topic Re: Snapping turtle in Q Talk

Snapping turtle

Group 5 minus 1 — Wed, 21 May 2025 09:39:40 GMT

watched a portion of a show w/shawn and she said her daughter had to go to the er because she (the daughter) was bitten by a snapping turtle.

Re: Snapping turtle

AngelPuppy1 — Wed, 21 May 2025 10:21:16 GMT

Those snapping turtles can take a finger off! I had a little snapping turtle as a pet when I was a kid. We lived near a creek and my Dad and I caught it and he let me keep it for awhile. He taught me how to avoid getting bit. I had to handle it by it's tail! I hope her daughter didn't get bitten too badly and no serious damage!

Re: Snapping turtle

San Antonio Gal — Wed, 21 May 2025 11:29:38 GMT

I'm sure we would have known if anything serious resulted @AngelPuppy1 . I watched that show the other night when she kept talking about it.

Re: Snapping turtle

We rescue cats — Wed, 21 May 2025 11:37:20 GMT

Snappers can be dangerous, we had them in the ponds from time to time. Even little ones can cause damage when they bite, knowing how to handle them is very important, they scared the heck out of me.

Re: Snapping turtle

PJinIA — Wed, 21 May 2025 12:04:10 GMT

Earlier this month I was at a local park and this big snapper was in the middle of the road. There were 3 of us trying to direct traffic around her while trying to get her off the road. They are big and heavy. They appear slow but they can whirl around faster than you'd expect so not smart to try to pick them up unless you want to lose a finger. We tried to nudge it across the road but she wouldn't budge. Luckily one of the DNR personnel stopped and saved the day. She put on her gloves, took off her jacket and covered the turtle with it. She was then able to easily pick her up from behind and put her out of harms way. She thought it was probably a female going back to her nest.

Re: Snapping turtle

geezerette — Wed, 21 May 2025 12:19:51 GMT

We're about done with nesting season here, but for several weeks I've seen turtles all over my property going to and from nests. Some were quite big.

I have snappers in my pond and they have taken down ducks in the past.

Re: Snapping turtle

Beammeupscotty — Wed, 21 May 2025 13:24:22 GMT

Yikes. We have a few turtles here. There is a pond. How do you tell a snapper from another kind? We have tried to move one out of the road before. I thought it was a box turtle.

Re: Snapping turtle

RescueLover — Wed, 21 May 2025 13:56:03 GMT

Shawn’s daughter had to go to the hospital that night.

She was at work when it happened and her husband called her.

My husband said the snapping turtle could have taken her finger off they are that dangerous.

I hope Shawn called a Wildlife place to remove it safely from their back yard!

Re: Snapping turtle

PJinIA — Wed, 21 May 2025 14:10:11 GMT

They are VERY large with BIG claws, can be more aggressive, they have long tails & they can't retract their head and limbs into their shells like other turtles so they rely on their strong jaws for defense and they just look prehistoric to me.

@Beammeupscotty wrote:
Yikes. We have a few turtles here. There is a pond. How do you tell a snapper from another kind? We have tried to move one out of the road before. I thought it was a box turtle.

Re: Snapping turtle

Kachina624 — Wed, 21 May 2025 17:38:13 GMT

The big ones have a long, long neck that they can whip around like a snake. When and if you see one, they'll be no doubt as to what it is. Stay away from them. They're big and flatter than a tortoise.

Re: Snapping turtle

Seminole2 — Wed, 21 May 2025 18:03:08 GMT

Shawn said at the start of the show the other night and for those that were part of her melt down the other night that her daughter is fine. Nothing really bad and she will be fine. She said the turtle was huge and was not sure why it was even in their back yard. I will assume it is mating season and the same reason why we have had 2 alligators roaming our streets the last week. Trying to get from one pond to another. I am glad that her daughter will be fine.

Re: Snapping turtle

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 21 May 2025 18:36:12 GMT

Speaking of snappers...there's a 300 year old restaurant in Montgomery County, PA that serves the BEST Snapper Soup. If you are ever in the area, check out the William Penn Inn in Gwynedd, PA.

I recently tried my hand at making the soup, and it was barely edible. But I can attest to the soup at the William Penn Inn.

Re: Snapping turtle

FancyPhillyshopper — Wed, 21 May 2025 18:47:34 GMT

@PA Mom-mom wrote:
Speaking of snappers...there's a 300 year old restaurant in Montgomery County, PA that serves the BEST Snapper Soup. If you are ever in the area, check out the William Penn Inn in Gwynedd, PA.

I recently tried my hand at making the soup, and it was barely edible. But I can attest to the soup at the William Penn Inn.

Yes, William Penn Inn is wonderful, and one of our favorite restaurants for special occasions. I could never eat snapper soup, however, because I had pet turtles as a child.

Snapper turtles will not bite you if you stay away from them and do not make them feel threatened. However, I am sure young children are curious, and want to get close.

Re: Snapping turtle

Kachina624 — Wed, 21 May 2025 19:42:20 GMT

@PA Mom-mom. I've eaten the holiday buffet at the William Penn Inn a couple of times but no snapper soup. That wouldn't be on my radar.

Re: Snapping turtle

Icegoddess — Wed, 21 May 2025 20:29:57 GMT

And I would've thought Snapper soup referred to the fish, not the turtle.

Re: Snapping turtle

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 21 May 2025 21:17:07 GMT

@Icegoddess wrote:
And I would've thought Snapper soup referred to the fish, not the turtle.

@Icegoddess I think a lot of people think that as well. The menu at the Wm. Penn Inn makes it clear that it is turtle soup.

Re: Snapping turtle

Shelbelle — Wed, 21 May 2025 22:17:32 GMT

I saw it too, it happened last Sat night, when Shawn came on the air at 7 ET she was frantic and said she just had gotten the call from Joe telling her about
Jagger's bite, and he sent a pix of the turtle, which she shared a few times on the air. She said she really had no experience with this and wanted to know what to do, if he took her to the ER it was smart thing to do, Shawn was concerned over rabies. And for sure she wanted the turtle removed from her back yard ASAP, maybe animal control needed to be involved in that.

Re: Snapping turtle

skatting44 — Wed, 21 May 2025 23:30:32 GMT

Funny , just last weekend, the biggest snapping turtle that I have ever seen was in the middle of my road . I stopped and a neighbor stopped and grabed it by it's tail and gently swung it on to the grass area across the road.

Re: Snapping turtle

Parischic — Thu, 22 May 2025 00:17:23 GMT

Do snapping turtles go after people or pets during mating season?

Re: Snapping turtle

PJinIA — Thu, 22 May 2025 11:55:24 GMT

@skatting44 wrote:
Funny , just last weekend, the biggest snapping turtle that I have ever seen was in the middle of my road . I stopped and a neighbor stopped and grabed it by it's tail and gently swung it on to the grass area across the road.

I know people are just trying to help the turtles but after googling the best way to move snapping turtles and talking to a DNR official this is what I found.

You should never pick a turtle up by its tail. It can dislocate its spine, and the turtle will die a slow, painful death.