# My Snapping turtle.



## Zman181 (Mar 3, 2012)

My favorite turtle species.  I have been raising her from the time she was the size of a quarter.  

My girl 3 years later.


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## catfishrod69 (Mar 3, 2012)

Very cool. I know a guy on another forum i am a member of, and he has one that he raised from a baby, and is now about 15 lbs. He showed pics of it being super gentle. Loves to cuddle, fall asleep in his arms, hand feeds, comes to him calling it. Really crazy.


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## Zman181 (Mar 3, 2012)

I wish this speciman was as calm as his.  This is the meanest one I have ever kept.  Growing up I had a female that was very calm I could pet her on her head and she just wouldn't mind.


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## catfishrod69 (Mar 3, 2012)

Most of the ones i have dealt with i was taking off the hook, or hand catching in creeks, so they were always super vicious. Except of course the little tiny ones. I had one in hand, but couldnt get him on land. His shell was 3 foot long, and his head was as big as my thigh.


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## Zman181 (Mar 3, 2012)

catfishrod69 said:


> Most of the ones i have dealt with i was taking off the hook, or hand catching in creeks, so they were always super vicious. Except of course the little tiny ones. I had one in hand, but couldnt get him on land. His shell was 3 foot long, and his head was as big as my thigh.


Amazing


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## Shrike (Mar 4, 2012)

Nice looking turtle you've got.  I love common snappers.


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## Anthony Jensen (Mar 4, 2012)

Awesome turtle! Can you post a pic of it's enclosure? Just curious


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## JOE P (Mar 4, 2012)

catfishrod69 said:


> Very cool. I know a guy on another forum i am a member of, and he has one that he raised from a baby, and is now about 15 lbs. He showed pics of it being super gentle. Loves to cuddle, fall asleep in his arms, hand feeds, comes to him calling it. Really crazy.


yep it is true!! lol


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## Zman181 (Mar 4, 2012)

ajensen7 said:


> Awesome turtle! Can you post a pic of it's enclosure? Just curious


This is her enclosure.  I only have a few rocks in there now.


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## Anthony Jensen (Mar 4, 2012)

Is that an exo terra? It looks great! I'm sure she's happy.


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## Zman181 (Mar 4, 2012)

ajensen7 said:


> Is that an exo terra? It looks great! I'm sure she's happy.


It is.  She is very comfortable in there.  I will upgrade her enclosure in the next 2 yrs.


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## Galapoheros (Mar 4, 2012)

catfishrod69 said:


> Most of the ones i have dealt with i was taking off the hook, or hand catching in creeks, so they were always super vicious. Except of course the little tiny ones. I had one in hand, but couldnt get him on land. His shell was 3 foot long, and his head was as big as my thigh.


That had to be an Alligator Snapping turtle if the shell was 3 ft long, rather than a Common Snapper, cool weird turtles.  When I was a kid I saw one buried by the shore, but it was only it's head I saw and looked like a bullfrog head from the top.  So I grabbed that things head and couldn't figure out why I couldn't pull it out of the water so easy.  Then it started trying to bite me and new what it was then, broke out in a cold sweat and walked home.  I used to keep baby ones also, really cool turtles, easy to keep, kind of of messy though imo.


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## Zman181 (Mar 4, 2012)

Galapoheros said:


> That had to be an Alligator Snapping turtle if the shell was 3 ft long, rather than a Common Snapper, cool weird turtles.  When I was a kid I saw one buried by the shore, but it was only it's head I saw and looked like a bullfrog head from the top.  So I grabbed that things head and couldn't figure out why I couldn't pull it out of the water so easy.  Then it started trying to bite me and new what it was then, broke out in a cold sweat and walked home.  I used to keep baby ones also, really cool turtles, easy to keep, kind of of messy though imo.


You are very lucky you didn't lose a few fingers or part of your hand.  I'm with you in the kind of messy


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## Galapoheros (Mar 4, 2012)

Yes that's why I broke out in a cold sweat and walked straight home in a daze.  People have had their fingers bitten but I've never heard of a documented report claiming fingers were snapped off, I think it's assumed because it sure looks like they could.  A big Alligator Snapper though, yip.  I pretty much agree with this thread here;  http://www.turtletimes.com/forums/topic/75802-bites-from-snappers/


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## catfishrod69 (Mar 4, 2012)

Nope was a common snapper. I live in ohio. This was the absolute biggest i have ever seen. I didnt think they got that big, but he was proof. He has probably lived in that backwater creek his whole life. A buddy of mine had a alligator snapper as a pet, not sure if he sold it or kept it though. Yeah grabbing a snapper by the head wouldnt of been too fun. Luckily it wasnt a leatherback. 





Galapoheros said:


> That had to be an Alligator Snapping turtle if the shell was 3 ft long, rather than a Common Snapper, cool weird turtles.  When I was a kid I saw one buried by the shore, but it was only it's head I saw and looked like a bullfrog head from the top.  So I grabbed that things head and couldn't figure out why I couldn't pull it out of the water so easy.  Then it started trying to bite me and new what it was then, broke out in a cold sweat and walked home.  I used to keep baby ones also, really cool turtles, easy to keep, kind of of messy though imo.


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## Galapoheros (Mar 4, 2012)

That'd be pretty weird since it's hard to find an Alligator Snapper with a shell that long, would've been a record for sure lol.  btw I saw a show where they x-rayed a live Alligator Snapper and found a civil war musket ball in it shell, prob the oldest living turtles.  Well I just now read that Alligator Snappers are in Ohio, is it true?


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## Zman181 (Mar 4, 2012)

Galapoheros said:


> Yes that's why I broke out in a cold sweat and walked straight home in a daze.  People have had their fingers bitten but I've never heard of a documented report claiming fingers were snapped off, I think it's assumed because it sure looks like they could.  A big Alligator Snapper though, yip.  I pretty much agree with this thread here;  http://www.turtletimes.com/forums/topic/75802-bites-from-snappers/


Hopefully it hasn't happened.  That large snapper "Chopper" from the turtletimes forum could easily chop half of a human hand off.  My female snaps repeatedly with full force. She tries to snap right behing her shell.  I don't think I would ever be able to hold her against my chest as Chopper's owner is in that photo.


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## Galapoheros (Mar 4, 2012)

That's speculation, in another vid in that thread a guy gets bitten by a large Alligator Snapper, didn't cut his finger off.  That shot of Chopper has a lot to do with the camera angle too.  Something like getting fingers snapped off or a hand, I've got to see that first, any volunteers?


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## Zman181 (Mar 4, 2012)

I guess it depends on how you are bitten.  Let's say a big snapper like chopper is in his/her enclosure and hungry and someone a volunteer  where to place his hand in the water the turtle takes good aim and just grabs the person's hand it can seriously do damage.  The reason why I say this is because there are times when I feed my female pre-killed small rats; the majority of times she just inhales the entire head to the shoulders.


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## Galapoheros (Mar 4, 2012)

I've kept big Snappers too when I was a kid, one old man started yelling at us catching one because he was scared of it.  Then I showed him a salamander and he freaked out, saying "that thing's poisonous!"  The things people are brought up believing, it's too bad.  Anyway, I've watched big ones catch bigger fish.  It looks to me that their jaws are designed to cut through to a point, then the prey butts up to the bottom and top of the mouth without cutting through all the way.  That way they don't lose part of their meal to cutting some of the fish off, but I'm kind of guessing there even though that's how it looks to me.  A lot of opinions on the web but this one makes a lot of sense to me personally.  I took this from this site, http://www.naturealmanac.com/archive/snappers/snappers.html I remember the broom handle myth too, it's been around at least 40 years.  "A large snapping turtle can be extremely dangerous if approached incautiously. Their powerful, shearing jaws, long neck, and quick reflexes can result in very nasty bites to the careless. While the strength of their jaws is impressive their bite is often exaggerated. They're incapable of biting through broom handles or snapping off fingers and toes and they do let go before it thunders. Still a snapping turtle bite is no laughing matter."  Many people have been bitten but I can't find any report of missing fingers from a bite, doesn't that sound strange?  I think those noodlers would show their missing fingers and tell stories about it on the interenet if it were true.


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## Zman181 (Mar 4, 2012)

Galapoheros said:


> I've kept big Snappers too when I was a kid, one old man started yelling at us catching one because he was scared of it.  Then I showed him a salamander and he freaked out, saying "that thing's poisonous!"  The things people are brought up believing, it's too bad.  Anyway, I've watched big ones catch bigger fish.  It looks to me that their jaws are designed to cut through to a point, then the prey butts up to the bottom and top of the mouth without cutting through all the way.  That way they don't lose part of their meal to cutting some of the fish off, but I'm kind of guessing there even though that's how it looks to me.  A lot of opinions on the web but this one makes a lot of sense to me personally.  I took this from this site, http://www.naturealmanac.com/archive/snappers/snappers.html I remember the broom handle myth too, it's been around at least 40 years.  "A large snapping turtle can be extremely dangerous if approached incautiously. Their powerful, shearing jaws, long neck, and quick reflexes can result in very nasty bites to the careless. While the strength of their jaws is impressive their bite is often exaggerated. They're incapable of biting through broom handles or snapping off fingers and toes and they do let go before it thunders. Still a snapping turtle bite is no laughing matter."  Many people have been bitten but I can't find any report of missing fingers from a bite, doesn't that sound strange?  I think those noodlers would show their missing fingers and tell stories about it on the interenet if it were true.


Valid point.


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## Malhavoc's (Mar 5, 2012)

Was'nt their a study done recently that showed snapping turtles actualy had less bite potential when held in captivity due to the ease of whcih they got food?


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## findi (Mar 5, 2012)

Hi all,

Thought you might enjoy this article of mine...photos of an 80 lb common snapper and a 206 lb alligator snapper that I worked with during my years at the Bronx Zoo.  Second article has a photo of my 4 yr old nephew with a male common snapper we found active on Feb 17, in N NJ (click on "Smiling snapping turtle"), Best, Frank

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatr...le-chelydra-serpentina-–-miscellaneous-facts/

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatr...ne-cold-resurrects-hellbender-and-sick-frogs/


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## pnshmntMMA (Jun 17, 2012)

snappers are awesome but man are they poop machines! two days ago i caught a 30 year old male, unfortunately he was very under fed. he only weighed 18 pounds. should have been closer to ~30. That same pond probably has hundreds. all you see are bubbles non stop from all different parts of the pond. its chock full of very well hidden aquatic turtles. yesterday i caught another snapper, 2 baby painteds, and a big ole bullfrog. turtling> fishing! i dont use hooks either, i feel bad.


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## Formerphobe (Jun 17, 2012)

One of the part-time veterinarians I work with also does zoo medicine.  One of his clients breeds alligator snappers.  They recently pulled the big wheelbarrow-sized stud out of his pond to do some pond maintenance.  Extricating him from his pond apparently involves something along the lines of a chain link 'net', a logging chain and a 4WD or two.  Someone had the idea to put said large snapper in a sleeping bag and 'park' him in the garage for safe keeping while they cleaned the pond.  A short time later they heard a strange noise which turned out to be Mr. AST Stud Muffin chewing his way through the wall of the garage, 2 x 4 studs and all, trying to get back to his pond.  They've decided to build him a second pond for future maintenance events.


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## flex (Jul 8, 2012)

I love common snappers & have kept a few through out the years... And that one zman has came from me as a hatchling , I do believe that an alligator snapper as big as the one in that article must have the power to inflict a very severe bite !! If not a severing bite !!!


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## pnshmntMMA (Jul 8, 2012)

Caught this old guy in a pond. There must be hundreds of them in there as well as painteds, sliders, and cooters. 

Bottle cap for size comparison. Let him go of course.

Reactions: Like 1


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## catfishrod69 (Jul 9, 2012)

Holy crap. I knew that alligator snappers got to 200 pounds, but look at the size of that mouth. You could fit your head in it! Thanks.





findi said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Thought you might enjoy this article of mine...photos of an 80 lb common snapper and a 206 lb alligator snapper that I worked with during my years at the Bronx Zoo.  Second article has a photo of my 4 yr old nephew with a male common snapper we found active on Feb 17, in N NJ (click on "Smiling snapping turtle"), Best, Frank
> 
> ...


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## stingray (Jul 13, 2012)

Click on the link and check out this big guy named CRUNCH....http://www.crunchinfo.com/

ALSO

Here are some pics I have saved of some bigguns.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Formerphobe (Jul 13, 2012)

Great pics, stingray!!!


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## stingray (Jul 13, 2012)

Thanks. Did you check out the link named crunch?


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## Formerphobe (Jul 14, 2012)

> Did you check out the link named crunch?


I did!  Great link.  Snappers are amazing.  Couldn't watch the feeding video, though.  YouTube and my computer fight...


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## Zman181 (Jul 15, 2012)

Awesome pics!


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