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Today I notice my alligator snapper was climbing up one of the wooden knees that I have in his tank. He appeared to be basking, probably trying to get rid of some annoying fungus or something, but he has a basking area for that, and yet he still chose to climb completely vertically up a 90 degree incline. Does anyone else's alligator snapper do this?
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Awesome, is that one of those pink skin alligator snapping turtles? I've yet to have a alligator snapper, but my commons would often climb up things that weren't meant for basking areas, to bask. Cool turtle though. 
Michael
Michael's Place
np
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It is NOT a leucistic turtle!!! Lol, a leucistic turtle would be white, yours is clearly pink. I saw in posts from last year you called it leucistic, it just started to bug me. These days, a turtle like yours is sold under the name "Pink skin alligator snapping turtle" whoever sold it to you under the name "leucistic" had no clue about what they were even selling.
I have yet to find any detailed information on the subject of pink skins, or as to why they are colored the way they are, my first guess was maybe they were just a light erythristic, but then I found out that when they get bigger they lose the pink and become yellow, looking hypo then.
Michael
Michael's Place
John Richards sold it to me. He has been selling them as such for many years. You mentioned how they look as adults, so I assume you have seen the August 2004 Reptiles Magazine article. The author of that article sold me the turtle. As they grow older they turn yellowish white with stripes on the sides of their heads. You're right, a true leucistic would have dark eyes or blue ones with ivory skin, carapace, and plastron. Mine has yellow eyes (clearly not normal for any alligator snapper). That's why I have been saying for a year that I don't know what to call it. In fact, I refer to it as a hypo just as often as I do a leucistic. The only reason I refer to it as a leucistic is because that is what it was sold to me as and I have seen them sold as leucistics on the kingsnake classifieds since (within the past year). But like you said, there is so little information on them no one knows what to call them. So I will repeat my position on this matter yet again...until someone makes a definate conclusion about what makes them pink I am going to call it a leucistic/hypo.
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I think it would be best to call them hypo. Leucistic just doesn't fit their physical description.
Michael
Michael's Place
A leucistic ally snapper does not necassarily fit the description of a bright white, blue eyed animal such as a texas rat snake but that does not mean it is not a leucistic. I agree it is different then the typical leucistics you see but this happens with albinos also, and MANY other morphs. Several species of albino do not look like typical albinos, but they are. I purchased my leucistic ally from John Richards also and he sells them as such so i will also continue to refer to it as leucistic until someone can authentically prove it otherwise.
Thanks,
Dallas Quarles
Like i said, if someone could prove this, it would have some merit to it. Since no one can, it has NONE.
Thanks,
Dallas
That is very unusual for an alligator snapper. They do not bask, RARELY leave the water, only to lay eggs. Mine has never done anything like that. The only time mine is out of the water is when I take him out to take his picture!
I have a common snapper who climbs everything. I would say he is out of the water at least 50% of the time during the day. I once put his basking area too close to the filter canister and he managed to climb up the side of the filter and I found him sitting on top of it basking. It is amazing to me that something that acts so clumbsy and cloddy can climb so well.
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Mike
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2 Painted
1 Musk
1 Common Snapper
1 Cooter
1 Map
1 RES
1 Corn Snake
1.1 Water Dragons
2 African Frogs
1 Toad
1.0 Degu
1.2 Chihuahuas
0.1 Cat
My snapper is out of the water often, but I haven't seen her climb. However my boxie did about 4' up the screen in their enclosure!
Turtles do the strangest thing! lol
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0.1.0 snapping turtle
0.1.0 painted turtle
0.1.0 ornate box turtle
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.0.0 ferret (babysitting temporalily)
3.2.0 children
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