This morning when I put my dogs outdoors for the day, there was a large snapping turtle near Freddy's dog house. Of course, Freddy wanted to play with it, and the snapper was not interested. I rinsed the bucket, and coaxed the snapper into it and turned him loose behind my chicken coop. Maybe it will keep snakes out of the coop? My friend who gave me a rooster said he would keep snakes out of the coop... I hope so. I think the snapper weighs about 5 lbs, and if he can avoid my neighbors, he ought to live a long healthy life. Some people like to shoot them, but not me. I had a baby snapper for a pet when I was growing up, and its name was 'Mike'. I would prefer that he avoid my pond though.
I hope he repays your kindness and will keep your chickens safe from snakes. Let's just keep our fingers crossed your neighbours don't spot him.
Fingers crossed for your snapper to have a long and happy life! We have red-eared sliders in our pond, and on a sunny day they line up on the bank to sunbathe. We even put a log at the bank for the turtles.
Good Luck to the snapper....we had found a large one that filled the bottom of a garbage can. We relocated it to another area because too many people would swim in the pond and we were pretty sure someone would hurt it...
What a little darling...are snapping turtles the ones that bite and don't let go? Are they dangerous? or moderately inconvenient? I am not familiar with this turtle.
Vitrsna, snappers can take off a finger if you mess with a larger one. They are "dangerous" only if you make them feel threatened. Like most wild creatures, they would rather run than fight, but they are well equipped to fight if necessary. Here is a link that explains a lot about snappers: http://a-z-animals.com/animals/snapping-turtle/ There is a very large alligator snapping turtle at the aquarium at the Waco Cameron Park Zoo, and we always stop by to admire him when visiting. It's so much easier to admire a big snapper when separated by very thick glass!
Marlin you are so right. AAnightowl I am surprised the turtle let you put it in a bucket without defending itself. May Moons ago when I use to go horseback riding at a game farm. The guy who ran it loved snapping turtle soup. He didn't have to much good to say about them as they will swim up under a baby duck or goose and eat them. Anyway one day when I was out riding I found a quite large snapper pretty far from the river. I rode back to the barn and got a big bucket figuring I would put the turtle in it and lead the horse with the turtle in tow back to the barn. Lenard would love it. All I can say is that the best laid plans of mice and men do not always to according to plan. I found the probably 10lb snapper pretty much in the same place. So I dismounted with the bucket in one hand and the reins in the other. I set the bucket down and proceeded to try and grab the snapper by the tail. It swung around and gave out a loud hiss which scared me and the horse who at that moment jerked the reins out of my hand and took off for the barn. So there I stood facing a very mad snapper who was NOT going into my bucket no matter what I did. The walk back to the barn wasn't to bad except that I had to wade across a creek. That was the last time I tried to get a turtle into a bucket.
I never handled the snapper when I coaxed it into the bucket. I used a stick to 'guide' it, and it went in willingly. Maybe it liked the stench in there? [It was the bucket that I use to clean up after my dogs around the yard.] I know better than to try and handle a snapping turtle of such size. I don't think I would handle any snapper bigger than a small baby, and even then be careful. I didn't want to make some soup out of it, nor harm it. I just didn't want it to injure my dogs, or my dogs to injure it.
