Crow Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 Don't know where to post this,and would any one even believe me, coming back from Boston this weekend on the river witham,we saw 2 big turtles / Terrpins laying out on a bit of 1/2 submerged bit of plank sunning themselves ,we turned the boat round to try and get a photo ,but by that time they were on panic mode and under the water ,there backs/ shells were 8 inch wide. X 10 long ,At a good estimate, I didn't even know they were any in this country,has any one else seen any,or could they have been flushed down someone's toilet when smaller,any way they looked fit enough to me,and thriving well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Dog Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 No problem believing it - the damned things are everywhere! They had a mini population explosion after the first Ninja Turtles phase in the late 80s, so those biggies were probably little Damien's - his mum popped them in the canal to be kind to them once the novelty wore off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 25 minutes ago, Sea Dog said: No problem believing it - the damned things are everywhere! They had a mini population explosion after the first Ninja Turtles phase in the late 80s, so those biggies were probably little Damien's - his mum popped them in the canal to be kind to them once the novelty wore off. Thankfully there has been (so far) no evidence of breeding. Hopefully eventually they will all die of old age but not before they have done damage to our native wildlife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haza Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 Hi I believe you crow ,coming from stourport the other week I took 3photos of 3different turtles within about a mile ,the one was at least 12inch long ,if I knew how to put the photos up on here I would ,this is not the first time I have seen these horrid things ,I also think they must be breeding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHS Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 We saw one today at the north end of the Coventry. Weve seen them in Milton Keynes and in Manchester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted August 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 Sounds like a invasion,if it looks like we're getting overrun with them Itl be all hands to the .22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 11 minutes ago, haza said: ,I also think they must be breeding Unlikely. Terrapin eggs need at temperature of 27 to 30 C for long periods ( 2 months) to incubate the eggs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Ambrose Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 They are here in the Fens, seen them sunning themselves in our marina, Damien's mum obviously had a bike. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted August 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 Well Itl be a few more years before global warming gets to 27/30 c for any length of time,by then all the males will have edf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted August 14, 2017 Report Share Posted August 14, 2017 7 minutes ago, Crow said: Well Itl be a few more years before global warming gets to 27/30 c for any length of time,by then all the males will have edf Interestingly the temperature they incubate at determines the sex. Males are produced at the lower temperature and females at the higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haza Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 So how come they are all different sizes if they are not breeding ? I have seen them any Thing from 2inch up to14 inch, they do seem to be all over the canal system far and wide ,I'm told they do more damage then the signal crayfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 42 minutes ago, haza said: So how come they are all different sizes if they are not breeding ? I have seen them any Thing from 2inch up to14 inch, they do seem to be all over the canal system far and wide ,I'm told they do more damage then the signal crayfish Ive never seen one on the south Oxford. Perhaps we are too upmarket for them here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 They are more likely to be terrapins (which have feet) than turtles (which have fins or flippers). Small terrapins were indeed sold as "turtles" during that Ninja craze. We have one which climbs on to one of the tyres lining our landing stage to bask. He (?) is about soup-plate size, though less circular, and is known as Terence, though he probably does not realise this. I am not sure what damage they do, though I have heard that they will eat small ducklings. Even so, I thought that the advice offered by a keen ecologist to whom I was talking during the Cropredy Festival, "Cut his head off", was on the harsh side of cruel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 I've seen them around the BCN, I admit to being excited when I do, even if they are harming the ecosystem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlt Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 13 hours ago, Jerra said: Unlikely. Terrapin eggs need at temperature of 27 to 30 C for long periods ( 2 months) to incubate the eggs. But the likelihood is increasing especially as the new movie will probably spawn a resurgence in their popularity as disposable pets. Guardian Clicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.i Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 There are a number on the Selby Canal and I am told (note the bit where I say "I AM TOLD" all you people who are going to jump down my throat) that they do breed in the warm water outlet from Drax Power Station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted August 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 Well here I was thinking Id found a rare thing You live and learn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerra Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 17 minutes ago, carlt said: But the likelihood is increasing especially as the new movie will probably spawn a resurgence in their popularity as disposable pets. Guardian Clicky If it turns out to be breeding that is indeed bad news. I suppose up here in the frozen north they will have to wait a lot longer to get those sort of temperatures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haza Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 Nothing rare about them crow ,they are nasty creatures ,and don't ever try and pick one up ..I don't now abt swans breaking an arm ,,,terrapins will take a finger off and more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 6 minutes ago, Jerra said: If it turns out to be breeding that is indeed bad news. Oh I don't know, they may quite enjoy it, bless 'em. Seriously though, are there enough of them in the wild to make an appreciable difference to the balance of nature in Britain? Surely it would need thousands of them to breed, which appears unlikely, if they were to become a widespread nuisance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 41 minutes ago, Athy said: Oh I don't know, they may quite enjoy it, bless 'em. Seriously though, are there enough of them in the wild to make an appreciable difference to the balance of nature in Britain? Surely it would need thousands of them to breed, which appears unlikely, if they were to become a widespread nuisance. Mink.......Signal crayfish................grey squirrell.......................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 Just now, mrsmelly said: Mink.......Signal crayfish................grey squirrel.......................... ...all of which, according to the knowledgeable information in earlier posts, find it far more easy to breed in our climate than the terries do - hence my "which seems unlikely". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 1 minute ago, Athy said: ...all of which, according to the knowledgeable information in earlier posts, find it far more easy to breed in our climate than the terries do - hence my "which seems unlikely". You forget old sport GLOBAL WARMING...........GLOBAL WARMING.............remember within ten years we will all be dying as the temperatures will have risen so the seas will all be boiling and the ice caps melted so we will be drowning as well. It must be happening just look how hot it was here last week in august when I had my webasto on!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athy Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 Just now, mrsmelly said: You forget old sport GLOBAL WARMING...........GLOBAL WARMING.............! PIGS FLYING......PIGS FLYING......! I do think that Britain is subject to Global Winding. We can't have had a single day in the last month when it was calm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 2 minutes ago, Athy said: PIGS FLYING......PIGS FLYING......! I do think that Britain is subject to Global Winding. We can't have had a single day in the last month when it was calm. It must be true cos the EXPERTS are all telling us its getting warmer, you know the same EXPERTS that talked most gullible drivers into buying " Less polluting " diesel cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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