A FEISTY exotic terrapin found at Pickering Castle has found a new home.

The red-eared slider terrapin, nicknamed Terry by staff, was found at the castle at the end of March.

Mike Flynn, site manager at the castle, said: "Somebody handed the terrapin in to us over the Easter weekend. They found it on one of the moats round the castle.

"We brought it in and put it in a box with the personal protection equipment. It was kept safe then the RSPCA came to pick it up later."

Despite his condition, Mr Flynn said Terry was "quite feisty" at first.

"When the couple of girls who found it brought it in it was quite aggressive," he said. "But then, they are wild animals."

The RSPCA suspect that Terry was bought as a young terrapin for an aquarium, but then released when he grew too big.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: "Our inspector did collect a terrapin from Pickering Castle a few weeks ago. It is very likely it will have been an escaped or abandoned pet.

"The red eared slider terrapin wasn't in great condition; they need access to a UV light to benefit them and stay healthy and sadly the shell was damaged," the spokesman said.

"The terrapin was taken into RSPCA care and has since been rehomed, which is great news."

The RSPCA also offered advice to anyone who may be considering an exotic pet.

"We would discourage anyone from buying any pet on a whim and strongly urge people to think carefully first before buying an exotic pet.

"Releasing unwanted exotic pets into the wild is cruel and illegal. Most exotic pets are unlikely to be able to survive in the wild in Britain.

"Tortoises, turtles and terrapins may seem like relatively easy pets to keep. But the reality is that many terrapins are abandoned in to lakes and ponds when they grow too big – they can grow to the size of a dinner plate."