Two terrapins have now been taken in by the JSPCA after possibly being dumped by their owners.
And Debra d’Orleans, chief executive of the charity, said those who bought the animals often did not realise the amount of time and effort involved in looking after them.
‘This time of year they should be hibernating and burrowing into the ground to keep warm. You should not be able to see them out so if their owners think they are underground then they might not know they are missing,’ she said.
‘But I think most people do not realise the size they grow to – they see them in the pet shop and they are about the size of a mince pie and look really cute but a female can grow up to about 25cm long and live around 30 years. They are a very big commitment and I think someone may have dumped them.’
She added: ‘People do have success with them – there are a few at Reg’s Garden – but pet shops are not allowed to sell them now. It is seen as not the right thing to do.’
Terrapins became popular as pets during the late 1980s and early 1990s due to the success of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.
However, in the UK, many were dumped soon after and began feeding on native species such as frogs, fish and ducklings.
