Turtle Rescue and Rehoming

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Turtle Rescue and Rehoming

Rescue, rehabilitation, adoptions, advice on turtle care. ChCh, New Zealand. Donate or volunteer Rescue, re-homing and advice on caring for turtles.

Based in Christchurch, New Zealand.If you need help and advice with a sick turtle, let us know! Many turtles are available for adoption. Donations ( with tax receipt) to Nature by Design Ltd * Ref TurtleRescue* 02-0828-0091088-083. You need to email Donna with your name and address so you can receive a receipt. OR ANZ "Turtle Rescue" 010798 0096119 00 if you don't need tax receipt. All donations gratefully received. Volunteers needed to help with tank maintenance etc. 021 2020 185

31/08/2025

Awww, look what I got today! Squirtle came here for a couple of weeks from a local primary school while his cracked tank went for repairs. He was collected today and I received these fantastic thankyous and a yummy box of chocolates :) Squirtle will be back for the Christmas holidays, so he's pretty familiar with hanging out here at Turtle Rescue :) He's a lovely social boy and lives in a tank in the school library where he gets lots of love and attention :)

26/08/2025

It's always nice to pop home from work in my lunchbreak and spot the turtles out basking in the early spring sunshine. 🌞 Some pics taken from a distance so as not to disturb the turtles, so not very clear. The longnecks enjoy the pond cover being opened up so they get direct sunlight. Rocky (black male) , the 2 reeves girls and RES females are starting to become more active as spring approaches. Still won't be feeding them until end of October tho. 🐢😁

24/08/2025

It was a great day at Pet central, Hornby. I have to mention how friendly and helpful all the staff were. Just lovely! They ran a fabulous raffle, with all the proceeds coming to Turtle Rescue and rehoming. Thank-you! Lots of people enjoyed hanging out with turtles and having cuddles. It's exhausting standing and 'talking turtle' for 4 hours, but it's always great to meet new people and educate about appropriate turtle care and environment. Managed to get a few pics during a quiet moment :) Permission given by parents to allow for children to appear in the pics :)

23/08/2025

Mozzie, Valetta and others will be at Hornby Pet Central today from 10.30 till 2.30pm. 5a Chappie Place, Hornby. Come and check out the sea turtle shell, turtle eggs, turtle x-rays, photos.... and say hi to us there :)

01/08/2025

LEGENDS! All sorted :) Yesterday, Tim helped in the morning and we emptied the tank, sorted out the filter, removed all the sand...that was a big job...and packed up Franklyn turtle and all the equipment ready to head to my place. Then Mike and 3 of his mates turned up with trailer and a van in the afternoon to remove the tank and stand. Special thanks to Rodney's tropicals for loaning us the handles to clamp onto the tank and make lifting it easier, and to Mike for picking them up and dropping them back. Tank is 152 cm (5 ft) long, so needed some careful coordinating. Everything had to be carried out of the business and down a flight of stairs to the road. Marie from the Liquidation company made sure she was there to let us in both times, which really helped. On Sunday afternoon, Dan and Michael (volunteers) helped me rearrange tanks and stands, barley straw and equipment to make space for the new tank to go in the garage. It was a big effort and everyone came together to make it work. Thanks community :) The turtles (especially Franklyn) and I are very grateful. Oh and Honey dog enjoyed plenty of cuddles too! :)

18/07/2025

Come visit us at Animates Hornby today from 10.30 till 2.30. Pop over and say hi! Also, l really need to have some more turtles adopted so come and learn what's required if you're interested. NO Turtles will be adopted from Animates, but we can start the process from there 😊🐢

11/06/2025

UPDATE! George has found a new home! Yay! But I have 3 boys here, plus another 2 in Christchurch urgently needing homes as their owners are moving to Auckland (Auckland City Council has new regulations about turtles due to the amount of unwanted/stray turtles up there and that they are now seen to be breeding 'in the wild'. ) :(
URGENT: Can you help foster or adopt an adult male Red Eared Slider in Christchurch? Current owner is seriously ill and can no longer care for him.
He's one of those special turtles who really LOVES people....follows you around, climbs onto your feet, enjoys human company.
The current tank he's in is OK for a temporary basis, but not long term. Has a canister filter and heater but no basking area or lights.
Located in Waltham area.
I'll be liaising with the current owner and new owner, so please contact me on 021 2020 185 if you can adopt or foster George the turtle. Thanks heaps :)

08/06/2025

Today it was FREEZING with snow on the Port hills and rain throughout the day. But turtles still need to have water changes and tank cleans. Lisa, one of the 3 volunteers that help out at Turtle Rescue, was all wrapped up and cleaned out the 6 x four and five foot tanks in the garage. There's also a 1,000L pond inside the front corner of the garage that I cleaned, along with the 3 tanks in the conservatory. We run a garden hose from the laundry tap out to the garage so we can access warm water to fill the tanks back up again :) Tonight I cleaned the 2 tanks in my lounge. Turtle tanks need water changes every week, even if they look clean....you can't see the urine build-up in there, so the turtles end up living in a sewer and can get very sick. It's so cold....currently 4 degrees! (39F) Check out the spring bulbs that are already flowering :)

04/06/2025

It was an absolute delight to take turtles for a visit to the Alpine View Care centre in Waitikiri, here in Christchurch. Annette, Betty, Lois and Lesley have given permission for their photos to be shared. It was a busy Monday taking turtles to a preschool in the morning and then to the rest-home in the afternoon...and then collecting the barley straw on the way home :) I nurse in community based mental health the rest of the week, so I can only do Turtle visits on Mondays. I carefully choose who I take and only bring the turtles out at the end of the session to minimise their stress. Mind you, Mozzie and Valetta seem to adore gazing up at their adoring fans! :) Check out Valetta, doing her usual trick of stretching her long neck to peek out of the box to see what's happening. :)

01/06/2025

Valetta is just so darn cute! I often find myself stopping and staring at her as she basks up on the platform in her tank in my dining/living area. I love her flexibility as she crosses those back legs of hers 🥰😍😆She is such a character!

23/05/2025

STRAW collected and in the ponds 🐢👍😊
UPDATE: Thanks everyone, its worked out that on Monday I'll be doing a turtle display at Alpine View rest home and it's only a couple of km from Burwood Produce Horse & pony/pet supplies and they have bales of Barley straw! So the turtles and I will collect it on our way home :) Thanks people for the help :)
BARLEY STRAW NEEDED! Bit of an odd request, but I'm a bit stuck! I always get Barley straw from Dawes Feed and seed, but this year they have none! I urgently need 1 bale of barley straw to place in the ponds for the turtles to brumate in. (I thought I had enough stock here, but ran way short!)
It MUST be barley straw as its safe for the turtles to burrow into in the water, doesn't have sharp bits to poke in turtles eyes and breaks down in the water during spring. Can you help? Even a bag full would be a start :) I estimate I could use about 2/3rds of one of those rectangular bales of straw, and that would be enough :) Please let me know. Christchurch based :) 0212020185
(Very old pics, but you get the idea :))

21/05/2025

After those 3 sad stories, we definitely need a couple of positive ones :)
Wee 'Ashton' arrived here via the Ashburton SPCA after being found as a stray. His lovely finders spent 2 weeks trying to locate an owner, but no-one claimed him. He's got some deformed growth, caused by small tanks/inadequate diet, but he's settled in quickly, is nice and healthy and is waiting for his new owner to adopt him :)
'Leaf' was found on a driveway here in Christchurch, late at night in the middle of a storm. He's pretty small and the finder was looking at all the leaves blowing around and thought one looked a bit strange....and on closer inspection, found the turtle! Leaf has just headed out to Hillview Christian School to be fostered for the rest of the year while he waits to be adopted to his forever home. The children will help him become socialised and adapt to lots of changes and movement happening around his tank.
If you can help with adoption, donations (the latest power bill is nearly $600) or volunteering around here, then get in touch! :) :)

Address

Somerfield
Christchurch
8024

Telephone

+64212020185

Website

http://www.turtlerescue.co.nz/important-links-/

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Our Story

Rescue, re-homing and advice on caring for turtles. Based in Christchurch, New Zealand. If you need help and advice with a sick turtle, let us know! Many turtles available for adoption. Donations ( with tax receipt) to Nature by Design Ltd * Ref TurtleRescue* 02-0828-0091088-083. You need to email Donna ( [email protected] ) with your name and address so you can receive a receipt. OR ANZ "Turtle Rescue" 010798 0096119 00 if you don't need tax receipt. OR via www.totallytanked.co.nz/turtle-rescue for pay pal account. All donations gratefully received. Volunteers needed to help with tank maintenance etc. 021 2020 185