North Shore Turtle, Reptile, Amphibian and fish Rescue

25/05/2026

So this story right here is one of the reasons we have an adoption criteria and I always reiterate any problems we will always take our adoptees back. On Saturday I had a text asking if I could take in 2 red ears who needed a new home. I said yes and asked if they would be coming with their tank, no because the blue clam shell they'd been in wouldn't fit in the car. When they arrived I got more of the story. These turtles had been rehomed to the family in April by their owner. She hadn't checked that they had the correct enclosure setup, was obviously unaware of the council bylaws in Auckland around rehoming red ears and hadn't ensured this family knew the length of time red ears live and what the family was in for carewise. So for the last month these two turtles have been in a clam shell on a deck, if they'd remained there over winter they probably would have died of cold shock, unable to brumate and in water so shallow the temperature would fluctuate wildly. The family did the right thing reaching out. I will get the girls microchipped and rehomed to a fabulous pond home in spring, hopefully with a few friends but they will definitely be staying together, they've been together about 10 years apparently so I think they deserve that. These are a pet for life, not a kids toy to be discarded when the novelty wears off 😒 I'm picking up a male Red Ear tomorrow who's also about 10 years old, have a 6 year old male coming in this weekend and 2 beautiful old girls coming in for a fortnight stay while their owners are overseas. So much for my quiet season! Photos of the two girls who were a bit put out when they arrived, they don't have names yet so I'm thinking something spicy 😂 oh and I'm allowed to lift again from Friday (6 weeks from surgery) which is great because I sense some tank moving in my future! Ponds are all closed for winter and have been for a while. Although a lot of the turtles are still active with these sunny days but happy to discuss tank adoptions if anyone's interested.

28/04/2026

Is anyone in Helensville missing a turtle? I've just had this gorgeous shy boy dropped off by the lovely vets out there. A client of theirs found him crossing the road. They kept him for a week and now he's here to join our gang. He's in beautiful condition and I'm thinking someone must be missing him.

19/04/2026

Sorry for being quiet online lately, a long awaited surgery was suddenly brought forward so I had a few frenzied days of cleaning, setting up extra tanks as well as prepping for the cyclone. Luckily we were unscathed but the last few weeks have been awful for some areas, I hope everyone's ponds are ok and turtles safely where they're supposed to be. Surgery was a bit harder than expected (6 hours) so I have some recovering to do but of course rescue doesn't stop. We had 2 red ears come I the day after I got home from hospital and have another found one in the Hibiscus Coast who will be coming in if the owners aren't found. Our pond turtles are still very active but I'll be closing off pond adoptions soon. I'd rather close a bit early than risk a turtle suffering cold shock from being moved. I still have lots of gorgeous male Red Ears looking for a tank to call their own. Please message if you have any questions, our adoption criteria is basically just good husbandry and I'm happy to answer questions and support as best I can. Westie has gone off to a fabulous new home, he is one lucky turtle. Stay safe everyone. A few pics of beautiful shells to show how different red ears can look.

01/04/2026

Wow, I'm getting all the littlies in at the moment! I got a phone call to say a lovely young man had rescued a small turtle from Western Springs, he was dropped off this morning and he's tiny. Larger than William so I'm thinking around the 6 month mark and a wild hatchling. So Westy he is, too small to microchip but will be looking for a tank home.
Very pleased to say that 4 of our big girls went off to their palatial new pond today. I will be closing the pond adoptions this month so there's still time if you're feeling motivated to sort that pond out over Easter. I know I'm hoping to spend most of the weekend outside sorting everyone, fingers crossed for good weather. Photos of Westy because he's just so darn cute!

29/03/2026

A massive shout out to Freya of VN Exoticare for being such a trooper and coming on her day off to microchip 20 more of our turtles. She truly is amazing, most of them don't even react she's so gentle. Unfortunately Freya now knows what a turtle bite feels like! 🥴 For such little mouths they sure hang on! Included in today's microchipping and our photo star of the day is Gloria, her finders named her and we think it's the perfect name for a glorious old lady. She's the first female to come in who has lost her red ears, I'm picking she is well over 30. Rescued just before she got run over in Bellevue Ave in Northcote.
I also did a pond inspection today, it was fantastic and I know the turtles that are lucky enough to go there are going to be in paradise. So now I am done for the day, so much for weekends being relaxing 😁

23/03/2026

Meet King Louis, this little dude is only 1.5 years old. His owner brought him into Auckland when they moved here without realising they were breaking the law. It's so unusual for me to get young turtles in but he's my fourth young surrender this month. He's been much loved and a little too well fed but has to be rehomed due to his owners health issues. He's too small for a pond so would need a tank where he is the only resident. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

17/03/2026

Nobody gives filthy looks quite like a turtle! These two girls came in this week. They're sisters and 1.5 years old. The owner was given them as hatchlings with no care advice and is now moving to Australia. The tank you see is where they were living, not even 60cms and the uvb bulb hadn't been replaced for over a year. The owner was very upset when I explained what they needed. It makes me so sad seeing these beautiful creatures treated as disposable. Not so much the person who took them but the person who bred and just gave them away. Please stop breeding red ears and stop feeding a market of people who want tiny cute ones and will just get rid of them in a few years when the novelty wears off. As the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff there is very little space on board and good homes are hard to come by! It's nearly time to close the ponds off and stop rehoming pond turtles until spring so if you're working on a pond the time is now. Lots of red ear turtles looking for their new home. These two are too small for a pond this year but will be fine to go into a pond next spring.

26/02/2026

Happy last week of February everyone. Sorry we've been a bit quiet social media wise, lots going on behind the scenes though. We've managed to rehome 5 turtles this month which I'm beyond happy about, all within one extended family and all to fantastic pond homes which was great! Of course We've still got red ears coming in, recently a small female that was found in January in Totora Vale and kept for a few weeks while they tried to find the owner and an older male who turned up in a ladies garden in Papakura. If you've lost a turtle it's always worth leaving details and photos with me in case they turn up close by. I spend a few hours a week on emails and phone calls and am happy to answer questions and help in any way I can but I am back at work and helping my daughter return to uni after her accident so bear with me if I dont reply immediately. I have so many beautiful big girls looking for pond homes including this gorgeous girl caught sunning herself this morning. Also a number of smaller ones who are just ready to begin their journey into pond life and some stunning males looking for a tank to call their own. As always please reach out if you want to know what's involved in offering a turtle a home.

12/02/2026

For those people who think releasing their unwanted pets will give them a better life. So heartbreaking.

Hundreds of goldfish, turtles and other pests are being pulled from Auckland's Western Springs Lake to be euthanised, with their presence negativity impacting water quality and native wildlife.

Full story ⬇

01/02/2026

I know this is the year of the horse but I'm thinking we might need to change it to the year of the tortoise! I have one found in Waimauku. So if you have lost one please get in touch with photos and a description if you can. It is safe with its finder but we would like to find the owner if we can.