you may very well get your fingers smashed or trapped for a while, or both. I've often looked quite the fool for a few minutes while one of my turtles acted as a pair of chinese fingercuffs. Only the really large ones hurt me all that much, and it's akin to having your finger stepped on, but should not seriously injure you or be unbearably painful. If you hold the legs right, though, you should be able to get your fingers in and out without a smush, since the legs block the closing of the shell from completely clamping. If your fingers are small and narrow, you will have more luck, since they will be more comparably sized to the turtle's rear legs.



PennyGirl, an ENOURMOUS female we have did leave a painful bruise on the top of my finger when I released her leg too soon before extracting my finger once. I also had to resist hopping around and shouting and instead sit calmly with her on the grass next to me while I waited for her to open up and turn me loose.

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