Slow and ungainly, these shelled reptiles can sometimes inspire laughter and fascination sooner than caution. But keep them around long enough and they will feel free to chomp down on your prize-winning cabbage and whatever else they can take a chunk out of. One thing you do not want to do is get too close with your hands, as their strong necks and beaks are a recipe for pain and disaster.
Snapping Turtles Can Be Dangerous
Do not approach a snapping turtle and make sure that you keep your children and pets away from them as well. While they may inspire bravado because of their reputation for being slow, snapping turtles have incredibly strong bites that can cause serious injury to digits and limbs.
If you find one, it may become aggressive and hiss. Keep a safe distance, don’t try to handle it and call a wildlife expert immediately.
Turtle Damage
While common turtles may not be as dangerous as the snapping variety, they may still bite and scratch and be carriers of disease. Also, when populations are allowed to grow unbridled, they may wreak havoc on fisheries and gardens.
Turtle Exclusion
The most effective method of control with turtles will be exclusion. As you can imagine, they aren’t great climbers, so installing fences around your yard and garden will go a long way to keeping them out. Contact an AAAC Wildlife Removal specialist for advice and to develop a strategy to exclude your nuisance turtles.
Turtle Trapping and Removal
Trapping turtles is also a possibility, though it involves a good bit of training and proper equipment. Our friendly AAAC Wildlife Removal specialists are qualified to operate such devices and to use methods of removal are appropriate and humane to help you resolve your turtle problem.
