Giant Snapping Turtles; Size Records (Survey of 84,000)

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methos75 said:
Biggest I have seen in the Wild was only around 40 Pounds, but I do know a Keeper with one that is easily 80 or so pounds. THe thing that impresses me the must about them is how rapidly they grow. I bought two hatchlings from a Repticon back in 2011 that are now 8 inches long and 12 inches respectfully and just massive, while in my experience other species take years to get decent size on them.
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Hi John,

Thx for the feedback; snappers do seem to have a great deal of flexibility in growth [patterns, abilities etc; some populations breed at very small sizes, others grow slowly, seem to mature later, etc. Likely diet dependent but there also seems to be a pattern of very large populations being in the northern sections of their range. be careful about pushing them too fast, however. An early burst of growth is beneficial in the wild, gets them past the vulnerable stage. But continual, very rapid growth may not be ideal for long term health...no real studies, unfortunately, but anecdotal info on other species...green turtles and Blanding's come to mind - indicates that reproduction and perhaps other functions may be impaired. Sorry I do not have mpore specific info.
 
I definitely understand where you are coming from, I have actually cut down how much I feed them to two days a week due to how fast they were growing, because I was starting to notice that one they were getting obese, and two I was starting to notice irregularities in their carapaces. FYI, just for the sake of research, One is in actuality C. s. osceola while the other was from a breeder in Louisiana.
 
Hi John,

Good idea..they rarely exhibit carapace deformities, so that is likely a sign that they are growing too quickly. I see you keep some of my other favorites...my common musk is 43 years old; I was very impressed by Shiba inus during my time in Japan, Best, Frank
 
Yeah, I love my dopey Shiba, dumb as rocks but she is fun.

And yeah you can eat Snapping Turtles, I am cajun, and growing up lived off of the damn things
 
methos75 said:
Yeah, I love my dopey Shiba, dumb as rocks but she is fun.

And yeah you can eat Snapping Turtles, I am cajun, and growing up lived off of the damn things
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There's a huge market for them, especially in China; well-run farms could likely meet the demand, but as of now I believe most are collected.
 
I just caught a hatchling, maybe two inches long. I'm doing some fast research on what this thing needs to be properly kept. The big question I have - what do you guys use for filters?
 
crlovel said:
I just caught a hatchling, maybe two inches long. I'm doing some fast research on what this thing needs to be properly kept. The big question I have - what do you guys use for filters?
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Hi, Hatchlings do best in shallow water...if you prefer, you can raise in a plasic sweater box or similar, dump and clean. if you ues a filter, you'll need to avoid strong currents, as they are weak swimmers and will not thrive if constantly fighting a current. As the turtle grows, feeding in a separate container will ease the strain on our filter. Please see articles linked below for more on turtle filters and links to some useful models, pl let me know if you need more info, best, Frank:


http://bit.ly/hUgSmO

http://bit.ly/t6H0N5
 
Hi,

Growth isn't controlled by tank size, so the animal will continue to grow until it reaches typical adult length/weight (this varies greatly, between sexes and even populations). Diet/temperature matters as well..one caution - best to stay away from frogs, as they are hosts for many of the parasites that afflict turtles; With even common species in decline as well, better not to collect. They are not at all necessary...pellets, fish, inverts, ctrayfish, earthworms are sufficient. I've not seen any probs with fish, native or otherwise, crayfish, etc. Pl keep me posted, enjoy, Frank
 
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