Good Turtle Karma

[Zen]

I've even leaped into a pond and grabbed them by their tails! Also have caught them by hand while swimming.

Next thing we know you're gonna be catfish noodling

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Next thing we know you're gonna be catfish noodling

Here's a +/- 18 year old photo of me with two big LIVE snappers that I caught by jumping into our pond and grabbing them both at once by the tails. My daughters were very impressed. It's hard to see, but the one on the right is still trying to bite me and has his jaws open. It was really hard to hold them both up for the picture, they were plenty heavy.
I drove them across the river, many miles away and put them in a nice swamp. (and away from my ducks!)

[bluebug32]

It's so nice to see that you're turtle lovers for the most part. Though I love all things fury, turtles have always been one of my favorite animals and I've had a Chinese box turtle for the past 16 years (she's supposed to live to be 80-100!).

My boyfriend and I have an unspoken system where, if we see a turtle in the road, one of us slows down and the other hops out to help it across. Luckily, it's been mainly painted and wood turtles-- no snappers yet!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Once i came across a 6" painted turtle in the road. There was no body of water around, and the location was not 'turtle friendly'. I just put it right in my saddlebag and buckled it up. When I passed a pond a few miles later, I saw other painted turtles sunning themselves so I let the little feller loose into the water and he swam away.

[Pax]

I've never seen a turtle in the road around here, mostly I see suicidal squirrels and bunnies on my commute...and the occasional GINORMOUS crow munching on the aforementioned suicidal squirrels and bunnies.

[SlowButSteady]

A round of applause for the reptile friendly! And good picture Bleecher St.

I'm also a long time catcher of turtles and snakes. I'll even help out the venomous snakes.

The last snapper I rescued had been straddled by a car. The turtle was so tall that the undercarriage of the car scraped some of the carapace scales off. Needless to say, it was one po'd turtle.

I threw him in the back of my Honda Element and went on about my business. When he started to come over the back seats at me, I scrounged a box from a pal. I took him back to my office for some topical treatment (I'm a vet) before releasing him.

Oh, yeah, I weighed him: 24 lbs.

People, if you've never handled snapping turtles, be careful! You're not going to be bitten on your hand if you're quick in grabbing the tail, but they can strike as quickly as a snake (and are twice as ill-tempered) so hold them as far away from your body as possible. It is somewhat difficult to hold a >20lbs turtle at armslength for more than a short time.

They are quite capable of taking off fingers or parts of your hand.

The tail technique also works well for oppossums. Sometimes you have to shake them a little bit to keep them from climbing back up their own tail to bite you. And they stink waaay worse than turtles.

[SalsaMTB]

I've only come across 1 turtle on a road ride. It was a snapper and not too pleased with my help, but with a little patience, I was able to move the little fellow.

On the trail, I've moved several.

[Andrea]

A round of applause for the reptile friendly! And good picture Bleecher St.

I'm also a long time catcher of turtles and snakes. I'll even help out the venomous snakes.

The last snapper I rescued had been straddled by a car. The turtle was so tall that the undercarriage of the car scraped some of the carapace scales off. Needless to say, it was one po'd turtle.

I threw him in the back of my Honda Element and went on about my business. When he started to come over the back seats at me, I scrounged a box from a pal. I took him back to my office for some topical treatment (I'm a vet) before releasing him.

Oh, yeah, I weighed him: 24 lbs.

People, if you've never handled snapping turtles, be careful! You're not going to be bitten on your hand if you're quick in grabbing the tail, but they can strike as quickly as a snake (and are twice as ill-tempered) so hold them as far away from your body as possible. It is somewhat difficult to hold a >20lbs turtle at armslength for more than a short time.

They are quite capable of taking off fingers or parts of your hand.

The tail technique also works well for oppossums. Sometimes you have to shake them a little bit to keep them from climbing back up their own tail to bite you. And they stink waaay worse than turtles.

My grampa (who died many years ago) had part of one of his fingers bitten off my a snapping turtle! At least, that was the story he told all of us grandkids when we'd ask where the rest of his finger was