Turtle rescuer Donna Moot holds one of her long-necked turtles, called Valetta, who is about 17 years old. Photo: RNZ / Anna Sargent
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 they are getting into.
Donna Moot is an expert on the shelled creatures, having run Turtle Rescue and Rehoming out of her house in Somerfield in Christchurch for almost 20 years.
She said turtles can live five times longer than a puppy. That makes it a lifetime commitment, and most people do not think in terms of caring for a pet for 50 years.
She has seen a steady stream of unwanted, injured, and poorly cared for turtles come through her door. She even has turtles brought to her which have been dumped in the Avon river.
It is a voluntary job she self-funds and fits around her fulltime working life, but turtle welfare is a cause she is passionate about.
Moot's home is crawling - and swimming - with turtles, living in tanks across different rooms and ponds outside.
Photo: RNZ / Anna Sargent
Photo: RNZ / Anna Sargent
"I do remember very distinctly years ago going to the supermarket to get some turtle food and talking to the checkout person and mentioning at the time I had 13 turtles. She was quite astounded by that, and I was thinking at the time 'wow I've got 13 turtles', whereas now it's normal for me to have 60 to 70 at any one time and anything up to 120," she said.
Three of Donna Moot's rescued turtles in her backyard pond. Photo: RNZ / Anna Sargent
Moot said she would like to see turtle buyers and sellers have much more knowledge about the reptiles and what it takes to look after them properly.
"We've had cats and dogs in New Zealand for years so people generally have an idea that, 'I have a dog I need to do this, I have a cat I need to do that', but a turtle is quite different... People are getting these little cute things and doing the wrong thing without realising. And it's the long-term effect on that animal that then I see when it comes in as a surrender or as a stray."
Moot said long-necked turtles can live as long as 70 years. She points out a long-necked turtle swimming in one of her tanks called Mozzie who is 46, and was surrendered after the 2011 earthquake when his owners lost their home.
She said red-eared sliders - the most common turtles in New Zealand - live about 50 years.
"People buy them for their 7 or 8-year-old child and when that child is 57 or 58 that turtle is still alive, and that's the problem, that people don't realise what a long-term commitment it is" she said.
Photo: RNZ / Anna Sargent
She said a lot of turtles come to her that have been bought on Trade Me, with shell injuries and deformities, because buyers have been given incorrect information about how to care for them.
"I've seen one breeder recommend that it could sit in a tank on a windowsill with a rock so the sun goes through - all of which is wrong. For a start, it needs a really big tank or it's going to get deformed, because the spine shell gets deformed.... people are getting this turtle but it might only live two or three years because they're not looking after it."
She said sellers have even posted live turtles across the country. Ideally she would like Trade Me sales of turtles banned.
Trade Me policy and compliance manager James Ryan said it was not illegal to sell turtles through Trade Me.
He said the welfare of the turtles was covered by the Animal Welfare Act 1999, so it is up to people who own the animals to follow their obligations under the Act.
Ryan said Trade Me has a good working relationship with the SPCA, and if it has concerns about a listing, or thinks the Animal Welfare Act might be being breached, it will pass on information to the SPCA to investigate.
He encourages people to research and think carefully before buying animals.
Moot said turtles were very good at hiding if they were in distress or being kept in unsuitable conditions.
"Sometimes the turtles I get in - like one that's just arrived - he's incredibly pale and that tells me his lighting hasn't been right, his food hasn't been right and he could live like that for another year or so but then he could get really lethargic and he could actually potentially die," she said.
Moot adopts turtles out for an optional fee of $20. She said it was so rewarding getting turtles to good homes.
She said, looked after properly, they can be a wonderful pet, and she just wishes people took the time to work out if turtles were right for them.
More information on turtles can be found on Donna Moot's website.