Urgent Care :: Strange Turtle

[LucasTurtle]

So today, my mom went to a friends house and chatted a little and the topic of us owning 2 RESs came up so, the friend gave my mom a turtle about 2 1/2 to 3 inches that was much darker in colour than our RESs.

I'm pretty sure the turtle that my moms friend gave was from the wild but, she didn't ask. So, I'm wondering what type of turtle is this and that if it is safe to keep or not. I was thinking of releasing it into the wild because it mostly came from the wild but, it seems pretty small and young so i'm not sure. I also don't know if it is an aquatic turtle or not.

I looked up some pictures and I think it kinda looks like a snapping turtle because of it's very long tail and dino-like bumps on the tail and shell. I'm concerned if it is dangerous to keep in captivity. I really wouldn't want to keep a turtle that may hurt us. Here is a picture:

[jawsspeedymrt]

Looks like a snapping turtle to me.

[LucasTurtle]

Is it safe to keep? I'm very concerned if it will 'snap' us.

[Azfar]

Baby Snapping Turtles. I have friends who have this snapping turtles age about 3 4 years, but never had any 'snapping' since they don't handle this kind of turtle very much.

[LucasTurtle]

okay, thanks

[papoopeepoo]

if you're going to free this turtle i'd say do it soon, snapping turtles get humongous.

[jenaero]

You're looking at a 200+ gal tank to comfortably keep a snapper. Also, as it gets bigger you're likely to lose a finger if you're not careful. This is certainly not a turtle to take in on a whim

[LucasTurtle]

Okay, thanks

[marisa]

It's a common snapper. They're the cutest things while they're hatchlings...

[jozzep]

Yup,Yup........Snapper.
This is my next project
I don't agree with keeping snapping turtles in a tank.You need a pond with a nice muddy bottom for these guys.I see lots in the lake i go fishing at that are "HUGE" def over 50lbs they are amazing to see and look like rocks to the untrained eye cause they don't move unless you disturb them.I'll try to get a picture next time

[theartbook35]

Oh yeah, that's a snapper.

Snappers snap. Not pets. Put back in wild please.

They're a more predatory turtle from what I understand, so, I can imagine the diet for it would be hard to get or expensive.

Snapping turtles are beautiful dinosaur looking animals, and I love them a lot. But since this one was probably born in the wild (you can tell from the shell condition alone) there's no reason why it can't go back.

[munkly]

its a snapper! haha they r very funny