Q about gator snapping turtles

so yea i found a couple baby gator snapping turtles and they asked me where i live so i told them then they said it illlegal for them to sell to me i was just wandering if they were lieing or if they where being truthful about not selling to me? :confused:

maybe because they are babies and it violates the 4 inch rule....where it's illegal to sell turtles under 4 inches big. Though if you see online most places get around that rule by setting an 'adoption fee' and the turtles are supposed to be for educational purposes only.

i am not entirely sure if in Indiana alligator snappers are a native species, I am not sure where alligator snappers are native, that too could be a reason why it's illegal, they maybe native.

did you find the hatchlings in the wild? if so it's probably best to release them or find a rescue to take them. They get big and angry... def. not a beginner turtle (if there is such a thing...)

EDIT: Link removed due to adult-content video links (sorry guys!)


I saw one at the herp show here and it was close to 125 lbs

no thank you

trust me you dont want a gator snapper. they are mean there hole life. they will need at least a 300 gallon tank. those run about 5000.

I'm sure some states/cities have laws about reptiles that get the size of an adult snapper. As an adult those turtles are MONSTERS...couldn't imagine keeping one in an apartment.

With the large + mean factors, I'm sure they're illegal to keep in a few places because of the possibility of fed-up owners turning their giant, mean turtles loose in order to "get rid" of them.

Edit: Just to give you an idea of it, I grew up in Florida and I knew some adult men who were more afraid of getting toes bit off by a snapper while fishing and standing in ponds than they were of getting bit by a gator...

i new they got really big my buddy has one thats over 70lbs and i just think there bad. lol so maybe i will go the other way and get something not so mean and easy to house thanks for the info

I keep mine in my moat that surrounds my house. He does not fetch the paper very well for some reason

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

I keep mine in my moat that surrounds my house. He does not fetch the paper very well for some reason

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a great substitute for a guard dog though !

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Originally Posted by _BoidFinatic_

a great substitute for a guard dog though !

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Who needs a gaurd dog? Give your nice family dog corned beef and cabage before bed and its bound to keep them at bay. Thats some stinky stuff

i know that in southern IL there are historic records of alligator snappers which makes them protected and are listed endangered which would make them illegal to own in IL. So i am not sure if they are native to indiana (i don't think so) but you never know with historic records and all. But it could be the 4 inch rule, or it could be state laws focusing on endangered species not just native but national. You should be able to find state and local laws that concern restrictions and all. But they do get BIG!


good luck

~mike

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Originally Posted by BloodySyn

...they asked me where i live so i told them then they said it illlegal for them to sell to me i was just wandering if they were lieing or if they where being truthful about not selling to me? :confused:

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Just to address this part of your question, rather than discuss the merits of if that turtle makes a good pet or not...

I seriously doubt they'd lie to you, because they are there to sell animals and make money. I've never once heard of a pet store (or whatever retailer you were visiting) lying in order to NOT sell an animal...usually they lie in order to get you to buy stuff you really don't need.

When I lived in VA, there was a really nice pet store I frequented...and it was where I bought my first snake ever. (Cape gophersnake) They had a really fun variety of "exotic" animals there...and they would ask specifically where you lived before they would sell some of them because the different counties in the area had different laws about which animals could be owned. I lived in Fairfax county...and the petstore was in Fairfax county....but they could not sell me a hedgehog because they were illegal to own in Fairfax county. But a few miles down the street (past the county line) they were legal.

So yeah...pet stores can sell animals that are illegal to own for some of their customers...but if they have them for sale, then it must be legal for SOMEone to buy them.

I know there illegal here in AZ. We have alot* at Phoenix Herp. Soceity and they are kinda fun to work with. The owner got nipped on the fingure but it wasnt as bad as if it were to get a good position on it.

Are you sure it was a alligator snapping turtle or just a snapping turtle? In Illinois the first one (alligator snapper) is now Federally protected so Indiana just might have the same law.Its not a pet that will tame down someday lol.