The terrapins live as a group now housed in summerhouse with a light and radiator. I have had my first for eighteen years. Some have been in very poor condition when they arrived whereas others have been quite well looked after. They suffered from the Ninja Turtle craze and were then abandoned when the novelty wore off. They are a constant headache because if they are Not kept warm and clean they refuse to eat! Their favourite food is smoked ham or salmon or fish fingers (especially the batter!)
I have to say out of all the animals I take in the terrapins are possible the most worrying as they take a lot of time because they have to be kept clean and warm otherwise they will not eat! They also in general come from the most caring owners who donate sufficient funds for their keep for some time to come and often keep up with their progress over time. The problem people did not consider when they take these animals on is how long they can live for. Borris who was in such terrible condition when I acquired her, (yes her I did not find this out until she was severely ill years after I had her and had got used to calling her Borris!) is now at least in to her 30's and Pip is over 40!!!
Meet The Terrapins
All of the animals taken in by the Alternative Sanctuary will remain here for life unless specifically put up for adoption on our Adopt An Animal page.
Funny 1
Funny 1 had been dumped by their owner on the next door neighbour and then she never came back for him. It is now illegal to import Red Eared Terrapins but sadly this is not the case for other species so while the situation for terrapins had improved for a while now there are many unwanted ones again.
Gonk
He had also been kept on his own and his owners felt they ‘didn't have the time for him’ He proved very difficult to take a photo of as on dry land he wouldn't come out of his shell and in the water I got some strange reflections so excuse the picture until I get a better one!
Joshua
Like many of the animals who come to me his owner had decided she didn't have time for him any more! He had been kept on his own in a tiny tank for years and when he went into the 12 foot by 6 foot tan with others he followed the females around for hours and seemed really happy! Afterwards there were a lot of eggs being laid!!
Molecule
Molecule came to me in a tomato plant! He had escaped while in transit and was lucky to be found. He is now as you can see pretty big but then that was over 20 years ago and people do not seem to understand that like all animals they grow as they get older! They do not stay the size of a 50 pence piece forever!
Pip
I have had Pip the longest he was about 20 years old when he came to me over 20 years ago. Like many of the terrapins he was a casualty of marriage rather than is usually the case with animals being dumped because of a divorce. It is surprising how many people will not have terrapins and so when their owners get married they find themselves homeless.
Rose & Custard
These are not red eared and had been brought on an impulse by a lady whose husband wouldn't have them in the house. They had a tiny tank although loads of accessories but surprisingly they had no money left to give as a donation towards their care. This was probably the shortest novelty I had come across!
The Manager and The Deputy
These two came from a man who had had them since he was young but he kept them at work and was now selling the business and his wife wouldn't let him bring them home.
The Terrapins
Here is an image of our terrapin facilities, as you can see all of our terrapins are housed together and have adequate room to grow.
Timmy
Scarily a similar story to Watford's he had been brought but now didn't fit in with the house decoration.
Tiny & Tank
Again a similar story, these had been brought for a child who lost interest and surprise surprise they were growing (or at least one of them was!) There were now unwanted.
Watford
Many of the terrapins do not come to me with names and he is named after where his owner came from to help me remember their histories. His owner had just grown tired of him and didn‘t want a tank in her sitting room any more. As terrapins live for 50 years they are a long term commitment rather than just fitting in with your decor.
