Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management ADDING A BABY SOFT SHELL TURTLE

Caught a baby soft shell turtle today while netting a bunch of gambusia and shrimp to dump in pond

Will this little feller hurt much in the pond ? I don't mind sharing a few fish with him . There is at least three other turtles that eat pellets


Pat W

I have added adult soft shells, but they seem to leave. My goal is diversity, so why not? They look cool.

RAH

this little guy is abou 3" dia. And thinks he is BAD . Tried to bite my finger but couldn't get a hold of it lol give him a year or two..... Ouch



Pat W

My last one was 14" shell length. I am good with attitude. We swim in our pond with no worries.

To paraphrase someone, any fish eaten by a turtle was too stupid, old, or sick to survive anyway, and deserved it!

If I recall correctly, Sparkie says they don't make very good companions in aluminum jon boats.....of course, Sparkie is the only person I know who would take his soft shell turtle out for a day on the water in his boat.

He does have some odd ideas about proper pond stocking, management, and recreation.

Well this little guy is going to have a new home soon. They can be a hoot to watch. Folks around here kill every turtle they see. I keep telling them there is enough room for everybody


Pat W

Point of clarification: It was a snapper, not a softshell. Softshells may become mildly disgruntled. Snappers will go freaking ballistic over petty trivialities like being hooked in the mouth, hauled from the water and thrown in the bottom of a jonboat.

Thanks Yolk. The turtle and I had nearly succeeded in putting that unfortunate incident behind us. Going to have to double up on the melatonin just to get some sleep and stave off the nightmares.

But as for me, I'm probably gonna' be up all night.

Gosh, I completely disremembered that event, sorry Sparkie.

I don't think I'd give the turtle any melatonin, though, it's more of a mammalian peptide and I'm not sure reptiles would respond very well. Maybe just give him a warmed up emulsion of golden shiners or tadpoles, and a good lulaby, something like "Moon River".

And just for my own edification, how can you tell when your turtle is having nightmares?

Rapid eye movement, thrashing, horrible facial expressions, crying out. Usually preceded by a long list of dubious reasons for needing to sleep with a light on.

A man endowed with your keen scientific curiosities could learn a lot from observing a snapping turtle, Yolk. Might I suggest taking one with you to the office from now on? Yes, it stings a little while learning to put the bridle on, but you'll get the hang of it straightaway.

Wow what have I started!

I've got as much respect for softshells as I do for snappers, and if push came to shove, maybe more. They don't have a long tail that acts as a convenient carrying handle, and I really think they have a longer neck. For sure, they are just as fast.

I used to catch a LOT of them when I was a teenager, and found out that they could be butchered with a fillet knife. I wish I had learned the compressed air trick for skinning - I did it all with the knife.

With 4 big webbed feet, they sure can pull against a hook!! I'd snag them as they swam around in the lake, and caught them on trot lines baited with chicken gizzards and cut fish when fishing for catfish.

In my back yard "pond" 1200 gallons, I have two base ball size Red Ears, one softball sized soft shell, one golf ball size snapper and one softball size Diamond Back Tarpon. I feed them so all seem to be behaving, but the tilapia do harass them a little around feeding time, can't wait for the snapper to get fast enough to catch a tilapia, just to put them in there place.

Rob C

Yep they are fast no doubt!

Rob C

What makes you thnk your turtle is having nightmares? Yes indeed, Sparkie, but it is my highly developed powers of observation, honed by multiple opportunities to observe Omaha on "the day after", that make me question the veracity of your diagnosis.
I believe you have mistaken turtle nightmares for the symptoms of acute ethanol poisoning. I'm glad I was able to clear this up for you; I would definitely keep your turtle away from the cooler over the long weekend.

Whatever you're having-- share, I want some too !
Lol


Pat

Do you have predators in the pond?

If so I would think the "little feller"
will be something's dinner real soon.

This is no laughing matter, Pat. More than once my friend Sparkies semantic misperceptions have caused confusion and gnashing of teeth here on the forum, such as his inability to discriminate between the terms "modified" or "improved", vs "contaminated" or "adulterated" when discussing the presence of cyanellus genetic material within other lepomids. The proper diagnosis and description of turtle related health problems is clearly an issue of significant concern in this country, as the newest healthcare coding system, ICD-10, is said to contain THREE TIMES MORE TURTLE RELATED CODES THAN THE OLD SYSTEM, ICD-9.

Personally, I thought the old codes were adequate:

879.8---bitten by turtle, initial encounter
E906.3--bitten by turlte, subsequent encounter
E929.5--bitten by turtle, sequala
E906.8--struck by turtle, initial encounter
E906.9--struck by turtle, subsequent encounter

you can see why they have trouble
eating a lot of healthy fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKzOHuf2Z-I

Having witnessed Omaha "post event" myself, I must admit that there are certain similarities, especially regarding the unnerving facial expressions and muffled outcries. Your hypothesis is indeed worthy of consideration, and I will take immediate steps to get to the bottom of this issue.

Naturally, you will want to see this experiment through to the very end....I would expect nothing less from a scholarly, inquisitive individual such as yourself. And in light of the fact that my old Igloo may have already proven itself quite incapable of resisting a determined chelydra, I will require additional testing materials.

If you would be kind enough to have a new Yeti cooler drop shipped to this location, we may yet lay this issue to rest in a timely fashion. I believe a 65 quart model will suffice nicely.



I neglected to mention that for an additional, modest fee, Yeti might be persuaded to personalize the test enclosure with some full-color graphics. And since a snapper's diet consists of a goodly amount of fish, having the likeness of an ENHANCED brim on the side might provide additional stimulation.

The turtle might find it enjoyable also.

Not to sure what I see..... Think I'm having what they had...or have had.... And Prolly will have..... All I know is this is a lot of fun.... Never knew what I was missing


As far as any predators, not that I know of unless you count me..

Pat W

Just saw one today in big pond. Grandson saw it about a month ago and I questioned his estimation of size. Biggest one I ever saw as a kid was 6" shell or so. This bugger was probably 12"x14" shell. Biggest one I ever saw.

I caught a 14" one (shell length) this year, and it is the largest one I ever saw as well. I have not seen it since putting it in the pond.

Snrub and RAH.....were they softshells, or snappers? A 14" softshell is a BIG critter.

There is one down by the creek near me downstream that was prob14-16" absolutely the largest soft shell I've ever see. It was basking on the bank so I got a good look


Pat W