Terrapin? DD(9) in love.

[WelshMoth]

She is utterly desperate for one and I just haven't a clue whether to go for it
Or not. I'm trying to read as much as I can before I get her hopes up but I'm unsure.

Can anyone advise me? What are the realities of caring for such a pet?

Large tank.

Heated water.

Light.

Rocks etc for them to ‘sunbathe’ on.

Filter.

They are carnivores - tank stinks up,quite quickly -frequent cleaning and water changes.

They grow quickly to,dinner plate size and more. Then not viable to keep and tend to,get abandomed

(But they are fab pets, so unique)

www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/other/terrapin

They're dull, smelly, they bite, your electricity bills will go up because you'll be running heating, lighting and filtration for them and you'll spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning out the filter because they're little poo factories. We used to take in/foster exotics for the RSPCA and they were forever finding terrapins, left behind after people moved house or thrown out into local duckponds.

Tough little nuggets though - Bedford park has a thriving population of them

My neighbour found 2 in her pond. She had no idea how they got there as there is no access to her garden. They were possibly abandoned and made there way there.

I think you need to think carefully about the realities of keeping terrapins.

Please be aware that they can and do die quite quickly if you don't know what you're doing, when they're little. There are all sorts of issues around handling (not), light, temperature, cleaning, diet, environment ...

Speak to a good quality seller first, and see what they say about longevity and equipment?

beware of life expectancy of 30 -40years

Smelly (unless very frequently cleaned out). Live for years and years and years. Grow huge. Don't actually DO that much apart from sunbathe and rest.

The are not the cute little things you see in pet shops a couple of inches big. They are full on, huge time commitment (in years) pet.

Oh, also uncommon enough to struggle with finding vets / holiday care.

I always felt very sorry for (but fascinated by) the lone terrapin in the duck pond near school. Poor thing!

They're a nightmare.
They stink, need cleaning very regularly, cost s fortune to feed and run, cost even more of a fortune to take to the vets, and live forever.
Oh, and they fart. Stinkily.
Someone bought two for ds for his 4th birthday. I hated the things, resented the care they needed and the time and money they cost, and they don't even entertain you. You can't cuddle them, handle them much, or even watch them because they do fuck all except lie on a rock or float lazily in water.
We rehomed them via a rescue after a couple of years, as no-one but me ever looked in their direction.

I bloody love MN.
Such amazing feedback.

Um...sorry DD. The answer is no!
We just won't be able to manage it.

Thanks loads everyone.

www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048151.htm

knaffed that's a definite then!

Just to add, even though the decision was no anyway, that two popular types of terrapin - the Red Eared and Yellow Bellied Sliders - while still being given away/sold privately, they shouldn't be as they're now a banned species in the UK!

They also carry salmonella!