Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's a cool little guy I found in a stream(of all places). No doubt he's hanging around there to snag the little minnows that fall in from the lake it drains. I was shocked he didn't get ticked very easily.

Are you holding him up by his tail? You should never do that, it can severly injure them... Even though he is wild, you need to hold him by the shell...
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Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba RIP 10/23/04)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud) MIA
Brown Water Snake 0.1 (Fang)
Common Snapping Turtle 1.1 (Sherman and Tiger)
(RIP Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)
African Rock Python (Mongo) 0.0.1

Sorry, I was only handling them the way Mr. Roger Conant describes in Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern/Central North America. Now....does anyone else think this guy is handsome?

Yea, he is a looker... Nice size too. Gonna keep him?
I didn't mean to come off as crass... And that book was written back in the 70s before they knew it would cause damage to them.
I don't see many wild snappers around S. Florida, but I did catch one of mine in a canal, but she was a release. She had red nailpolish on her shell.
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Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba RIP 10/23/04)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud) MIA
Brown Water Snake 0.1 (Fang)
Common Snapping Turtle 1.1 (Sherman and Tiger)
(RIP Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)
African Rock Python (Mongo) 0.0.1

Well I got the newer 1998 version of the book! haha. Unfortunately I had to let him go. My parents said the six inch turtle was "too dangerous." They really need to be educated on snappers. However, I did find him again on Tuesday(I caught him Sunday). Since then I haven't seen him. Since I am probably letting my painted turtle go, I was thinking the 10 gallon could make a nice little temporary home for him. I alreadt naemd him "Buddy." Idk why I did, but his small size made him look like a Buddy. Do you think he left or is he probably still lurking around? I think I found a little underwater burrow when I felt around today...

He probably "high-tailed" it.. Seriously though, don't hold them that way.. It can injure their spine...I dont care what REPTILES magazine says.

I live in a area of Appalachia, (you can tell by the spell'in) That is prolific in reptiles, including turtles. I picked up a medium size snapper last sunday off the road, saved its life, for sure. It filled the bottum of a 5 gallon pail were it couldnt move. I have a pond out back that is just under 1 acre. I have a HUGE snapper that lives there. It's as big as any I've seen in the wild. There are also a couple the size of the one I just got off the road. I have put several small paint, and snappers in the pond, but I'm thinking its at its peek turtle consentration, and dont want the big boy to wonder off, and posably get run over, so. I took the recent catch down to the river. It's a small river that is no were near a road. It is mostly in a deep holler. The only place he's going is up, or down stream. There are lots of over hangs, and snags and mud, and forage. I'm sure he'll get old and big down there. I have released snappers in some large rivers before also. Since then I have seen other snappers in the same river. They'll get along anywere theres food and water.

Um.....I never said anything about REPTILES magazine....Besides, the issue with the snapper article says to hold them by the back and that the tail can damage them....I didn't try to start a frickin debate over how I hold a turtle! I was just trying to show him off....so shut up about how I hold him...I won't do it again

sorry, I didn't try to be mean about it...please forgive me

Don't worry about it. We all overreact once in a while. Just got to realize that alot of us are hobbyists and some are experts, and we all want to put in our two cents.
You'll get the same reaction a hundred times, just because some of us want to be heard, even though someone else just said it.
Hey, and it would seem the safest way for you to grab a snapper is by the tail, farthest from the head, and the tail already has grips built in...

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Coastal Carpet Python 0.1 (Lillith)
Albino Burm 0.1 (Kimba RIP 10/23/04)
Columbian RedTail 0.1 (Squishy)
Kenyan Sand Boa 1.0 (Shai'hulud) MIA
Brown Water Snake 0.1 (Fang)
Common Snapping Turtle 1.1 (Sherman and Tiger)
(RIP Abrahms)
RES 1.0 (speedy)
African Rock Python (Mongo) 0.0.1