Other pets (pics and discussions)

[guidofatherof5]

Some interesting Tank (Chelydra serpentina) - Common snapping Turtle information. Tonight was a feed night and I was late getting him his food. Tank was ready to eat when I walked in with his steak and shrimp. I offered a couple strips of steak to start things off and then some shrimp. Switching to the shrimp I moved to fast on the second shrimp as I passed it in front of his face just above the water. Understand, this next part took only a millisecond to happen. As my hand was in perfect position for a strike, his head flinched forward and then stopped. He then looked at my fingers holding the shrimp and then the shrimp itself. I saw his pupils constrict as he zeroed in on my fingers and then the shrimp. He then ignored my fingers and nicely took the shrimp out of them. He stopped himself(instincts) from kicking in and made a different choice.
I've always said he's a thinking turtle and this just helps me to see that. I must be honest and say that I put myself in harms way with Tank everyday. I do this to see if he really is something(in my opinion) special. I know there is a possibility of injury but I'm willing to risk that for his sake. Our relationship is very unique. Don't get me wrong, I don't blindly hand feed him but I do take some risks. I guess they'll be calling me the crazy snapping turtle guy along with the crazy garter snake guy.

[jwolfe152]

It does not sound like much risk from what I have seen on youtube and heard here. Had he always been that way

[guidofatherof5]

It does not sound like much risk from what I have seen on youtube and heard here. Had he always been that way

Forever. Always interested in us and what we were doing. Very curious and never afraid. I think if Tank had been left to the wild he would have been kill at a young age.
Of course, that is only a guess on my part but I don't think he would have been as protective/defensive of himself. At least not the way a normal snapping turtle would have behaved. I've brought 3 other young snappers into the house and none of them behaved like Tank. The other larger male I had was always looking at us with a weary eye. Tank is unique in so many ways.

[ConcinusMan]

It does not sound like much risk from what I have seen on youtube and heard here. Had he always been that way

Never underestimate a wild animal. never get complacent. Make no mistake. As charming and intelligent as Tank is, he is still a wild animal and he cannot deny his basic instincts. Sounds to me like Steve has no illusions about this. The risk is real and things can change on a dime and Steve knows it. No offense toward Tank. Just the opposite. He is a turtle born in the wild. He is what he is.

[jwolfe152]

weird thing happened today. well it starts with a snake caught (not sure who caught it pretty sure it was not me) close to my parents that was put in a sealed mason jar with lid and it died well i found it one day and looked at it thinking maybe baby copperhead or maybe a milk snake. well i asked steve last night if he might have a distribution/range map for the easterns milks or could find one for wv. well i went walking on a utility road looking for small frogs and tadpoles. well im walking and looking and BAM baby milk snake in a puddle i thought it was a baby copperhead. well a closer look no triangular head, no white tail, and round pupils. well i reached down to grab it and it done NOTHING, well, not until it dried of, if i didnt have his head or only about half its body held he got a little feisty swinging his head striking at me but no bites. i was just SOOO surprised to find one out on a cool, and on and off rainy day and sitting in a cold puddle of water (although it did have a few tadpoles in it) but i thought they was nocturnal and was RARELY out in the day.

here a few pics i snapped real fast to get a few baby frogs and tads to freeze for it some food which is what i think he was looking for


this one is upside down but it looks better that way

[ConcinusMan]

That's not a milk snake. It's a rat snake. Probably a black rat. He'll lose the pattern and turn black later. Forget the tadpoles. Milk snakes don't eat them I don't expect the rat snake will either. Try pinky mice. (for milks and rat snakes)

[jwolfe152]

ok yea i dont know why i didnt look under the microscope being so small but i can see the keels under it DAMN lol i guess i might go back out see what other things i might find oh and this guy is tiny like probably just born a few days ago

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, it just floors me how baby rat snakes and milk snakes can look alike, right down to the head/facial markings and sometimes even the saddles/banding when they are not even in the same genus. Good thing the scales are different.

[guidofatherof5]

Tank update

Today was a food day and Tank was ready to eat. He was taking long(3-4 inch) steak strips from my finger without any problems when I came to the last piece.
This piece was less then an inch long and to be honest I felt I should just drop it in the water for him to eat. That's not what I did as I was willing to take a bite by trusting him.
I held the piece and my hand under the water so he could get a clear look at the food. He approached and studied the situation looking at both by fingers and the food, all the time being within striking distance. He then did an interesting thing. He reached out and touch my finger tip with his snout and then the food. He then took the piece of food out of my fingers, never touching my fingers with his beak. I think he was measuring the food up for the kind of strike need to get the food but avoid my fingers. Even the way he opened his mouth was different. He only opened it wide enough to take in the food and not my fingers.
Once again he shows me that he's a thinking turtle. There are processes and thoughts going threw his brain that you wouldn't expect from a snapping turtle. Why should he care what he grabs as long as it is food. I'm once again amazed by my boy Tank.

[jwolfe152]

yea i didnt see the usual V/Y marking on the head but i didnt know juvi rats looked like that