Ninja Turtles invading UK waterways?!

[Blossombrooks]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature...in-s-waterways

As the article suggests the U.K is still feeling the after effects of the 80's/90's turtle pet craze thanks to our favourite boys in green.

So did anyone here or does anyone still own a turtle/terrapin because of the initial craze? I remember being sorely tempted but never did, probably for the best!

[Commenter 42]

I was going to start a separate thread for a similar piece of news. Yes, i've read about this, and it's a very sad byproduct of those years.

I did own an eastern painted as a kid, but it was long before to the TMNT "craze". He lived with us for almost 19 years.
If anyone is thinking of buying today, especially for kids, I'd STRONGLY suggest you consider another pet unless you are willing to put in the time and money it takes to care for them.
Turtles are fascinating, but far from a starter pet. My little dude died young. They can live 25 to 30 years!

EDIT: Realized I was derailing the convo with the links - sorry OP!

[Refractive Reflections]

Not trying to derail the topic or anything, this turtle problem reminds me of so many careless and naive people that just "dump" or release their non-native pets into the wild without considering the invasive species effect it can have on the surrounding environment.

Other examples are:
-Japan is still suffering from the effects of the 1970s Rascal the Raccoon cartoon, when thousands of pet raccoons were released in the wild as they became more hostile:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lesso...resource/7814/

-The ecosystem in the Florida Everglades is losing its biodiversity because of some ignorant snake owners releasing Burmese pythons into the wild there.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013...n-florida?lite

But anyways, to get back to your topic Blossombrooks
No, because my parents stated that I would be solely responsible for it, and I was already swamped with homework, chores, and after school activities, and I had more fun being with friends than having pets. I just couldn't give the "time" for it that most pets would need.

[Commenter 42]

It's interesting that no one else finds this interesting. Actually it's sad.

[Blossombrooks]

I think it's sad, I'm a huge animal lover and as an adult I've kept/keep exotic pets so I never could and never will understand people just releasing them into the wild when there are so many rescue centres.
I remember thinking as a very young kid though that cool as the terrapins were that seemed to be on sale everywhere they didn't look anything like the tmnt. I liked them sure but then I've always been into reptiles. A big garden centre near me had a huge indoor pool full of them and I'd always see parents showing the kids the "hero turtles", when the craze ended a few years later the pool disappeared along with the terrapins, I often wonder what happened to the little guys.

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by Blossombrooks

I remember thinking as a very young kid though that cool as the terrapins were that seemed to be on sale everywhere they didn't look anything like the tmnt.

I had the same thought as a kid. I saw the TMNT and thought "Those are not turtles!"
For most kids I'm sure it was the other way round.

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by Blossombrooks

I remember thinking as a very young kid though that cool as the terrapins were that seemed to be on sale everywhere they didn't look anything like the tmnt.

Originally Posted by omnimorphic

I had the same thought as a kid. I saw the TMNT and thought "Those are not turtles!"
For most kids I'm sure it was the other way round.

When I was a child, I knew the difference between original pet turtles and TMNT Turtles after seeing the intro, but in my childlike naivety, I said I would buy one if it would be mutated into the (sentient) TMNT Turtles I knew. Ah... the look on the adults' faces, and the imagination of a child.

So hilarious from kid logic, but as an adult, its scary creepy if you go off on a scientific tangent and think about the horrible radiation poisoning effects.