Are there many terrapins living wild in ponds in uk?

[einsteinsdog]

Would terapins living wild in ponds prey on ducklings etc. I saw some terrapins once apparently wild in a botanical garden in scotland . You would have thought it was too cold for them in winter.

[andyjevs]

I've had 3 living for many years in the pond at work. This pond is around 120' x 60' x 3' deep and faces East. It therefore gets no sun from Oct to march and boy does it get cold there.

But, every year, the terrapins would appear....untill someone nicked them last summer :-(

But, big terrapins would possibly prey on ducklings as a last resort. Fish is their staple diet so they'd have to be pretty hungry.

Oh...and don't try to catch them as they bite....big time.

[logman]

Hi einsteinsdog,

Yes there are wild/feral populations of terrapins living wild in many parts of the uk.

The most common one seems to be the red eared terapin, which is the one i see most of in the lakes and ponds in the local area where i work and live.

Anotherone which is capable of withstanding the British winter is the snapping turtle which is said to be able to take a human finger off !

Sometimes they get fooled into comming out of hibernation too early and die but a lot do survive

They seem to be the result of unwanted pets that stems from the "teenage ninger mutant turtle " craze from way back.

I've heared many reports of terapins taking ducklings etc, but then before the terapis appeared folks put the blame on monster pike.

[logman]

Ps I forgot to mention that both of the above terapins come from north America, but others may also exist ie the European pond turtle ?

[WendyS]

Last time I visited Drusilla's Zoo in Sussex they had a large number of terrapins in their lake and lots of ducks on the water who were swimming around quite unconcerned so I imagined the two species live together in harmony. I suspect that the terrapins hibernate in the mud at the bottom of the lake in winter when the temperature gets too cold for them.

[josaphine32]

I live in a little Village in the sticks near Oxford, And there was a terrapin (dunno if i spelt it right) released 15 yrs ago in a pond behind the pub and thrives there, i have been to see it loads of times and 15yrs later it is still going strong it moves from time to time depending on drought to different ponds, but always goes back.....in winter to this one pond...poor thing cant mate though