terrapins and turtles ?? - tortoise availability ??

[Graeme Holden]

I know a Red Ear is a terrapin, but is the snake neck also, mine never seems to want to come out of the water, when I take it out for a while it normally just sits quietly till I put it back, never bitten me (or the dog), I know I could look it up but thought I would use this opportunity to get someone to blow the cobwebs off the keyboard.

Oh and p.s. Anyone have contacts for obtaining a tortoise ??? preferably a smaller type and one suitable for coldish winter conditions (Papakura south Auckland) we do get frosts but not too bad, but could keep inside if required (providing I can avoid telling the wife I have one till she realises it is not ceramic !!!)

[Graeme Holden]

From what I can gather myself, the snake neck is actually a turtle not a terrapin

[alanmin4304]

I have never been able to work out what the difference is between a terrapin and a turtle.

[Insect Direct]

I just thought terrapin was a fancy name for turtle lol :oops:

[snookie]

i think it depends on where you are from ,

but i thought all turtles were marine

[alanmin4304]

I think the yanks call them sliders because they can't spell terrapin. It may depend on wether you went to Oxford or Cambridge. (I have been to both, they are lovely wee towns.)

[fishboi]

I just thought terrapin was a fancy name for turtle lol :oops:

thats pretty much it these days.

terrapin were used to refer brackish turtles.

sliders is just a common name for the Trachemys family like cooter is to Pseudemys.

[David R]

Oh and p.s. Anyone have contacts for obtaining a tortoise ??? preferably a smaller type and one suitable for coldish winter conditions (Papakura south Auckland) we do get frosts but not too bad, but could keep inside if required (providing I can avoid telling the wife I have one till she realises it is not ceramic !!!)

I'd also be interested to know too. Auckland zoo have some nice ones, and a heap of babies too. I remember seeing one for sale at jansens years ago, cant remember how much.

[Graeme Holden]

my original ideas were that a turtle stayed in the water all of the time except for laying eggs or similar like a green turtle in the sea, a terrapin could live in the water or on the land but would have a preference for water and like the red ears, could only eat in water, then the tortoise only lived on land like a galapagos tortoise I would imagine would die by drowning pretty quickly if placed in water deeper than it's body. Done a little investigation myself and even the experts seem to be undecided and various countries call tortoises turtles and visa versa, guess I will just keep to my original understanding - then at least I know what I am talking about and absolutely everyone else is wrong but I can put up with that hehehehehehehehehhe, guess it dos'ent matter to the animal what it is called as long as it is happy and fed and warm etc as the case may be, have a good one all you turtleites out there and give your opinions if you dare !!!!!!

[livingart]

they are all turtles but tortoise is used to refer to terrestrial turtle, just remember they have to have a taut-ass to keep the water out. LOL

[IOU1]

Are you allowed to keep tortoises without any permit etc???

[Graeme Holden]

Yes, far as I am aware, but there will be others far more knowledgeable than me that will advise

[Gannet]

i found this webpage all about the difference

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-turtle.html

[Graeme Holden]

hehehehehe, yay

[alanmin4304]

Thanks for that link--- makes things a bit clearer

[nick777]

I just thought terrapin was a fancy name for turtle lol :oops:

me too.

[Graeme Holden]

Tortoise??? any one have any?? you can pm me if you wish to keep it quiet. I had one when I was a youngster in Timaru many years ago and it was called a box tortoise far as I can remember, but it went into hibernation and never came out again, perhaps too cold in Timaru. Still very interested in obtaining one if they are still available