# Afraid of Snapping Turtles



## SDiego (Mar 3, 2010)

Snapping turtles are scary. Common snapping turtle can reach a good distance to bite you. Alligator snapping turtle can't move as far, but they grow to enormous size and a decent-sized alligator snapper can easily sever a finger.

Check out some of these.

Researcher gets tagged by a small alligator snapper -- yes, this turtle is very small for an alligator snapper, if it were an adult, bye bye finger (or fingers). Scary.

Researcher tagged by small one

Powerful bite


This video shows the reach of a common snapper. Look how far back it can go. And listen to the "snap" when he tries to bite this guy.

Reach


Look at these morons. First two got lucky. Third one: this kid is now sorry, I bet they killed the turtle.

Almost tagged

Really lucky

Yep, tagged


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## Obelisk (Mar 3, 2010)

Look at _this_ guy :clap: 

http://www.wimp.com/snappingturtles/


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## Cirith Ungol (Mar 3, 2010)

What's next? A thread about scary rednecks?


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## Shell (Mar 3, 2010)

Cirith Ungol said:


> What's next? A thread about scary rednecks?


LOL those rednecks sure are terrifiying 

Even scarier, a redneck keeping a snapping turtle as a pet!


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## SDiego (Mar 3, 2010)

That video is hilarious.

I feel bad for the turtles though. I really wish they had bit him good. Who stands on turtles?


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## Galapoheros (Mar 3, 2010)

Man that's really hard on their tails, esp. the way he bends them like that.  Sounded like he was going to eat them though.


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## bioshock (Mar 3, 2010)

rednecks are dumb as i dont know what always abusing something haha!!


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## Tleilaxu (Mar 3, 2010)

Funny how the OP overlooks that in all the cases the snapping turtles are getting harassed... seriously they are calm when left alone. And pet ones can calm down and behave no worse than normal turtles... I am way more afraid of people, than I ever will be of snappers.


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## SDiego (Mar 3, 2010)

Tleilaxu said:


> Funny how the OP overlooks that in all the cases the snapping turtles are getting harassed... seriously they are calm when left alone. And pet ones can calm down and behave no worse than normal turtles... I am way more afraid of people, than I ever will be of snappers.


Far from overlooking it, I specifically said some of these people are "morons." And in response to another video, I further said this was "bad" for the turtles.

Reading is fundamental.


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## pouchedrat (Mar 4, 2010)

Awww I love snappers!   I grew up in upstate NY and our backyard had snappers all the time.  I remember my mother and our neighbor moving a huge female snapping turtle in a recycling bin, covering it with a shovel trying to get it back to the pond it lived in (she lives in the woods, next to a golf course that actually has strict policies on no one touching the animals that live on there naturally, the turtle lived in one of the water ponds.  it was in our yard laying eggs under the trees, where she has a massive garden).  

I've moved my fair share of snappers from the middle of the road, too.  Although the large ones move themselves, lol.

I do miss them.  We never pestered them, we let them be except when they were in our way.


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## SDiego (Mar 5, 2010)

Weren't you afraid of them when you moved them? Their reach is suprisingly far. I wouldn't handle them.


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## pouchedrat (Mar 5, 2010)

Not really, but I grew up around them.  We'd also find them on the Erie canal trails while bike riding CONSTANTLY.   My father sort of taught us to respect them at an early age, and he showed us how powerful their grip was (stick to the mouth, snapped it pretty fast).  I'd grab them around the shell and for some reason they couldn't reach that way, and once they were off the ground, that was sort of it for them.  Yeah, I was a weird teenage girl...

I'm just glad it was my mom and dad who showed us to respect the wildlife, because apparently my grandfather regularly would kill them using a shovel to the neck... He lived on a lake across the street from a protected wetland area, and they came over from there.

/edit-  I should also state that our high school hatched and grew snappers every year.  You know how kindergarteners get baby ducks and chickens?  We had baby snappers in high school, lol.  They were usually released early on


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## Herpetologydude (Mar 5, 2010)

I love Snappers! Worked with both the Common Snapper species and Alligator Snappers! Such beautiful powerful animals! 

It kills me to watch the video with the Dumb A redneck guy though. I'm cool with people catching animals to eat and such but please show some damned respect for the creatures your going to make into food!


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## kripp_keeper (Mar 6, 2010)

I found a snapper stuck under our gate once when we lived I lived in Mississippi. It was very stubborn as it could not fit under the gate, but refused to back up it just kept trying to go under. It had ants all over it so I poured some water over it to get the ants off(he did not like the water). Finally a net and carried it back to the pond I assume he came from(he did not like the net either). 

Fun experience


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## kripp_keeper (Mar 6, 2010)

Herpetologydude said:


> It kills me to watch the video with the Dumb A redneck guy though.


Speaking of dumb rednecks.... http://bassfan.com/tv_play.asp?id=119  This guy just pissed me off.


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## edesign (Mar 6, 2010)

SDiego said:


> Weren't you afraid of them when you moved them? Their reach is suprisingly far. I wouldn't handle them.


There is a proper way to handle them and many improper ways...learn the correct way and you should be fine. My gf and I have some kind of snapper, doesn't appear to be an alligator snapper though...I was quite disappointed when I figured that out. I had plans to build a home one day with a large moat and a drawbridge around it and toss him in during the summer with a "Beware of turtle" sign. Somehow a 20 pound turtle isn't as intimidating as a 200 pound turtle ha!

Ours like to watch everything and everyone from his tank in the living room. He's quite calm until you get close to his tank at which point he tries to get as close as he can to the glass to get a better look. If you get right up to the glass he will snap at you but I have a feeling that's more of a territorial/defense thing than aggression. Although he would be more than happy to bite you if given the chance...and yes, their necks are extremely long and could be a nasty surprise if you're not aware of it.

No reason to be scared of them unless you happen to be stuck in the middle of a swamp and have to walk out...


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## Tleilaxu (Mar 6, 2010)

My snapping turtle is a big baby, except when he sees his favorite treat, bananas, other than that he is well behaved, no worse than any other turtle species.


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## Reptiliatus (Mar 8, 2010)

Very cool eveyone! 

I love Snappers! I live in Ontario so we only have the Common Snappers, no Alligators obviously but they are amazing too. 

My friend and I go herping down by this calm river where this one female snapper lives. Were almost positive she's the only one there but managed to mate and has been producing the odd clutch here and there. Apparently snappers are capable of retaining sperm for a few years so fortunately she keeps making babies but none of them seem the survive because there are so many large fish and birds around there.

We only found one hatchling within weeks of searching so we decided to keep it and raise it to a suitable size in which it can be re-introduced to the river. We don't hand feed it, it catches it's own food, minoes we collected from the summer and it's currently "brummating/hibernating", which ever is applicable... so it has and knows that instinct for when it is released and also will be unable to find it's own food.

Anyways, here's a video I took of her last summer to show people before immediately returning her to exactly where we found her in her river . Snappers are tricky to handle and don't appreciate it much, so we made this brief. If you can get a good grip of their tail AND support them by holding their PLASTRON, they can be handled safely when neccessary. Never hold one by the tail seeing as this could seriously harm their spine if they squirm alot!

 Enjoy!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLiYXGEetIQ&NR=1


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## bitzy1 (Mar 24, 2010)

Tleilaxu said:


> Funny how the OP overlooks that in all the cases the snapping turtles are getting harassed... seriously they are calm when left alone. And pet ones can calm down and behave no worse than normal turtles... I am way more afraid of people, than I ever will be of snappers.


did you get that quote from steve irwin? it is true though, there is way more to be afraid of in people, murderers, rapists, ect. but acusing a help less animal for defending itself just beacause it felt threatened. the animals were here before us, technically we should be their pets, we are invaiding into THEIR home. awsome thread im redneck but not THAT southern. my whole family is from oaklahoma but i was born in cali.i am THE EXACT OPPOSITE from my family. i love animals so does my family but they prefer to make meals out of them. ever heard of frog legs?? thank god you dont have to be in a family where you are always being picked on for being a tree hugger. i have to deal with my dad making cow noises ever time i bite into a cheese burger. lol. poor turtles!


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## bball_frk23 (Apr 15, 2010)

*Redneck Snapper Vid*

Best quote from that video: "I try not to smile cuz I got my teeth knocked out by a chainsaw." lol


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## SixShot666 (Apr 21, 2010)

Haha....That kid got owned!!! 
:evil::evil:


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## SandDeku (Jun 26, 2011)

Tleilaxu said:


> Funny how the OP overlooks that in all the cases the snapping turtles are getting harassed... seriously they are calm when left alone. And pet ones can calm down and behave no worse than normal turtles... I am way more afraid of people, than I ever will be of snappers.


Agreed. Plus it's not a "bad" pet if you have the following:
1)Experience with turtles--- especially musk turtles(basically musk turtles are literary like much smaller versions of snappers)
2)Time: You need to give some time of your day for them
3)Space: Atleast a min would be IMO(don't anyone yell their lungs off at me now) but would be a 120g(4ft long 2ft wide x2ft tall if I recall). WITH 10x more filtration you would use for the larger tank. Though bigger is better. I'd rather see one in a 6ft longx 2-3ft wide x 2ft tall one. 
4)Cash: They're very pricey to care for but cheap to buy.  You need to give em a proper diet. You can spend well over 10dollars weekly on foods for it. Unless you find a good way to keep this cost down then yeah.... Plus water changes, plus filters, etc. 
5)Common sense: obv. shiz is obv shiz. You don't put your god friggin' hand in its mouth. You don't put your friggin' hand anywhere above the lower mid section of its shell. You don't friggin' pick it by the tail(it's dangerous FOR both of you!). You don't friggin' harrass it. Etc. 

That being said if you have time, space, cash, and common obv sense you could keep one.


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## H. laoticus (Jun 26, 2011)

bball_frk23 said:


> Best quote from that video: "I try not to smile cuz I got my teeth knocked out by a chainsaw." lol


I thought it was, "It ain't just for football, Gatorade is for the Turtle Man, WOOLULULULU!!"


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## catfishrod69 (Jun 26, 2011)

rednecks arent always what they seem....i have never lived in a town, never will, always been in the woods hunting, fishing, trapping, shooting, making crazy redneck things that i cannot go farther into...but anyways i consider myself and about all the people that are my best friends rednecks...and as far as snappers, they arent scary...ive broken ice during trapping, and pulled them out by hand..i caught one that was huge, 4 foot long shell, head as thick as my thigh, he got away only because i had hold of his tail, and he was too strong for me to hold onto, and was pulling me farhter into the creek, so there was nothing i could do but let him pull out of my grasp and be mad he got away..........try a leatherback turtle, hold it by its tail, it can reach right around and bite you cause they have long necks, and can and will chase you on land, running as fast as a dog...best way to hold them is by the neck.


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## Entomancer (Jun 26, 2011)

SDiego said:


> Weren't you afraid of them when you moved them? Their reach is suprisingly far. I wouldn't handle them.


Contradicting ourselves now, are we?

I'm fortunate enough to have befriended one of the best field herpetologists in Oregon, and he brought an adult female _Chelydra Serpentina_ to show to me and a few others. It was fairly docile, but frightened by the number of people that were standing around it. 

He showed us how to pick them up properly, without harming the turtle and without getting our fingers torn off. It went fine, and I wasn't scared in the slightest. The turtle did strike the plastic container it was brought in (a huge rubbermaid bin), but I was more awed than frightened. 

I'm sorry, but I really don't have much respect for these kinds of fears. Snapping turtles will only bite defensively out of the water, and will otherwise swim away from things that they deem threatening. Irrational fears about how dangerous an animal might be are based in such things as heresay and reality television and only serve to breed misunderstanding and stupidity. 

They need to stamped out; they are archaic and ignorant, and belong in the past, not the present.

EDIT:



catfishrod69 said:


> rednecks arent always what they seem....i have never lived in a town, never will, always been in the woods hunting, fishing, trapping, shooting, making crazy redneck things that i cannot go farther into...but anyways i consider myself and about all the people that are my best friends rednecks...and as far as snappers, they arent scary...ive broken ice during trapping, and pulled them out by hand..i caught one that was huge, 4 foot long shell, head as thick as my thigh, he got away only because i had hold of his tail, and he was too strong for me to hold onto, and was pulling me farhter into the creek, so there was nothing i could do but let him pull out of my grasp and be mad he got away..........try a leatherback turtle, hold it by its tail, it can reach right around and bite you cause they have long necks, and can and will chase you on land, running as fast as a dog...best way to hold them is by the neck.


Rednecks are discriminated against in the herpetological community because they don't bother to respect the land and animals that they interact with.

For example, your "leatherback". For starters, the turtle you are referring to is most likely the aforementioned Snakehead Snapper, _Chelydra Serpentina_, and not a Leatherback, which is a strictly marine species. 

Also, Aquatic turtles breathe using a special bellows-like structure in their neck, and holding the neck is a great way to suffocate or at least greatly stress a snapping turtle far more than it needs to be. In reality, the best way to pick up a Snakehead snapper is to grasp the keels of the shell to the left and right of the tail on both sides (above their legs) and then lift them up from that point. The tail is also a dangerous way to do it. The tail houses a portion of the animal's vertebrae, and pulling on the tail therefore also means that you are pulling on its backbone. 

Finally, if it was wintertime and you broke through ice to remove a turtle from a creekbed, you may have just interrupted a turtle in the midst of hibernating, which is a great way to make them sick or kill them by exposing them to the cold air, which will always be colder than the water under the ice, which is where many aquatic turtles hibernate for that exact reason.


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## Formerphobe (Jun 26, 2011)

> Snapping turtles will only bite defensively out of the water


East coast snappers aren't particular if they are in the water or out.  They will bite chunks out of swimmers, harassers, and innocent bystanders alike.  Which is one reason why I don't swim in areas where I can't see the bottom - I like my toes just fine where they are!  They're like any other wild animal, just more capable than many of defending themselves when disturbed or provoked.  

I keep a fold up latrine shovel in my car that frequently doubles as a tool to assist large snappers across local roads.  I grab them by the tail and slide the shovel under the plastron to support their weight for the transport.  Anyone who doesn't respect them is a fool.  

This redneck thinks they make pretty good eating, too. :}


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## catfishrod69 (Jun 27, 2011)

well the leatherbacks im referring to are actually softshell turtles, but we call them leatherbacks...and the snapper i pulled through the ice wasnt hibernating, he was moving around...and im not a complete idiotic hillbilly, i know what im doing....and yes i respent the land, and all the living things, i would rater be in the middle of the woods by myself, than near any people






LordRaiden said:


> Contradicting ourselves now, are we?
> 
> I'm fortunate enough to have befriended one of the best field herpetologists in Oregon, and he brought an adult female _Chelydra Serpentina_ to show to me and a few others. It was fairly docile, but frightened by the number of people that were standing around it.
> 
> ...


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## BQC123 (Jun 27, 2011)

I have spent many years dealing with common snapping turtles. I move them across the roads when I catch them crossing. I remove and relocate them from ponds where they are unwanted. We salvage eggs that are laid in bad locations and sure to be destroyed, and even remove eggs from roadkills. These are incubated, and released at the location where they were found. I used to trap and eat a few as well. Delicious by the way.
On land they can be very defensive. I have never encountered this in the water. I catch them while canoeing, and swimming. Never had one try to bite except when removed from the water. The only worry I would have is dangling a foot in the water from my canoe. I have seen them come up to investigate stuff hung over the side, and I'm sure they could mistake it for food. I hear horror stories about them biting swimmers, but have never found a single case of this.
The softshells can be a challenge though. Grabbing by the rear legs works best for those, as well as snappers. They ar just a lot harder to get a grip on.


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## LeilaNami (Jun 27, 2011)

LordRaiden said:


> Contradicting ourselves now, are we?
> 
> I'm fortunate enough to have befriended one of the best field herpetologists in Oregon, and he brought an adult female _Chelydra Serpentina_ to show to me and a few others. It was fairly docile, but frightened by the number of people that were standing around it.
> 
> ...


Exactly how many rednecks, or what you think are rednecks, have you met or did you just formulate that opinion from the stereotype you see on TV?  :? Being in Texas, I know several, and the majority of them respect the land.  It's the city people trying to be farm boys that go around destroying the ecosystem.  Funny thing is, only northerners think 'redneck' is an insult.  

As far as snappers go, I've only had the pleasure of dealing with common snappers here.  They are content to laze about in the water rather than chasing you onto shore.  Of course, if you disturb them, intentionally or not, is when you might get the feisty attitude people seem to fear.  Defensive turtles aren't anymore dangerous than another defensive exotic with a mouth full of teeth.  It's funny how people who are willing to deal with big varanids or caimans will be the same people nervous about a snapper.


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## SandDeku (Jun 27, 2011)

LeilaNami said:


> Exactly how many rednecks, or what you think are rednecks, have you met or did you just formulate that opinion from the stereotype you see on TV?  :? Being in Texas, I know several, and the majority of them respect the land.  It's the city people trying to be farm boys that go around destroying the ecosystem.  Funny thing is, only northerners think 'redneck' is an insult.
> 
> As far as snappers go, I've only had the pleasure of dealing with common snappers here.  They are content to laze about in the water rather than chasing you onto shore.  Of course, if you disturb them, intentionally or not, is when you might get the feisty attitude people seem to fear.  Defensive turtles aren't anymore dangerous than another defensive exotic with a mouth full of teeth.  It's funny how people who are willing to deal with big varanids or caimans will be the same people nervous about a snapper.


LOL i know right? I gotta' admit it, I'm a big woose even a pansy! I'm afraid basically of everything but DEFINITELY NOT a snapping turtle! LOL!


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## Ziltoid (Jun 28, 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JharT0XcAxM Watch at 1:53 for the good part! This guy clearly got lucky, this thing had a reach nearly as long as its shell!


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## OphidianDelight (Jun 28, 2011)

Ziltoid said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JharT0XcAxM Watch at 1:53 for the good part! This guy clearly got lucky, this thing had a reach nearly as long as its shell!


I saw an episode of Austin Stevens where he accidentally-on-purpose let a much smaller one bite a hole in his leather boot.  It could have had the decency to shear off one of his toes.


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## Ziltoid (Jul 8, 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GydyA_cVJNA&feature=player_embedded&aia=true                                                            This turtle is one badass mother******! Very ominous.


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