Donna Moot, who runs Turtle Rescue in Christchurch, says the issue driving the surge in dumped turtles is that most people don't know what they're signing up for when they make the initial purchase. Photo: Turtle Rescue and Rehoming
Breeds including red-eared sliders, cumberlands and snake-necks are becoming New Zealand's worst pests at a turtle's pace - which, as it turns out, is pretty fast.
They're disturbing native wildlife, muddying waterways, and killing the occasional possum, cat or rabbit along the way. Turtles, despite their cute, calm appearance, are quickly rising in the ranks of New Zealand's peskiest pests.
"They're quite aggressive," said Imogen Bassett, head of natural environment specialist services at Auckland Council.
"When you've got for example a native bird that might be building its nest in a native wetland area, the turtles might think, 'oh that's a really nice sunny spot that I can sun myself in,' and be quite aggressive and really sort of boot that bird off its nest."
Auckland Council banned the sale of three breeds of turtles in 2022 after experiencing an increase in the number of them being dumped in the wild by their owners.
In today's episode of The Detail, Bassett explains why having turtles in the wild here is such an issue, and if three years on, the ban is working.
Imogen Bassett heads Auckland Council’s Natural Environment Specialist Services. Photo: Supplied
Donna Moot, who runs Turtle Rescue in Christchurch, said the issue driving the surge in dumped turtles is that most people don't know what they're signing up for when they make the initial purchase.
"People are getting these tiny cute little baby turtles and they're living 50 to 70 years, depending on the species, and people just don't get enough information," she said.
Moot opened her turtle rescue centre almost 20 years ago, and these days has between 70 and 80 turtles in her care at any given time.
Initially, pet turtles may have struggled to survive in the wild, but Moot says that's no longer the case.
"They were often quite sickly... whereas now I'm getting a lot more larger, adult turtles, particularly females, and they're very strong and resilient," she said.
Moot once had a turtle brought to her that had eaten a rabbit or cat - which she knew due to grey hair in its droppings - and she says they will eat anything they can grab and drag into the water.
Donna Moot has been running her turtle rescue for almost 20 years. Photo: Supplied
"They can climb out of the water and grab a bird, they can grab bird eggs, lizards, frogs, geckos.
"I know of a situation where people actually had a pet possum living in their enclosure with a couple of pet turtles and they actually ate the possum."
Caring for a turtle, like any pet, is quite involved, and Moot says people should be fully aware of what the requirements are before making the purchase.
"You need at least a 120cm long tank, even for your tiny little 50c-piece-sized baby, you need a large amount of water. You need to be changing that water every single week, or [at least] some of it.
"You need proper lights because you have to create sunlight for a turtle... you have to create that with a proper UVB bulb that you need to be changing every six to twelve months, plus a heat lamp because you're creating sunlight which is both UV and warmth.
"You need to give them the proper calcium-rich food... you can't be feeding them red meat and bananas and things. Turtles don't climb out of the water and eat cows, they don't climb banana trees... and you need to be able to look after this turtle properly for 50-plus years and if you're not prepared to do that, just don't get one."
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