# OF/NT turtle



## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

yea I was walking by the upper pond when I thought I seen a snapping turtle??









it was, about 2.5"









no idea where or how it got here.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

They have these things called legs, it seems to help them get around somehow.  

When I was a teenager, after days of rain we had a huge one show up in the yard, made loud hissing sounds.....we let it go on its way. The nearest pond or major body of water was over half a mile away!


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Feed that thing and before you know it, you'll have soup


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

Posted By rlvette on 05/23/2009 5:42 PM
Feed that thing and before you know it, you'll have soup[/b]


*Yeah, but make sure you have him for dinner, before he has a piece of you*


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

60 or so years ago, my father had a neighbor who was the neighborhood drunk. Neat old guy, worked at a local foundry, and was a source of entertainment for the kids. 

One day, the guy came up with a snapping turtle. He wanted to prove to the neighborhood kids that a snapping turtle would not bite you if under the water. 

The progression of events was as follows: Turtle in bucket of water, hand in bucket, water turns red, screaming-running drunk!


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Yeah those things get *mean* when they get bigger


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## cjwalas (Jan 2, 2008)

Back in Chicago, when I was a youth several centuries ago, we used to catch painted turtles at the crash ponds at O'Hare Airport by wading through the rushes, stirring up the mud and making the turtles surface to catch them. One of the kids burst out screaming and pulled a bloody foot out of the water, followed by the snapping turtle that had bit clean through his sneakers. We stopped catching turtles that way. 
In my college years in NJ, I used to stop to fish in the Rockaway River on the way to school. After a rain, on a muddy bank, I stepped down onto a big rock..... big snapping turtle. Must have looked hilarious with me precariously balancing on the steep muddy bank; one foot on a rock and the other on a big snapping turtle. The adults have surprisingly long necks with which to catch you, my dear. I moved to California shortly thereafter. 
Chris


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Send him over to play.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

That's a baby snapper. 

They're quite intrepid travelers. He may have wandered a long ways looking for a place of his own. 

He won't snap you unless you pester him.


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

There's two kinds of snapper, the regular American snapping turtle and the "alligator snapping turtle" which tends to be found in the South. Both aggressive biters with VERY strong jaws: the Alligator snapper gets to be roughly the size of a cooper mini. The DC zoo has one in the Reptile house, sucker lurks in there like some kind of prehistoric monster.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Probably only a six mile strole for him from the river. Got your first live tenant. Later RJD


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

I was working on the filter today adding out put pipes for more flow of the bigger pump. 
did not see it. him,,,her??? I hopes its not a her. uglyyyyy


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

The Question is: If a turtle looses it's shell is it Nakid or Homeless? 

This is one of my local gentry.



















AT the time the picture was taken he was sitting in the middle of this

If you think Mary's road is dusty Try sharing your street with a creek.

This is bumpy as heck. and dusty too


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

I saw it yesterday, see how long it stays around. How do you tell if its a he??? or she?? I thought they are ambidextrous??


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Hmm, and I was feeling queezy about our resident garter snake. Actually, I don't mind snakes, he just likes to scare the daylights out of me by slithering out from under the bush where I'm trying to spot a flat car. Suzi's taken a liking to him, so I guess he can stay. 

Later, 

K


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By John J on 05/27/2009 7:29 AM
The Question is: If a turtle looses it's shell is it Nakid or Homeless? 

This is one of my local gentry.























Nakid, they live in burrows. 
That looks like an endangered desert tortoise. In California it is a $10,000 fine for just touching one in the wild. I have permits though Fish & Wildlife Service to keep Porsche and Casey Joan who were born and raised in captivity but are also endangered species.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/alligator-snapping-turtle.html 

The boys named our little one "Darth Vader." We also had a huge one in the pond. The big one snapped Susan's fishing lure once and she had a fight on her hands 'cause she didn't want to loose her lure!


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

OH NO Good Gosh and might joe Friday







I picked him up and moved him off the road/creek. Now I am in deep manure. I have a neighbor who would run over him and any other creature on the road Birds cats dogs snakes turtles cyotys road runners, people.


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## crashbig (Aug 29, 2008)

This is our desert tortoise, he has own permanent cave on the layout. Got him thru a captive breeding program at my wifes work, my wife is a
veterinary receptionist/ Tech and I get a call every other day about some new pet she wants to bring home, was ok with the turtle
but when she calls about cats with brain damage that wander in circles I have to draw the line.
I don't think Arizona is as strict about their desert tortises, I would have moved him too.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By crashbig on 05/29/2009 1:27 PM









This is our desert tortoise, he has own permanent cave on the layout. Got him thru a captive breeding program at my wifes work, my wife is a
veterinary receptionist/ Tech and I get a call every other day about some new pet she wants to bring home, was ok with the turtle
but when she calls about cats with brain damage that wander in circles I have to draw the line.
I don't think Arizona is as strict about their desert tortises, I would have moved him too. 

Agreed that I would never leave a tortoise on the road to become a pancake.

The primary rationale for not touching them is that we carry bacteria that can cause a respiratory tract infection in the tortoses leading to their death. When we got the female from a tortoise rescue home, she was certified as healthy. But, no, she had the respiratory tract infection that she passed on. I had to take them to the vet and ending up personally giving them shots 3 times a week (in the soft spot under the forearm) for several months to clear it up. They also carry bacteria (somenella) that can be harmful to humans and I thouroughly wash my hands after handling them. 

I don't think AZ has the same laws as CA and your torti may be a different variety (coloring is a little different.) If you do pick one up on the road, try not to physically touch it (use a rag or such).


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## crashbig (Aug 29, 2008)

I believe ours is a sonoran tortoise and the ones in CA are Mojaves? Ours had the upper respitory as well, glad my wife works at a pet hospital, the animals get taken care of better than I do.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By crashbig on 05/29/2009 4:00 PM
I believe ours is a sonoran tortoise and the ones in CA are Mojaves? Ours had the upper respitory as well, glad my wife works at a pet hospital, the animals get taken care of better than I do.









Yes, that accounts for the variation. But they are both the same genus and species _Gopherus agassizii._


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I am just a sap for wild animals. When I drive down the road entering or leaving I stop for the family of Quail corssing the road. The bunny rabit who can't decide which side to run to. The snakes, the coyote's the Road Runners. Turtles. ( get out and help them as I am usually in a hurry ) But now I will put something in the car to help them so I dont make them sick. I feed the birds and put out a bale of Hay for the bunny rabits to munch on. 

Many times during Vespers I give thanks for the pretty place I live in


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

You do live in a cool place. Well, I guess it's a hot place.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Posted By John J on 05/28/2009 8:49 PM
OH NO Good Gosh and might joe Friday







I picked him up and moved him off the road/creek. Now I am in deep manure. I have a neighbor who would run over him and any other creature on the road Birds cats dogs snakes turtles cyotys road runners, people. 

Desert tortoise;

John it's very important when you pick them up to move always keep them level! If they are held at an angle they will piss. That is bad as they keep that piss for hydration. If it pisses make sure it gets water to replace the fluid. Or inspite of good intentions, you'll harm it.

That said I always move them off roads and I try to pick the heading they chose, across the road... in Az it's ok to help them to safety as far as I know. Sometimes they look like big rocks. A friend had noticed that a boulder in his yard would move, then he looked closer!

John


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Cool pix JJ!


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

He' still here..










Last night I caught him, it ,whatever and hes about 4" long now.
He must go down to the lower pond.
I can't find him when its sunny.
the day he fights back , I guess we will take him down to the creek.

I named him Barf.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Posted By John J on 28 May 2009 08:49 PM 
OH NO Good Gosh and might joe Friday







I picked him up and moved him off the road/creek. Now I am in deep manure. I have a neighbor who would run over him and any other creature on the road Birds cats dogs snakes turtles cyotys road runners, people. 
AZ Tortoise... they may be moved out of harms way, but always hold them level. If tipped they pee, they hold piss in as a water reservoir. 
If you tip 'em you've got to refill 'em!


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

The wife and I came home from the store about a week ago. Started to pull into the driveway, 
there was a tortoise walking up the sidewalk. Took him to the nature centure by our home.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

We have 4 wild bunnies, frogs (baby ones), toads big ones and baby ones, a garter snake, only 3 snake in our yard in 28 years, other two were bull snakes don't like snakes, but the bunnies 3 mature ones one medium one, and one baby, who has taken up residence in our garage! He is the second baby one, the first we believe was killed by a cat in the neighborhood, the baby one is now somewhat used to us, he comes out and watches me when i'm down on the ground fixing track and such, little toadies were jumping out of the way of the trains runnin the other night, one was about 3 ft from me I watched him eatin bugs and such, back to the baby bunny he's fine with me working on the railroad, and when we walk from the house to the garage, just watches us, but when I start up an engine, oh boy he runs for cover!! As you can see we love animals too, and would not harm any except for snakes the bad ones!!! Hah LOL If you would like to meet our baby bunny, he was out two Sundays ago when I did an informal "live" show from the backyard. In my "live" channel under Aug 1 show there is video of him and my layout and a train. He is mostly on the video for the first 30 mins I believe then some trains and new additions (buildings) if you would like to view! Just click on the link below and then pull up or click on the Aug 1 show!! Regal 


http://www.livestream.com/crazytrainguyschannel?t=483092


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Aw.. He's cute!


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

Posted By toddalin on 27 May 2009 08:46 PM 
Posted By John J on 05/27/2009 7:29 AM
The Question is: If a turtle looses it's shell is it Nakid or Homeless? 

This is one of my local gentry.























Nakid, they live in burrows. 
That looks like an endangered desert tortoise. *In California it is a $10,000 fine for just touching one in the wild.* I have permits though Fish & Wildlife Service to keep Porsche and Casey Joan who were born and raised in captivity but are also endangered species.


Reminds me of the time I was working at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. As we were setting up our, the art handlers were moving art out of the gallery. They were wheeling a statue out and it looked like it was going to tip over. Being a good Samaritan, I put out my hand in an effort to stop thousands of dollars worth of art from becoming something to be cleaned up off the floor. Just as I felt my hand contact the statue, a voice reprimanded me.


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

This little sucker is fast.
tried for a better photo.










But he ran right off the table, Maybe we can play ,stick your fingures in the pond..
And yes, I washed my hands good. I did not want to get "E D" from it.


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

You better be quick with that game. I'll bet that even that little fellow could take a nice nip out of you. What's this about Ed?


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By NTCGRR on 10 Aug 2010 06:56 PM 
This little sucker is fast.
tried for a better photo.










But he ran right off the table, Maybe we can play ,stick your fingures in the pond..
And yes, I washed my hands good. I did not want to get "E D" from it.


I don't think you are holding that turtle far enough back!

One time I saw a small turtle spit out from under the front tire of a car coming toward me and spin across the street in front of me. I stopped to see if it was still alive. It was, so my knowing where a small creek was I decided to take it there in hopes it would recover. I picked it up about like you have in the photo. I got in my car to drive to the creek and held it out the window with my left hand while I drove the couple of blocks to the creek. I kept the face of the turtle pretty close to the side rear-view mirror and it appeared to be a bit frightened of its own image.

I was paying more attention to my driving than I was to the turtle and after driving about a block and a half I glanced over at the turtle to see if it had warmed up to its image.

YIKES! It had its head stuck out on a neck that was just about as long as my index finger! The neck was bent back over the top of the shell with its mouth wide open, just about to bite the web of skin between my thumb and index finger. I bumped the turtle on the mirror and he retracted his weapon. If I had not been holding it back as far as I was I am sure that mouth would have snapped shut and I might have wrecked my car! I had no idea their neck was THAT long! Deceptive and dangerous turtle neck!

I should have known better... I used to know a girl that always wore turtle-neck sweaters, I don't really know how long her neck was, but she was deceptive and dangerous, too!


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

woow, HE's BACK!!!!!! or it is. 
man has he grown. no photos yet but I will catch it this weekend. Carrie saw him during the day but I've been too busy to notice.


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

Marty,
Maybe you have more than one.


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

As they say in Maryland: 

"Fear the turtle!"


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Last night I moved the plants to one side. that sucked had to come up for air some time. 
Hes fast 
I'm waiting for the sun to be over head and to see better. I cleaned the filter last night so the water should be clear.


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

Just wiggle your finger in there,he will find you.


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Wil and I pulled all the plants out and the clay tubes and "raked" the bottom with all the years of leaves and branches that fell in. 
Max ,dang dog had to roll in the pond yuck and plants. I repotted the lillies. They had grown so large that two of us had to pull the root ball out . 
No sign of that sucker. 
I wonder if he went out for lunch?? 
Now I just have to let the water settle and clear. 
we'll try again on Sunday 
We plan to take him 3 miles north to a larger pond that folks fish from. But I still want a photo of him.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

When you do find him again, I would think turtle soup would be in order!! What you tink?????? If you have one there are probably more, unseen!! Regal


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Little turtles soon become BIG turtles. I don't know much about turtles but as others have said, snapping turtles have VERY LONG necks.

I once saw a huge snapping turtle in the middle of the road. Being nice, I picked him up to move him to the side of the road. He very quickly snapped at me (I swear his neck was almost as long as his body). He darn near got me. That turtle that never bit anyone after that.

The little I know about turtles suggests they are not very nice critters. Apparently they swim up below things like little ducks, grab them by their feet and drag them under the water for dinner.

Around here I leave the little box turtles alone but when the turtles in the pond get big enough for me to see them from the house they become targets.

Jerry


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

GOT-HIM


YES










YES
I went out to put Max away and walked the pond slowly and I saw his pointy nose just below the water on the upper pond.
I then grabbed the net and bucket, I dropped to all fours and slowly made my way through the bushes over the slimy rocks and snuck up behind him.
Max then ran around ,barked and caught his eye. I then leaped into action bring the net down from behind to keep him from expacting, dragged it up the face of the rock and then into the waiting bucket.

wow , what an adventure to end a weekend of stocking my prey...!!!!
Time to shower.

Tomorrow he will travel to the big pond where he won't know how to get back because I will take the long way and make many turns to through him off.
wooow.


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## Koploper (Apr 3, 2011)

Posted By NTCGRR on 27 May 2009 06:47 PM 
_I saw it yesterday, see how long it stays around._ *How do you tell if its a he??? or she??* _I thought they are ambidextrous?? _

"Lift up its skirt...."


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Better blindfold him Marty....


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By Totalwrecker on 05 Jun 2011 10:42 PM 
Better blindfold him Marty.... 

I 'm with John. I think you better blindfold him too 

JJ

PS Did I miss something? Why are we putting the turtle in the Witness Protection Program and moving him to a un disclosed location?


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

'Cause he's a Snapper! 

Kinda like Easterners need to kill snakes.... at least Marty is willing to let him live... elsewhere. 

John


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

Not all of us, here in the east, are snake killers. However, I've known a few "snakes" that should have been eliminated.


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

The only snake I've ever killed was when I resided in PA. I was mowing and it was not pretty, before or after...Although I mostly saw the after. 

Chas


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

The sooner you get him out of your pond thebetter, as I said ...they get big, and they get mean...


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

Holy smokes! It's Gamera (ガメラ)!


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Nah... That's just Donatello with his Ninja suit and mask.


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

Last year, while trying to get some goldfish that had washed into the creek across the road the year before in a flood, I managed to bag some Bluegills. Never did get the goldfish. those suckers are too smart. I was going to throw the Bluegills back, but I had the un-brilliant idea of putting them in my pond. I must have forgotten everything I knew about them from my youth. Now I'm fishing them out. They like to have Goldfish for dinner. And I want to start adding Koi. Even the green Slider turtles like fish for dinner. I found that out when I had an aquarium. Also in my youth. 

So, while Snapper turtles and other wild things might be kind of cool to have, they may be the only critters in your pond after a bit.


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