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MORE TERRAPIN SITINGS IN SUFFOLK RIVERS.: |
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AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694  View other posts by AGILIS |
Posted: 15 Mar 2007 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
LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
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AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694 View other posts by AGILIS |
Posted: 28 Apr 2007 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
LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
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Robert V Senior Member Joined: 06 Aug 2004 No. of posts: 717  View other posts by Robert V |
Posted: 28 Apr 2007 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 |
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AGILIS Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 No. of posts: 694 View other posts by AGILIS |
Posted: 28 Apr 2007 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
LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID |
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Deano Senior Member Joined: 23 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 133  View other posts by Deano |
Posted: 01 May 2007 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. |
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Davew Senior Member Joined: 12 Jan 2004 No. of posts: 99 View other posts by Davew |
Posted: 01 May 2007 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? |
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Steg Member Joined: 07 Sep 2007 No. of posts: 10  View other posts by Steg |
Posted: 07 Sep 2007 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. |
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David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 12 Sep 2007 Red Ears do seem to eat almost anything in captivity but when in the wild are about 90% herbivorous from faecal analysis and several papers written on them. There does not seem to be anything in the scientific literature or any other serious articles that shows that the Red Ear has any detrimental effect in N.W.Europe where there are no native freshwater chelonians. I havae carried out an extensive literature and web search and also corresponded with many of the workers dealing with invasive species from around the world via enquiries on a specialist web list server.Of course if any forum members have seen anything different I would be grateful for information. Most of the work carried out with possible competition with European chelonians has been carried out in enclosures which may not reflect the actual results that occur in the wild. Newspapers tell a different story and there are a few bits of anecdotal evidence I have received but not sure that they stand up to close scrutiny. Reproduction does not seem to be possible in our climate although southern Europe is suitable. David British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
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Romski Member Joined: 12 Jan 2006 No. of posts: 5 View other posts by Romski |
Posted: 20 Dec 2007 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
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- MORE TERRAPIN SITINGS IN SUFFOLK RIVERS. |
