best way to move a snapping turtle?

18 years ago

I don't know how many times I've come across turtles on busy stretches of road and pulled off (when it's safe to do so) to move them along. The box turtles are obviously not an issue, but the sliders and snappers can be pretty indignant despite all good intentions.

I seldom have a bucket or a box or a scoop shovel handy, and just hoist them up by the tail and get going before the next vehicle comes along. Seems that for every five people to come along and take pains to avoid them, there's the one good ol boy who can't resist such a target...Today I had to repeat the process with a particularly large individual (BTW, I can sex box turtles but not snappers...any easy rule of thumb to do this? Wayne??) and I know it had to surely to be painful for the turtle to hang like that, but I can think of no safer way to do it. It was trying desperately to get a good shot at my thigh and I have to say I couldn't blame it.

Is this possibly injurious to them? Hate to think I'm saving them from getting crushed just to set them free with a hernia or something of my doing.

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Comments (7)

Day_By_Day
18 years ago
Perhaps a towel (magically appearing in your vehicle) tossed over the head and held tight on the sides to prevent the head from extending to bite might help.
dirtgirl
Original Author
18 years ago
day...
marvelous idea!!
I will certainly add a sturdy towell to the kit in my car. But unless I can think of something else, the on-bike or on-foot encounters will have to proceed as planned...

a towel. why didn't I think of that?
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Elly_NJ
18 years ago
I grab them on the shell around their tail. I also gibe them a stick to bite : ) It keeps them busy.
dirtgirl
Original Author
18 years ago
Yes, keeping the business end occupied is always a good idea.

I always had a deep kind of respect for these creatures, which kinda runs counter to many other people's feelings. It's true that they are not warm and fuzzy, they smell bad, and usually pack a full compliment of leeches.
However, I always feel like I'm in the presence of an incredibly ancient, powerful and grizzled creature, almost like touching a dinosaur.

Elly, can you tell me how to distinguish between the sexes on a snapper? plastron differences, eye color?
irisblues
18 years ago
Don't give them something to bite - they have such a high psi with their 'Chomp!' that they can actually shatter their jaw if they snap something too stout. I used to keep a rubbermaid tote in the truck to catch them in. I have picked them up by the tail in an emergency but I think this does carry a risk of injury to the turtle.

As for determining the sex, male turtles have their sex organs in the tail so they have a larger, thicker tail and females a much smaller one. Sliders - males usually have long claws on the front feet - they 'flirt' with the ladies by waving their long nails in front of them!

If you have to relocate a turtle, try to keep it in the same vicinity to avoid spreading any possible diseases. Box Turtles, according to studies I have read, do not relocate well; they will try to return to their former range. Sometimes I have to relocate one anyway because I find them on sites that are about to be developed.
Elly_NJ
18 years ago
Yes, thanks for the reminder about not relocating turtles far from where you find them. Otherwise they will try to return to where they were hatched. Through roads and traffic.

I do not know the gender differences of snappers. I do appreciate the information about not giving them anything to bite!
Day_By_Day
18 years ago
Hope this helps:
1. Some states prohibit adopting snapping turtles from the wild.
2. In general, mature male snappers have: fatter tails, the vent (cloaca) about 2/3 from the shell towards the tip of the tail, a flat or concave plastron (bottom shell), and long claws on their front feet. Of course, you may need two of equal size for distinct comparison, or have it probed for a positive id which wouldn't add to a snapper's normally sunny disposition.
3. And finally, if you show it to a pet shop employee and you're told it's one thing, 9 times out of 10, it's the other. ;)

best way to move a snapping turtle?

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best way to move a snapping turtle?

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