If hand raised from a baby, can a snapping turtle be a good pet?
I have had multiple pet turtles, and can attest to the difference in disposition from a hand raised baby(good) to one that was not.
A friend came across a baby Snapper and wants to know if it could be any good, albeit risky, as a pet.
uhmm...no. I played with them as a kid and would have them snap 2" green branches in half.
When raising snappers as "pets", always keep your hootis away from the hole in front of the shell.
When they reach full size... make soup.
I'm sure that if you show it a few months love when it's young, you can erase millions of years natural instinct.
I worked with one as a volunteer at a wildlife rehab center. We had to keep it in a 5-foot diameter kiddie pool (you know, the turtle shaped ones). It was big (about 48" across) old dinosaur that eventually passed, but not after give us all a lot of respect for its beak.
not. a. pet.
I kept one for over a year, when it bit my sister I was forced to let it go. I loved the thing, it was prehistoric and I'd carry it on my arm like some kind of twisted falconer. It's much kinder to let them live where they're supposed to though – these days I just hate seeing reptiles in pet stores. They don't enjoy captivity, they mostly endure it.
Per Schroeder wrote: not. a. pet.
Absolutely this. Very cool reptiles, but not suitable as a pet. And for goodness sake, keep your hootus away from it.
A friend kept a snapping turtle in the bed of his pickup truck for a year and then one day it was just gone. Not sure where it went. His truck smelled.
No.
terrifying
Copperheads that you find on the side of the road make good pets too.
I had a pet snapper. Was kinda fun. He was shy, ticklish, and so fat he couldn't put all four feet down at the same time. Named him Cuddles.
But he was always a snapper, and would most definately bite.
make soup not pet
Anti-stance wrote: Copperheads that you find on the side of the road make good pets too.
Stop it. This is NOT one of "enable me" threads. 
+1 on keeping it away from your hootus. No, it is not a good idea.
I think turtle tanks are a bit high maintenance, anyway.... 
"You know anybody wanna buy a snappin' turtle?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvMZ-dzz2Cg&feature=related
later, matt
I'll tell her letting it go is the best idea, thanks.
LIVE ACTION!!
Keep it away from your hootis 
Friend of my dad's lost a toe to one. Not a good thing to have around the house.
Lesley wrote: I kept one for over a year, when it bit my sister I was forced to let it go. I loved the thing, it was prehistoric and I'd carry it on my arm like some kind of twisted falconer. It's much kinder to let them live where they're supposed to though – these days I just hate seeing reptiles in pet stores. They don't enjoy captivity, they mostly endure it.
This is how I think of birds, too. 
No guilt about my housecats being trapped in my (decently large) house. They're unconscious for 16 hours of the day, anyway. 
A local reptile shop has one right in front of the door as you walk in. It's huge I can't imagine having one as a pet would be much more fun than say a venomous reptile. Again, not the greatest idea, used to work with a guy who had a venomous license. Dude had a separate "house" for em that was locked up tighter than his home. Specially designed ducting for AC and heat, steel framed security doors etc. You would have had to be a real idiot to want to break in there, if the 6' rattlesnake right next to the door didn't change your mind about being there, maybe the pair of cobras nearby would. Dude was nuts.
gamby wrote:Lesley wrote: I kept one for over a year, when it bit my sister I was forced to let it go. I loved the thing, it was prehistoric and I'd carry it on my arm like some kind of twisted falconer. It's much kinder to let them live where they're supposed to though – these days I just hate seeing reptiles in pet stores. They don't enjoy captivity, they mostly endure it.This is how I think of birds, too.
My birds do not seem to mind being in captivity. They are just as playful (if not more) than in the wild..
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: When raising snappers as "pets", always keep your hootis away from the hole in front of the shell. When they reach full size... make soup.
Hootis soup??
SVreX wrote:Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: When raising snappers as "pets", always keep your hootis away from the hole in front of the shell. When they reach full size... make soup.Hootis soup??
A lesser man might go to the emergency room but... the thing is never going to please a woman again after that so... Yes. Snapper Hootis soup it is.
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