slippery snapper

[Loohan]

Found this medium sized common snapping turtle just now, sitting in the intersection where my road comes off the main dirt road, 1/4 mile from my place.
A little over a foot long.

I moved him a few feet off the road in the direction he seemed to be pointing. Not easy as he is covered with muddy wet algae and was very snappy. He kept lunging vigorously with his whole body and falling out of my grasp.
I love him anyway.

 

[Greta16]

Snappers are everywhere I live. Good for you for helping this big guy cross the rd. I once stopped on a very busy route to try and prod a much larger one than this across. It didn't work. To this day I still think of him every once in a while and wonder if he made it. ☺

 

[Loohan]

Come to think of it, for "

Snappers are everywhere I live. Good for you for helping this big guy cross the rd. I once stopped on a very busy route to try and prod a much larger one than this across. It didn't work. To this day I still think of him every once in a while and wonder if he made it. ☺

Yeah, prodding doesn't work because they just whip right around to confront you. There are youtube vids on how to help one across the road.
One trick that might work with slippery ones is to get them onto something like the floor mat from your car, and drag the mat across the road. But my road is very bumpy and i needed to get him up onto a higher bank.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I wonder if it's a mating thing.
They're fairly common. But seeing one out of the water is pretty unusual.

 

[Greta16]

It's pretty common here in the north. And you're probably right zeropilot in that they're headed to lay eggs. Really old ones can be almost 2 ft across the carapace. I wouldn't want to be trying to get that in my car..lol. I'll check out the youtube vids. On a side note, would a snapper need a uvb light just like all other turtles?

 

[Loohan]

I wonder if it's a mating thing.
They're fairly common. But seeing one out of the water is pretty unusual.

Yes, i saw my first one crawling around shortly after moving here in '96, and this is only the 4th i've seen on the ground so far. All of these have been on the same dirt road except the one in my driveway.

This area has a lot of artificially-created ponds, and i believe all of them except a few tiny ones must have snappers.

 

[Loohan]

The video of my initial approach:

If i had crowded him a hair more, he would have lunged at me with powerful legs while stretching his neck WAY out and snapping.

 

[wellington]

Not afraid at all. Nope, let's not try to run away. Let's face it head on, and dare you to come closer. LOL

 

[Moozillion]

The video of my initial approach:

If i had crowded him a hair more, he would have lunged at me with powerful legs while stretching his neck WAY out and snapping.

YOWIE!!!! He's ready for BUSINESS!!!!!!

 

[Loohan]

He actually went airborne a couple times trying to keep me off him. I have never seen such leaping action before in a turtle. Very powerful and aggressive.
Approach these guys with caution. They can reach far in an instant.

 

[Greta16]

I'll ask again and hope someone answers. Would a snapping turtle need uvb if kept in a tank?

 

[Loohan]

A friend says what he does is keep a big towel in his vehicle. If he needs to move a big snapping turtle, he throws the towel over it first.
It will bite the towel.
Sounds like a good policy.

He also claims the local variety is not the Common Snapping Turtle but some other variety (i forgot what he said). But i can't find such a distinction in a perfunctory web search.

 

[counting]

I wonder if it's a mating thing.
They're fairly common. But seeing one out of the water is pretty unusual.

We have snappers where I am, very northern. You find them on the road seasonally because the females are looking for egg laying locations. Around here they favor the mixed sandy roadside to bury their eggs. Though many have also laid on porches and in people's yards around here.

 

[Moozillion]

I'll ask again and hope someone answers. Would a snapping turtle need uvb if kept in a tank?

I assume ALL tortoises and turtles need UVB light if kept in a tank. I cannot think of any that do not.

 

[Greta16]

I assume ALL tortoises and turtles need UVB light if kept in a tank. I cannot think of any that do not.

That's what I was thinking. I work with an older kinda eccentric woman. She's really great and we all love her. It's just that I think she's an animal horder. I know she has many dogs and cats but every once in a while she mentions some small strange animal. When Hermie was delivered to me at work she told me she has a snapping turtle in a viv. I know it doesn't have light and probably doesn't eat properly. I'll nicely mention it to her. Thanks

 

[Moozillion]

That's what I was thinking. I work with an older kinda eccentric woman. She's really great and we all love her. It's just that I think she's an animal horder. I know she has many dogs and cats but every once in a while she mentions some small strange animal. When Hermie was delivered to me at work she told me she has a snapping turtle in a viv. I know it doesn't have light and probably doesn't eat properly. I'll nicely mention it to her. Thanks

That woman also needs to know that aquatic turtles, like snappers, have no saliva, so they MUST be underwater to eat.

 

[Markw84]

I'll ask again and hope someone answers. Would a snapping turtle need uvb if kept in a tank?

Many turtles get most of their vitamin D from dietary sources. They still can manufacture D3 with UVB, but aren't as dependent upon it.

That woman also needs to know that aquatic turtles, like snappers, have no saliva, so they MUST be underwater to eat.

It is actually that they lack movable tongues. Tortoises have them, turtles do not as a general rule. So they need water to push the food down their throat.

 

[Greta16]

I'll tell her that.

 

[Moozillion]

Many turtles get most of their vitamin D from dietary sources. They still can manufacture D3 with UVB, but aren't as dependent upon it.


It is actually that they lack movable tongues. Tortoises have them, turtles do not as a general rule. So they need water to push the food down their throat.

Thanks for clearing that up, Mark!