On my wau hoem today. I live near a few lakes. I saw a snapping turtle. It was about a foot. And i rlly wanted to get it. But i payed my sis 2 dollars to stop(she drives im only 15.....explains why im hardly at lfs) but i was gonna pick it up and keep it. But i didnt know how to handle it without being bitten. I heard grab its tail but it seemed kinda big for that. And i didnt want to hurt it. And the main reason is i didnt have the room. And i know they need alot of room...... But great experience wish i had a camera!
Snapping detour
- Thread starter fishy12
- Start date
you did well. Very well.
At that weight, picking it up by the tail, would probably hurt its spine.
At that weight, picking it up by the tail, would probably hurt its spine.
Snappers require a serious setup, so be sure you are prepared before you get one. The best way to handle a large snapper is to grasp the sides of its shell, like this. It may still scratch you but it cannot bite you. This does put your hands right over its musk glands, so you will smell like turtle stench for a while.
You can hold it by the back legs, but this gives it leverage to swing around and possibly get within biting distance. I also worry about possible damage to the leg joints of larger turtles using this method.
Alligator snappers may be lifted by the front and back of the shell. It is possible to lift common snappers this way but requires caution, confidence, and some knowledge of how flexible the turtle is to avoid being bitten.
You can hold it by the back legs, but this gives it leverage to swing around and possibly get within biting distance. I also worry about possible damage to the leg joints of larger turtles using this method.
Alligator snappers may be lifted by the front and back of the shell. It is possible to lift common snappers this way but requires caution, confidence, and some knowledge of how flexible the turtle is to avoid being bitten.
i have always gotten them from behind the head and then flexing my fingers to prevent the head from slipping back far enough to get a good angle at my fingers but i think that requires someone to at least show you how to do it...
Misread something, whoops o_o
Anyway, snappers are pretty awesome, I cared for one temporarily, but I hope you won't set out to go find another and take it out of the wild unless you only intend to keep it for a short time then release it, like I did
Anyway, snappers are pretty awesome, I cared for one temporarily, but I hope you won't set out to go find another and take it out of the wild unless you only intend to keep it for a short time then release it, like I did