common snapping turtle - protector of the pond

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Z

Zfishies

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Apr 5, 2010
3,150
8
68
29
Milky Way Galaxy,
Hey guys well after giving my common snapper to my uncle for his pond (think it was a decent 600g-700g) the LFS got some might be wanting one. He's about $100 (fair price?) but i got a question in my years of keeping a common snapper ive never added him withother turtles. The pond he would be going into would be a 300g pond. He is a hatchling right now but will be in a grow out for the time being. The turtles he would be going in with would be 2 RES. One female pushing 13-14" and a small 9" male. My orginal snapper was the protector of this very same 300g pond he killed and ATE (left the some parts though) a possum. The possums and racoons dont come around much ive noticed but its been 3 years now and they are starting to come back i think its time to raise another protector :) . Also ive heard that snappers grow MAD fast around 80F. so if i feed him every day (one silver side and squid the silver sides stuffed with high grade turtle pellets) how long would it take him to get to 12"? Hope to get some info by tonight common snappers sell fast at my LFS. thanks guys.
 
They want $100 for a normal common snapper hatchling? That's an absolutely ridiculous price considering that you can order one online and pay less than that even with shipping. You might even be able to get two for that price online!

As for your compatibility questions, they tend to be nippy or even aggressive towards other turtles as well as fishes, reptiles, and anything else that they see as a threat or food. Also, they grow pretty fast during their first two years of life and will get to have maybe a 6" shell length; it typically takes another decade or so for them to hit a 12" shell length.
 
Man I could get you some wild caught ones from my pond and ill give them to u for $10 or check out kingsnake.com and search snapping turtle they seem to have some of the best prices. Snappers are probably the best breed of pond protector money can buy but occasionally take bites out of the things they should be protecting as they are very dangerous when large


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
only 6"? i dont think he could defend him sell enough then. Im just going to move my res to another pond so i dont deal with any trouble. Thanks andrew but thatd be to much of a hassle id think. Last time i ordered online for a turtle he came in dead never even got another one $50 down the drain. Ill try to talk to him about the price. Thanks wiggles to but a 6" common, how hard is its bite force per sq inch? i dont think he could take on the possums and raccons at that small of a size. Kind of dont want to wait a decade to get him to 12"...
 
Zfishies said:
only 6"? i dont think he could defend him sell enough then. Im just going to move my res to another pond so i dont deal with any trouble. Thanks andrew but thatd be to much of a hassle id think. Last time i ordered online for a turtle he came in dead never even got another one $50 down the drain. Ill try to talk to him about the price. Thanks wiggles to but a 6" common, how hard is its bite force per sq inch? i dont think he could take on the possums and raccons at that small of a size. Kind of dont want to wait a decade to get him to 12"...
Click to expand...

Just order it online from a reputable company that will actually honor their live arrival guarantee, and you should be fine; there's no sense in paying too much for something that should be priced at maybe a fourth of that price at max. You could also check at a reptile show for one as you'll pay about as much as you would online minus the shipping.

It would be fine once it got to a 6" shell length; don't forget that's shell length rather than overall length. I don't know the exact bite force per sq. inch, but I do know that it's pretty powerful in comparison to most other turtles of the same size.
 
so at 6" he could defend himself from possums and racoons? the only reason my res are alive is becuase my female is nasty and bites pretty hard.
 
Okay so in my pond when I'm fishing this weekend I'll see if there are any snappers. If I see any I will check their sizes they are usually over 6" so I believe that I can catch you a 12" snapper if you are interested but shipping would be brutal on that and I would give it to you for like little next to nothing as they usually sell for over $1000 when full sized and I can get you one for like $100 shipped and while catching them I am very careful not to hurt or harm any of them. But for the asked price I might be able to get one for you I would just have to see on shipping and other things like packaging. I have to just check though. I have sold a large adult snapper to a nearby turtle breeder because he wanted one and this thing was like 8" and I got $500 so I am readily making over $500 per turtle unless babies. I might catch a baby just for my use and to put with my res until he grows because those buggers grow quick! But I will see pm if interested and like I said I would have to see on shipping but I would ask a minimal $100 for a large adult snapper shipped I have to see though.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
well snappers can handle cold weather exellent so maybe just a small 14" tub with a few inches of water could do the trick. ill pm you tonight, it could be under 12" thanks for the offer man. I dont think ill be picking up the hatchling a 2 yr growout is too long for me as i already done it before with my old guy. Honostly i havent pushed through with any of my rep projects yet. i still have my 8x8ft reptile enclosure... empty. Dont know why even in the fish hobby i havent been motovated much ever since my gars died... Still saving up for my 300g salt. my fish /herp keeping hobby is taking a hit at the momment . I have my 2000g empty 500g empty 300g 1 bullhead catfish & 2 res all ponds. and empty 125 and a 10 sw tank. I think a snapper could get me motovated again though i just dont know why im not motovated...sorry for the rant.
 
Ya man I'm heading up to new York today so I'll see what I can do. I'll try to catch some but I'm not losing any fingers :) lol. So I'll wear those crazy gloves I have that are like 2" thick for fish with teeth. But I have to see because the turtles have a lot of hiding places being that its like a 2,000,000 gallon pond hahahaha but I'll take out my kayak and see


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom