the online meeting place for all who love our amphibians and reptiles
Home Page Live Forums Archived Forums Site Search Identify Record Donate Projects Links
Forum Home Forum Home > Alien & Naturalised species of the UK > Aliens
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - MORE TERRAPIN SITINGS IN SUFFOLK RIVERS.
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

MORE TERRAPIN SITINGS IN SUFFOLK RIVERS.

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
AGILIS View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1689
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AGILIS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: MORE TERRAPIN SITINGS IN SUFFOLK RIVERS.
    Posted: 15 Mar 2007 at 6:54am
  Just reporting that apart from me seeing a large terrapin in the river Lark near Bury St Edmunds last year 2006. another one or two have been sighted in the river Stour in Sudbury near the swimming pool.no sightiings of any crocs yet but I believe some years back anglers fishing the river Nene near Petoborough or Eaton socon sighted one on  several occasions near  a water out let from a power station be interesting to have these sightings confirmed .              KEITH

Edited by AGILIS
Back to Top
AGILIS View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1689
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AGILIS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Apr 2007 at 11:52am
another two terrapins sited on a backwater of  the river Stour in Sudbury Suffolk pics  recently shown in the local newspaper but not by me do you think they are breeding     KEITH

Edited by AGILIS
   LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID
Back to Top
Robert V View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1264
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robert V Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Apr 2007 at 4:04pm

keith,

here's some of the vile things from a pond in EF. I can't stand them, don't know about you?

R

RobV
Back to Top
AGILIS View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1689
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AGILIS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Apr 2007 at 6:21pm
hi Rob I think its the ninja mutant turtle  curse,  dont mind them its the the people who dump them & habitat wreckers I hate, some one out there must love them,the only thing is what native species are they devouring.  What pond were they out of Rob? keith 

Edited by AGILIS
   LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID
Back to Top
Deano View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 133
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Deano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 May 2007 at 7:37am
I think they are in just about every pond in Epping Forest. Some ponds also have goldfish or/and koi carp, though these make easy prey for heron. How do you catch them? What do you do with them if you can?
Deano
Better to be lucky than good looking.
Back to Top
Davew View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 105
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davew Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 May 2007 at 11:52am
I did quite a bit of research into these when they starting appearing locally about 10 years ago. I was under the impression that the large ones were totally herbivorous and caused no problems at all (certainly there was no evidence of the 10 or so Red-eared I regularly watched causing any problems)... is this not the case?
Back to Top
Steg View Drop Down
Member
Member
Avatar

Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 10
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Steg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Sep 2007 at 10:55am

Most adult slider turtles are mainly herbivorous, although RES are generally evil and will eat most things that cross their paths. Unfortunately it is the RES that is present in most turtle sightings after the ninja turtle craze. I've got one as a pet and she eats goldfish on occasion, as well as anything else on offer (including my father's lip!!!) my Cooter turtle however eats mainly vegetables.

Back to Top
Romski View Drop Down
Member
Member


Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 9
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Romski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Dec 2007 at 6:50pm

Hi, Its a bit quiet so I thought I would prompt discussion. I live in the south west and have a liking for the crusty pies. I have built a big pond to keep them as near to nature as possible  I have, overtime ended up rehoming a number of discarded animals caught in local ponds and rivers. All have been sad cases. These animals are still being sold in numbers and all are long lived. They are hardy and will easily survive our climate. I expect that as the cute things out grow their tanks more will find their way into our water systems. The eggs need 25 degrees for about two months to hatch. As they probably have a breeding life of say 20 years, my betting is that as it gets warmer we will see young turtles in our waters. The question is will the breeding rate be sustainable?

As far as the portrayal of them as monsters is concerned I was disappointed with some of the comments above. I have around a dozen animals with hundreds if fish. I have never seen a turtle catch a fish. The pond is good and sustains a big population of newts. I have seen a newt caught as it swam past a young terrapin. But thats it as far as a murderous nature is concerned.

The sliders (incldes the red eared) seem to be the most inquisitive of all the terrapins I have kept and are the first to learn about feed habits. They are bright enough not to be easy to catch in the wild.

Please dont give the terrapins a bad press - its the shopkeepers and owners that release into the wild that need the rebuke.

One last thing. Snapping turtles are for sale here in UK. They breed at lower temperatures, live longest, grow to be over 50lbs. They are the most probable candidates for being released by bored owners. I have caught them in the wild and do not relish seeing them here in the UK but we will.

If I have gon on for too long Im sorry.

Romski

 

Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 11.06
Copyright ©2001-2016 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 1.139 seconds.