# Bert the Destroyer!



## TomM (Oct 28, 2009)

Bert, my Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina ssp. serpentina), is the most amusing little turtle in the world. Sorry for bragging.  I found Bert the in the very beginning of June and she was only about 1 1/2" (shell length) and only accepting earthworms.  I just assumed when I found her that she was male, hence the name Bert, but after researching them a little I'm 90% sure its female.  Now she's a whopping 2" (haha) and readily accepting minnows and small goldfish (around 1").  Well, today I wanted to challenge Bert a little and I threw in a 2" goldfish.  She's still not completely done eating but I was too excited and had to tell some people.  This is what happened (sorry it's a cell phone pic):







I'll be cleaning the tank in a few moments after Bert's done digesting. There is usually a decent amount of goldfish and bottom feeders that keep the tank pretty tidy but Bert ended them as well.


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## upwith inverts! (Oct 28, 2009)

I heard that it's illegal to buy them if they are under 4" shell length. Or did you catch it in the wild?


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## TomM (Oct 28, 2009)

TomTheBugGuy said:


> I found Bert the in the very beginning of June and she was only about 1 1/2" (shell length)


1. yes, she was found crossing a street.
2. you can get turtles smaller than 4" shell length for "educational purposes"


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## skippy (Oct 28, 2009)

yeah, we can't have children putting them in their mouths! that would be kind of like natural selection... terrible


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## skippy (Oct 28, 2009)

cute turtle BTW:}


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## stevetastic (Oct 28, 2009)

goldfish are poor diet for turtles (and other animals).  They are fatty as well as having very little in the way of vitamins and minerals in them and also they contain a chemical called Thiaminase which will prevent your turtle from gaining vitamin b1. A deficiency of b1 can cause both neurological problems and cardiovascular problems.  They are also more likely to have bacterial infections and parasites.  You should switch over to live bearers like mollies, platys and guppies.


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## Teal (Oct 28, 2009)

*Cute turtle! *


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## TomM (Oct 28, 2009)

which is why I mainly feed it the rosy minnows and worms.


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## TomM (Oct 28, 2009)

*here's another snapshot from my camera:*







Bert's just great. Begs like a dog.


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## stevetastic (Oct 28, 2009)

TomTheBugGuy said:


> which is why I mainly feed it the rosy minnows and worms.


Rosy minnows aren't live bearers and are pretty much just as bad as goldfish.  worms are good tho.


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## TomM (Oct 28, 2009)

i've tried feeding it dubia nymphs and crix but Bert only accepts fish 'n' worms.


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## Tleilaxu (Oct 29, 2009)

OK I will give you a more detailed responce tomarrow but for right now I will say this:

Get that turtle to eat as many different things as you can, snappers and other turtles imprint on certain foods when younger, and can become obessed with it to the point of refusing all other foods. Anyways to get your turtle to eat more things, dont feed it for a few days, three to four, then offer the new food item, dont worry they can go a long time without eating, also make sure your snapper gets plenty of veggies in his diet, think of them as aquatic box turtles.

Also be fore warned that it will grow to be huge! hope you prepared.

When I am feeling up to it I will tell you all about Buster... my CST


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## TomM (Oct 29, 2009)

I need to find out how to make it eat veggies...I would cut up dandelion greens and other things and left for her but they were never touched. I'm definitely all ears on this. I want my animal friends to live long, healthy lives.


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## Tleilaxu (Oct 29, 2009)

TomTheBugGuy said:


> I need to find out how to make it eat veggies...I would cut up dandelion greens and other things and left for her but they were never touched. I'm definitely all ears on this. I want my animal friends to live long, healthy lives.


Withold his regular food for several days and offer veggies, they will often eat them, if they dont right away leave the veggies in until the next day, my snapper was reluctrant to eat veggies at first but now they are his favorite treats. Another good supplement is algae pellets made for the plecos.

Anyways check my thread on Buster, which should be up within the next hour or so.


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## TomM (Nov 9, 2009)

*bert update*

well, it's considered eating the different veggies that i've offered, but bert only smells it then leaves...but he has finally actually eaten some aquatic turtle pellets today...bert ate some dog food and some fish food throughout the week in small portions and loves them too...now i hope bert just learns to eat it's veggies


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## patrick86 (Nov 10, 2009)

Talk about taking me back.

I found a two inch snapper in a lake in Des Moines Iowa back in 1969. Took it home and kept it for the next eight years or so. Got big, about the size of a dinner plate. Got too big for me to care for so off it went with a cousin who had the facilities to care for it. No idea what happened to it. Heck of a learning experience watching that baby grow.

One word of advice--keep it clean. I wasn't the best at that and there are very few smells like that.

Good luck with yours and thanks for the memories.


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## TomM (Nov 10, 2009)

I've been doing regular water changes and so far have barely noticed any smells at all.  I'm glad Bert and I could bring back some good memories for ya, patrick86.


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## dtknow (Nov 10, 2009)

Idoub you will be able to get one that size to eat much in the way of veggies. Keep trying though. Maybe scent them in some manner or mix with his favorite food?


These guys, despite common perception of them as predators/scavengers, can actually be quite herbivorous in many areas they live with abundant plantlife but relatively little large prey.(but certainly, like us, prefer to eat meat).


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## TomM (Dec 18, 2009)

Just a picture update of Bert:


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## Teal (Dec 18, 2009)

*I can't get over how darn cute that lil fella is! *


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## ballpython2 (Dec 18, 2009)

how big in  length/lbs will these turtles get?


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## arachnochicken (Dec 19, 2009)

*Bert*

I bought one years ago from Pa , he was about 4" when I got him and he outgrew a 55 gallon tank when he passed . His shell was 16" the last time I had measured him and that was 2 years before he died . So I figure another couple inches of grow in 2 years . He was my garbage disposal what ever left overs we had he got (nothing bad) and he would eat anything that ended up in his tank , including me , I underestimated how long his neck was one day .
 Just a word of advice , DO NOT let a 10" snapping turtle bite you , it hurts , it bleeds and they don't let go .   lol  So eventually you going to need a small pond for him .


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## DooM_ShrooM (Dec 19, 2009)

yeah u have to make a pond for him maybe 5 times his own size for the space and barriers(so it wont eat people that watches it and signs so people won't get eaten by ur pet (lol) and by the way she is cute.........i would want to see that in full grown size and eating ur neighbors lol


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## TomM (Dec 19, 2009)

*Another pic of Bert:*


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## pouchedrat (Dec 21, 2009)

Cute!  snappers get freaking huge, though, lol.  I've moved many of them from our backyard back into the pond across the street, one was a female laying eggs!  

Ever look up pics of big snappers online?  yeah, they're massive things.  i've heard of people keeping them in large enclosed ponds, or huge bathtubs with custom filtration systems.


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## Tleilaxu (Dec 25, 2009)

Dude you can raise that water level way up snappers are better swimmers than people give them credit for, I kept a hatchling in a full 90 gallon tank for awhile and it was happy as could be, just be sure they have decorations to climb up to the surface incase they are feeling lazy. Any luck with the veggies?


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## TomM (Dec 26, 2009)

Tleilaxu said:


> Dude you can raise that water level way up snappers are better swimmers than people give them credit for, I kept a hatchling in a full 90 gallon tank for awhile and it was happy as could be, just be sure they have decorations to climb up to the surface incase they are feeling lazy. Any luck with the veggies?


That's the shallow side of the tank, there is usually around 6 or 7 inches of water and I piled some river rocks on the one side of the tank so that he could reach the surface while resting... as for the veggies, still no real interest yet, but accepts mealworms, aquatic turtle pellets, and the occasional platty (those fish that look like mollies) maybe 1 every two or three weeks.  You can definitely tell that Bert is going through a growth spurt just by looking at the shell.  There are those growth rings on each plate (forget the proper term) on his shell.  Anyways, I'll still try to introduce him to some veggies.


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## TomM (Dec 26, 2009)

Oh, and thank you, Tleilaxu, for your help with Bert.  I'm sure I'll keep posting updates and pictures and your input is always welcome, I'd rather be corrected and caring for him properly than thinking that everything I do is right.

Any updates on Buster?


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## Tleilaxu (Dec 26, 2009)

I moved Buster in to a 120 gallon aquarium over the holidays, he loves it and has even lost some weight, which was good as he was getting fat, and still no veggies or plants last long with him.

Also just a thought go to petsmaert, buy some anacharis, and hornwort and place it in berts tank, these aquatic plants are good eating for turtles as well, and they have the added benefit of lasting awhile in a tank as well.  Also now that he is eating pellets, its a good time to feed him alage pellets as well, along with other brands of pellets, the more varied diet you give him now, the more likely down the road that the turtle will accept new foods easier.


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## TomM (Dec 27, 2009)

I give Bert an algae wafer every now and then, and I definitely will get a plant or too.  I didn't know which ones were ok for turtles.  Again, thanks for all these tips.


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## TomM (Jan 22, 2010)

YouTube really butchered this video...but here it is anyways.

Bert eating some pellets during a periodical water change (w/ music):
[YOUTUBE]UYaxzY_ELcE[/YOUTUBE]


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## arachnorama (Jan 22, 2010)

Awww she's so freaking cute!!!!!!


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