/croaking-scien...

[Pastie Bloater]

jimPH said:

I need to correct my cut and paste above, as it seems terrapins are actually not good for the local environment and are an envasive species:

https://www.froglife.org/2016/05/16/croaking-scien...

I hope local councils keep an eye on these things like they would for giant hogweed etc.
Can't see the odd Terry living out his days as a big issue, but can imagine what happens to the ecosystem if certain ponds are overrun.