Caution; Snapping turtles crossing roads....

raftinjohnny · 04-02-2007, 10:36 AM

I have noticed they are out, so pllllease use caution while driving! Thank you.

pk · 04-02-2007, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Caution; Snapping turtles crossing roads....

Well that is certainly something we don't hear about in Kenosha to watch out for..

AlumniClub · 04-03-2007, 12:17 AM

I was in my early 20s and coming home from work near Tower Drive Bridge in Green Bay. (that is its old bridge name). A large (20-30 lbs) turtle was in the road on this very rainy day...so I attempted to pick it up and it snapped at me and .. also as history so notes... turtles are slow..they are not slow. Claws were about 1 1/2 long and it hissed at me twice and charged me. I jumped back in my car and never save turtles anymore.

Good tip Johnny

raftinjohnny · 04-03-2007, 07:12 AM

15yrs. ago.............. fishing on wolf, & the rock I was standing on moved, whoops it was a snapper!!!!

**AJE** · 06-15-2007, 08:08 AM

WATCHOUT FOR THOSE HATCHLINGS TOO THEY ARE JUST AS FISTY AS THE PARENTS. WHEN WE WERE CHILDERN BEING DRAGGED TO THE FARMERS FIELDS WHILE MOM AND DAD SCOUTED FOR ARTIFACTS WE SPRUNG SEVERAL TIMES ON SNAPPER NEST. WOO WEE OUCH OUCH OUCH. BUT THEY WERE VERY INTERTAINING DURING OUR BOREDUM.

the babies were kinda cute too!

LOL

Scarberry2003 · 10-12-2007, 09:01 AM

My husband hooked and landed a 35 lb snapper in the lake in Pardeeville. We brought her/him to work and weighed it. It was so fat that it couldn't walk, all it could do was swim.

Released it back to where we caught it,,,,,,, never swimming in that lake again. It was caught near the beach area, from the handicap pier. On 8lb test line, 5 dollar zebco reel and a 75 cent yard sale pole, one of the set ups the kids catch bluegill on. Broke the net ( new muskie net).

I wish I could figure out how to post pictures in forums, we took several pics.

**CarolsCritterCare** · 10-15-2007, 10:14 AM

Big Turtle!! I'd love to see pics.

This is not a snapper in any way, but one of the 2 tortis I was caring for back in October. I loved watching these big guys!

**CarolsCritterCare** · 10-15-2007, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJE

WATCHOUT FOR THOSE HATCHLINGS TOO THEY ARE JUST AS FISTY AS THE PARENTS. WHEN WE WERE CHILDERN BEING DRAGGED TO THE FARMERS FIELDS WHILE MOM AND DAD SCOUTED FOR ARTIFACTS WE SPRUNG SEVERAL TIMES ON SNAPPER NEST. WOO WEE OUCH OUCH OUCH. BUT THEY WERE VERY INTERTAINING DURING OUR BOREDUM.

the babies were kinda cute too!

LOL

No doubt!! They bite just as hard! Those little ones are just as fun to watch as the big ones
Carol

**CarolsCritterCare** · 10-15-2007, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raftinjohnny

15yrs. ago.............. fishing on wolf, & the rock I was standing on moved, whoops it was a snapper!!!!

LOL Whoops! Indeed.........
Carol

**CarolsCritterCare** · 10-15-2007, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlumniClub

I was in my early 20s and coming home from work near Tower Drive Bridge in Green Bay. (that is its old bridge name). A large (20-30 lbs) turtle was in the road on this very rainy day...so I attempted to pick it up and it snapped at me and .. also as history so notes... turtles are slow..they are not slow. Claws were about 1 1/2 long and it hissed at me twice and charged me. I jumped back in my car and never save turtles anymore.

Good tip Johnny

Over the summer I saved a painted turtle from the death of a semi truck....I was pumping gas watching this turtle cross the street. Some girls had stopped to move it out of the road and were freeking over it....afraid to touch it. Then over the hill comes the semi. I stopped pumping the gas, ran across the lot and into the street scooping up the turtle as the semi driving is slamming on his breaks, blowing his horn at me. I held up the turtle and yelled that I had to save it.........can you believe he flipped me off ~ LOL!
That semi driver bout had a heart attack......but I saved the turtle.

Carol

**CarolsCritterCare** · 10-15-2007, 10:21 AM

what I didn't know...but will now never forget is the smell.........
I saved a snapper a different time off the road and was going to bring it to town to the river here.
I was able to scoop him up and had him in a box in the back of the van.
Gag gag gag....the odor he put out was out of this world. Sick to my stomach, pull over and let the guy go odor.
OMG I had no clue..........at least he was by the pond now. Forget getting him to the river!
BLAH!!!
Carol

pk · 10-15-2007, 10:31 AM

Quote:

what I didn't know...but will now never forget is the smell.........
I saved a snapper a different time off the road and was going to bring it to town to the river here.
I was able to scoop him up and had him in a box in the back of the van.
Gag gag gag....the odor he put out was out of this world. Sick to my stomach, pull over and let the guy go odor.
OMG I had no clue..........at least he was by the pond now. Forget getting him to the river!
BLAH!!!

lol lol lol even though I'm sure it was terrible it still made me chuckle lol!

Just wondering was it anything like a skunk smell?

**CarolsCritterCare** · 10-15-2007, 11:45 AM

the odor the snapping turtle put out was so much worse then any skunk spay I have ever smelled.
Any more snappers need help crossing roads I'll just shoo them along until they are safely across the street. No more picking up and transporting from me.
Take skunk spray and multiply it by 100x and that was the snapper smell.....mmmm still maybe worse!

**CarolsCritterCare** · 10-15-2007, 11:48 AM

Turtle S.H.E.L.L. Tortue

Why do turtles cross roads and highways?

Turtles of all ages will wander away from their home water bodies occasionally, but mainly it is the adult females that must struggle overland in the nesting season to find a suitable warm, sunny place to bury their eggs. Roads border many of our rivers, ponds and lakes where turtles live, so vehicles take a terrible annual toll on breeding females. Since turtles need a specific combination of conditions to lay their eggs -- southern exposure with its more direct sun, soft soil, the appropriate soil humidity, and little or no plant cover -- they often have no choice but to go far from the water in which they live. Female turtles may have

What do you do if you spot a turtle heading across the road?

If you believe the animal to be in immediate danger and you wish to help, make a safe stop. Help it across the road in the direction in which it was heading or if it appears to be advancing toward more danger, take it to a nearby suitable environment. A swampy area with a sandy bank behind it would be ideal. If the turtle is obviously headed away from the water body in which it lives, do not take it back to the water. It will only retrace its steps to get to the nesting area.
Smaller species such as Painted Turtles or Blanding’s Turtles can simply be lifted and carried by hand or in a bucket or box. Be aware that they have claws and do not put your fingers near their beaks -- they are frightened and might bite. Large Snapping Turtles are likely to bite and scratch so they should be handled carefully and by adults or older children only. Grasp the snapper at the base of the tail, lift it gently and point the beak away from your body. Carry it to the edge of the road to release it. If this method does not appeal to you try grabbing the tail and sliding the turtle onto a large flat shovel or piece of cardboard and dragging it to a safe release spot.

Important: On larger Snapping Turtles (over 30 cm/one foot in carapace length), the weight may be sufficient to break the tail if the animal is carried vertically. Use a shovel, plywood or cardboard and drag the animal. In all cases be aware that the turtle’s claws are strong and the beak is sharp. They can reach you if you are careless. Be prepared for frequent powerful lunges of the head.