Big snapping turtle

My husband rescued a huge snapping turtle from the road. The photo is of the turtle in the bed of the truck. My husband relocated him off the road near a small lake so he wouldn't be killed by a car or truck. He was huge! The picture doesn't really show his true size. It almost looked like the turtle turned to thank him as he slipped into the water.

Years ago my Dad did the same thing. I swear that snapper was a good 2 foot across the carapace.

Be careful of those boys - the big ones can snap off your fingers and they are quick.

I always move turtles out of the road too but once when I lived in North Carolina I cames upon a turtle in the road and it was a snapper....and mean! He wasn't as big as that one but very quick and kept lunging at me trying to bite. I finally gave up and moved on (I don't know if this true but a girl down there told me that if a snapping turtle bites you he won't let go until it thunders!). I figured I'll stick to box turtles from now on....

You don't get your hands/fingers around in front of their mouth! I had box turtles too - would take them any day.

My husband is pretty good at handling snappers. However, This guy was really trying to zone in on his leg. It made me really nervous. That would have been one nasty bite that he never would have forgotten. My husband used to be in a herpatogly(sp) club at the Denver museum of natural history where they used to catch rattlesnakes and milk them for their venom. This was many many many years ago. He has more guts than I do...yikes!

He likes the little box turtles too. We just built a habitat in our back yard for our box turtles. They are cute!

Originally Posted by abbycats

My husband is pretty good at handling snappers. However, This guy was really trying to zone in on his leg. It made me really nervous. That would have been one nasty bite that he never would have forgotten. My husband used to be in a herpatogly(sp) club at the Denver museum of natural history where they used to catch rattlesnakes and milk them for their venom. This was many many many years ago.

He has more guts than I do...yikes!

He likes the little box turtles too. We just built a habitat in our back yard for our box turtles. They are cute!

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Many times I can remember watching my Dad on the riding mower as he would stop, pick a box turtle up, and move it to a mowed area. He loved animals. Well, except for snakes.

cute turtle.

Originally Posted by abbycats

We just built a habitat in our back yard for our box turtles.

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Any pictures?

Chances are, since the snapper was fairly large, it was probably a female. They wander between water sources looking for nesting sites quite often.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Any pictures?

Chances are, since the snapper was fairly large, it was probably a female. They wander between water sources looking for nesting sites quite often.

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I'm at the mercy of an old fashioned camera until Xmas. I will take pics and post them it just might be awhile! We built a wood enclosure and sunk the wood down about 4 inches in the dirt all around the enclosure. It's about 5ft wide X 8ft long. Our turtles are still pretty little and have not tried to escape. I want to put a fountain out there for them. Right now they have a water bowl that we buried to ground level so they can have easy access and won't drown. We have been feeding them mixed lettuces, squash, sweet potatoes, sweet corn on the cob(they love that), green peppers, crickets, worms, grasshoppers, and fruit. They all have a good appetite. If I'm missing something in their diet feel free to let me know! We put a flat rock(flagstone) out there for their food dish. They have dug a tunnel underneath the rock for shelter. This is still work in progress so if you have any ideas let me know!!!

That was a big snapping turtle!!! We didn't want to see her killed in the road. There is alot of grain trucks that travel the road she/he was on.

Good luck with the 4", 14" would have been better but they may not try digging out. It hasn't even occurred to my little ones to try. Ditch the lettuces - various greens, such as turnip and mustard, are healthier. Sounds good otherwise. I feed my little ones off of unglazed terra cotta saucers and toss in pieces of cuttle bone for them to munch on. You can use spare pieces of wood for hides and large pieces of bark work well too. Have fun decorating, just about anything safe can be used.
I'll be looking forward to seeing some pictures eventually

Is cuttle bone the same thing that you hang in bird cages? What kind of vitamins could we buy to sprinkle on their food? I live in a rural area so I don't have access to large pet stores. I did read on a turtle site that alphalfa pellets are good for them too. I'm still learning about these "cute little tank creatures"

No alfalfa pellets, those are usually made for other animals and wouldn't be formulated right for turtles - though they can have some fresh alfalfa.
I use Rep-Cal calcium powders and multivitamin - most pet stores should carry the brand but you can order it online, too.
And yep, same plain cuttle bone you use for birds. Just remove the hard backing, carefully, with a knife.

If you choose to do so, the wardly and reptomin brand aquatic pellets can be offered (softened of course), but only once or twice a week and don't get too reliant on that as a food source. And for adults or a few years old boxies - you can skip days on feeding them.

Have you ever considered keeping a pet snapping turtle as well? Not starting off with a giant of course....but they're great fun to raise if you keep your fingers away. Mine is kind of like a puppy with a really nasty attitude

Awww, what a good guy your hubby is. I had somebody tell me to pick a snapper up by the tail. (it doesn't hurt them) If you hold them by the shell they can still get at you because they have long necks.

Originally Posted by luvmycat1

I had somebody tell me to pick a snapper up by the tail. (it doesn't hurt them) If you hold them by the shell they can still get at you because they have long necks.

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Turtles really do not like their tails messed with - like most animals, and reptiles can feel pain. I wouldn't suggest picking up any animal by a tail or limb, especially one as heavy as a snapping turtle that size would be.


And I've thought about keeping a snapper before - though not one of the common variety, maybe a spiny soft shell. But not until I have enough room both indoors and out for any sort of aquatic.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

And I've thought about keeping a snapper before - though not one of the common variety, maybe a spiny soft shell. But not until I have enough room both indoors and out for any sort of aquatic.

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I don't think I would want a snapping turtle as a pet. I will just stick to the box turtles

I have another question on food for the box turtles. Can they have baby spinach leaves too? I thought I read somewhere that spinach isn't very good for them.

Spinach isn't good for them.

Leslie

A better explanation is because spinach is high in oxalates and goitrogens. Oxalic acid binds calcium and goitrogens can affect thyroid function.

Look up the two long turtle threads in this section, mainly the one I started, as it has a lot of useful links and care tips. There are some nutrition links that are very useful in helping choose safe foods and how frequently you can offer them.