Turtle Rescue and Rehoming

10/08/2024

We had a great time at Animates Tower Junction today! Thanks heaps to those of you that had seen the earlier post and came down to visit the turtles and learn about their care and needs. Also had a lovely bunch of staff who were taking in as much information as they could, so they can be better informed when talking with customers about turtles. The 7 turtles were happy to return home to their tanks/ponds for a swim after their busy day entertaining the crowds. NB/permission was given for pictures of children in this post :)

09/08/2024

Animates, Tower Junction. Katie and I will be at Animates tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am until 2pm. Come and say Hi to us and the turtles :)

25/07/2024

Wasn't it nice to see some sunshine today! I popped home from work in my lunchbreak and the turtles were certainly making the most of the warm weather. I snapped a few pics of some happy turtles basking. It was the first time I'd seen all 4 Reeves turtles together since they went into brumation in their new pond, so it's great to know they have all survived winter so far. Some turtles are in brumation for winter, but were awake today in the sun. Others are in heated and covered ponds, so they're not exposed to the cold air and so they are fully awake, eating etc over winter, and others are in tanks in the garage. Apparently there'll be a polar blast next week....so it's great they can make the most of these warm days at the moment :)

26/06/2024

UPDATE: It appears that we've found the owners! The fantastic thing is that she's been missing for 6 years! Also the pics the previous owners had are from 10 years ago....and there's been a change in size and subtle changes with her shell shape and skin pattern....but it's 99.9% sure that it's Martha! :) :) :) She'll remain here until a purpose built turtle pond is created for her in summer :) I wonder how many native flora and fauna she's consumed in 6 years..... they're very resourceful!
Stray female RES turtle found near the Pegasus Golf course. The brown colouring is generally caused from tannins in the water she's been living in. It won't harm her. Often stray turtles are coloured like this. If you think she might be yours, please contact me ASAP. Currently under SPCA hold for 8 days.
She's currently named 'Jeff' :)

31/05/2024

Running an animal Rescue of any kind is hard work, mixed with both positive and tragic stories. Here's a few snippets about some of the turtles that have arrived here over the past 4 to 6 weeks. WARNING there are some sad pics amongst the happy ones.
If you want to contribute towards the $182 vet bill for Danni, please pay to ANZ, Turtle Rescue 010798 0096119 00 Ref: Danni.
It's often difficult to keep doing all this, mostly on my own, so I appreciate any help in any way :)
Also, I need a fence built around a new turtle pond. If you can help, sing out! :) :)
It's now 3.30 am! Time I finished this post and grab some sleep before another busy day at Turtle Rescue :)

24/05/2024

Turtles can be at risk of serious injury or drowning. Sadly too many turtles are injured or killed by getting a limb or their head caught in the intake pipe of a canister filter. Turtles are inquisitive and can easily knock the strainer off the intake pipe of a canister filter. The suction may not feel very strong to us, but a small head can quickly get sucked up....the type of injuries leading to death are too graphic to explain here. :( Even a fully grown turtle can get a part of its foot caught, preventing the turtle from being able to swim to the surface to breathe air, causing it to drown.
I place a prefilter sponge over the intake strainer of all my turtle tanks to prevent turtles being able to dislodge the strainer. This is incredibly effective.
It also stops heaps of muck getting into the filter itself! I remove the sponge every week or so and rinse it well in buckets of water. It's incredible how much stuff comes out of them!
Please be aware of this potential risk for your turtle and ensure they are not able to dislodge the strainer on the filter pipe. :)
I get my pre filter sponges from Redwood Aquatics here in CHCH :) They also do shipping! :)

07/05/2024

Hey people, I've included 3 more 'What Now' videos in the comments below. There's some repetition in the videos... (especially the bits of me talking lol), but it's great to see the way the film crew took the natural movements of the turtles and created an Olympic themed story around it :) Check out the videos! :)
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Here's the first segment from filming that was done for the Kids show "What Now". :)
No turtles were hurt in the filming and they basically were just doing natural things, like running or swimming, but on pieces of cardboard or the grass. We spent a LOT of time retrieving racing turtles from the fern garden lol :)

In this new epic series, watch turtles Poppy, Pippy & Parky race to decide who is the ultimate turtle. Remember though, adopt don't shop. ...

02/05/2024

38 year old Rocky was my first turtle. I learnt a lot about turtle care from him and his now deceased brother, Pebbles. We didn't have computers, Google, cell phones.....and turtles were a new pet on the pet trade in New Zealand. So l had to figure things out for myself, try and find information at the library and follow the advice from pet shop staff...who also had no knowledge of turtle husbandry. I had him in a tank that was too small, so his shell is stunted and a bit deformed. His front feet were bitten by Pebbles as we didn't know that turtles were territorial reptiles and don't need friends, especially another male. We didn't have quality turtle foods ( or any turtle food really), and so his diet was not good...blood worms, ox heart and frozen shrimps from the supermarket. None of those should be fed to a turtle! At least l gave him plenty of garden and pond snails, garden worms, aquatic plants and feeder fish, so it wasn't all bad. Over time l learnt from my mistakes and l now spend as much time as l can helping other turtle owners to give their pet the best life possible! Red eared slider turtles darken as they age, especially the males! Rockys shell is shiny black except for a few small dark yellow patches on his plastron. His skin, and even his eyes are now totally black! He's my very handsome old boy 🐢🥰

18/04/2024

Valetta is such an amazing turtle and I love her basking poses! Her deformity is caused from living in a tank that was too small for her and wasn't set up properly with correct UVA/B lighting etc. She was passed from person to person via Trade-me until she came here in 2015. X-rays revealed very poor bone density. She was so weak, she was initially unable to swim. Her scutes had built up over many years due to her incorrect set-up and were incredibly hard and thick. She looked very different once they shed. She had a growth on the side of her head which we left as didn't feel she'd survive the surgery. During 2017, it started to grow and so it was necessary to remove it. After the surgery it didn't heal well...until I was unexpectedly able to remove a very hard, twisted up piece of tissue. In 2020 she had built up her calcium reserves enough to lay eggs, although that was also problematic, requiring x-rays and injections due to the large, deformed eggs inside her deformed body. She's required x-rays, followed by oxytocin and calcium injections each time she's ready to lay eggs since 2020, but they are a normal shape/size now. She has a wonderful, cheeky personality and will remain at Turtle Rescue and Rehoming as a permanent resident :) Here's a few pics of her journey here with me :)

11/04/2024

Turtle Rescue and Rehoming continues to be busy working with different parts of the community in order to educate the public around turtle care and well-being.
There's also been a couple of disasters causing heaps of work....firstly, I accidently unplugged the freezer for 5 days, defrosting LOTS of frozen Hot House turtle food and human food.
Then, after tidying and cleaning the garage, ready for the Open Day, I turned on a hose to refill a turtle tank I'd cleaned....and forgot about it for 1.5 hours! The garage and contents were under about 5 cm of water (uneven floor slopes to BACK of garage!) What a disaster. Took me 2 weeks to pull everything out, dry, sort, and repack it. But it looks amazing now lol, so tidy! 87 people came through in the 2 hours I had for the Open Day, and wrote very positive comments in the visitors book.
A TV crew were here last Monday to film for the kids show 'What Now'. It won't be on for a few weeks. Turtle Olympics!
Check out these pics from the Open Day, TV filming and the display at Petstock Adoption Day in Northwood.
Always lots happening here, especially with visitors coming to learn about adoption, to surrender turtles, or to get advice on turtle care. This year I've dropped a day at work (nursing in Community Based Mental Health), partly due to the ongoing Turtle Rescue work. It's great having a 3 day weekend! :)

16/03/2024

Come and see Katie and l at petstock Northwood with turtles today!

20/01/2024

Katie and I will be at Animates, Tower Junction with a few Turtle Friends between 10 am and 2pm today (Sunday). Come down and say Hi! :)

10/01/2024

Can you help? There's a number of Female RES looking for permanent pond homes. A few need to live alone as they are too territorial with other turtles, even though they're social and relaxed with humans. Can be sent to other parts of the country via the Pet Bus at the new owners expense. Require a good sized pond, (think large, deep bath tub or bigger, a well fenced area.....not netting or trellis as they'll climb it, and dirt around the pond to allow natural egg laying behaviour. Please message me if you have a pond somewhere, or would like to create one for a female turtle from Turtle Rescue and Rehoming A sheltered, sunny spot and access to power for a pump/filter system is important. :) Lets talk! :)

28/12/2023

This popped up today :) I had an interview with Radio NZ last week and it seems to have made it to the Star as well :) Hoping all this media interest can make a difference for the plight of the unwanted turtles in NZ :) Also been having some input with DOC about the update they're doing for their website about the RES turtles.

A turtle rescuer who is looking after more than 50 turtles in her home says people considering buying a turtle should think carefully about what...

23/12/2023

Merry Christmas Mackey! This young male RES came to Turtle Rescue and Rehoming November 2022, and today he was adopted! The lovely family worked carefully with me to ensure they were well informed on the reality of owning a turtle, purchased a second hand tank/stand from me, and organised the filter, lights, driftwood and heater. Today they collected Mackay! It's so great to see a turtle heading off to his new home! Plenty more here, so if you're wanting to adopt a turtle, please let me know :)

26/11/2023

Here's the TV 3 Newshub interview from tonight. :) Also tomorrow (Monday), is World Turtle Adoption day, so I'm being interviewed at 8.45 am by More FM Manawatu. It's great to educate people about the plight of the abandoned and unwanted turtles and the responsibilities of owners for their lengthy lifespan. :)

Donna Moot is bracing herself for an influx of abandoned pet turtles, which normally happens during summer.

24/11/2023

Here's the article from the Spinoff :) It was great meeting Alex and showing her around all the turtles here at Turtle Rescue and Rehoming

24/11/2023

Just been told that the video will be on TV3 newshub tonight, Sunday 😊🖥. Soooooo, I seem to have had a bit of a media frenzy lately with Turtle Rescue. The November edition of 'Latitude' magazine featured an article about me and tomorrow morning I'll be in the online magazine 'Spin Off'. https://thespinoff.co.nz/society
Tomorrow evening will be the News Hub presentation on TV3. Today I received a message requesting me to do an interview on Monday morning for More FM in Palmy due to it being Turtle Adoption Day, and Radio New Zealand rang me last Monday about an interview, but I've not heard back from them yet 😳😳😳 Crazy lol!

23/11/2023

Had a great morning out at the Fernside pond last weekend. The numbers are down a bit, so only 16 turtles out there at the moment. The pond was partially drained and vacuumed, (too many fish to drain it fully). Then turtles were caught and removed for a health check. Each turtle was weighed, measured and thoroughly checked for any injuries, abscesses or shell rot. We checked their eyes were clear, mouth colour nice and pink, and that there was no signs of pink skin or plastron, which could indicate an infection of some sort. Brian and Cherie have removed a huge amount of flax from the basking island, so the turtles are loving all the added space and the ability to walk across the island. :) There's still stray turtles coming in to Turtle Rescue and Rehoming, but the numbers are currently down a little (around 64 turtles), thanks to 8 turtles I've rehomed in the past 2 weeks. Found some interesting bugs in the pond to! If you want to adopt a male turtle to live in a tank, or a female turtle to live in a pond, then please let me know! Always plenty here waiting for their own special, life-long home. :)

15/11/2023

Another stray turtle....having escaped or been released into the wild :( PLEASE never release a turtle anywhere in New Zealand. They are not a native species, but can cause terrible damage to our natives. :( If you find a turtle, contain it, keep it in the shade/cool place and contact Turtle Rescue and Rehoming or another rescue, or the SPCA.

31/10/2023

What an amazing day we had with the Working Bee at Turtle Rescue! So much work was achieved. Really appreciate all the help from the fabulous volunteers. There's some very happy turtles in clean ponds, with clean filters. Pond areas had w**ds and leaf litter removed, the guttering on the side of the garage was cleaned out (birds loved throwing the leaf litter into the ponds), egg laying areas were dug over and drains cleaned out. Once everyone had left, the Turtles enjoyed a feed of Hot House turtle food they're slowly munching their way through the watercress and duckw**d that was donated for them. Thank-you again to the volunteers, I couldn't care for all these turtles without your wonderful help! :)

11/10/2023

Can you help on Sunday? Time to clean out some ponds, w**d the pond areas, clean some tanks and pond filters. If you can spare a bit of time to help me and the turtles on Sunday, in Somerfield area, let me know. I'd love to see you! 021 2020 185 or message for address 😊🐢😊

22/09/2023

I guess this means l don't have to fold the Turtle Rescue towels and kylies 😆

22/09/2023

UPDATE on the dog bite victim. Here's some pics from Dec/Jan. You can see the plaque like scabs forming, becoming brittle over a few weeks and then breaking off. Also a dog tooth hole right through the shell and into the internal cavity. The broken piece of the plastron by his tail developed a scab, and the loose bone fused back to the rest of the shell. The position isn't fully aligned, but it's close enough, given the nature of the trauma! :) He was a very good boy, eating well and basking heaps in the sun :) Check out his pics.

30/08/2023

FINAL UPDATE on Minnie and the traumatic year he's had with the life threatening infection in his leg. The leg has now fully healed! There is loss of function due to the contraction caused by skin and underlying muscle/tendon loss. But it doesn't affect his ability to live a normal turtle life and he's thriving. He's just completed a total shed of his scutes and so now he has a shiny black carapace and yellow/black plastron. (Shell). During the summer I want to introduce him back into the outside pond, but that will need careful monitoring to ensure he can manage that safely. It's been a long and very expensive journey, but Minnie is worth every cent. My very special Eastern Long neck turtle and the 'face of Turtle Rescue and Rehoming '. I'll pop up another post showing a mix of the pics from his healing journey over the past year, but here's the latest from July/Aug 2023. ****** Reminder Donations can be made to ANZ Turtle Rescue 01-0798-0096119-00 Ref Minnie :) :)

30/08/2023

Minnie Update; April, May, June 2023. The pics speak for themselves. After the LARGE thick dead tissue was removed, the swelling reduced and the leg quickly started to heal. I debrided the wound regularly, and he was able to spend increasing periods of time in the water. He was eating and basking and doing all the right things. I transferred him into the 6 ft tank with Mozzie, Dora and Valetta as I needed his tank for new rescues. Good job Minnie! :)

15/08/2023

Bealey arrived as a surrender in Nov 2022 and was rehomed last week to a wonderful new family. They were able to purchase a 2nd hand tank from me, have it modified and then returned to adopt this handsome wee fella. He's a 'butterfly turtle'. His shell, (bridge scutes), are flared upwards due to living in a narrow tank at some stage in his life. This is a permanent deformity, but doesn't affect his function. He's an incredibly social turtle and the wonderful couple and their young children are loving having him join their family for life. Enjoy your new home Bealey! 🐢🐢🐢 Reminder that there's still many turtles waiting for their new adoptive home.
Redwood Aquatics has an excellent range of turtle equipment and food (tell them Donna sent you, as it's helpful for Turtle Rescue and Rehoming!), and Rodneys Tropicals can make or modify a turtle tank :) www.turtlerescue.co.nz

22/07/2023

Lisa, Katie and I were at Animates Tower Junction again last WE. It was great to educate the public on turtle care and to see the excited faces of both young and old as they see or touch a turtle for the first time. :) I'm having orthopaedic surgery on Aug 1st, so won't be able to be out and about for some months. But hopefully we can visit the Papanui and Linwood Animates with turtles sometime in the summer months! The treatments for Minnie and others still continues and there's still water changes and cleaning to do for all the turtles. If you can help out over the next couple of months, I'd love to hear from you! :)

17/06/2023

It's been a busy couple of weeks with turtle education :) A cub group, Scout group and Preschool presentation and then a group of people from a rest home visited the turtles at my home one afternoon! The day before the rest-home visitors, Honey (my dog) had experienced a traumatic dog attack from a bull breed that climbed over a fence as I walked past.....she had puncture wounds to head and face amongst other injuries, so a friendly knee was very welcome. Her long fur hides the injuries. Tomorrow I'm back at Animates Tower Junction! Come and visit :)