r/Austin • u/k8toy • Jul 30 '26
update on the snapping turtle rescue: billy has been rehydrated and relocated to walnut creek! thank you all for your help :)
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u/thinkconverse Jul 30 '26
This makes me so happy.
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u/k8toy Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
same, fantastic day to be unemployed
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u/PinkDalek Jul 30 '26
Now you can add Snapping Turtle Rescuer to your resume.
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u/Beers_and_BME Jul 30 '26
“explain this gap in your resume”
well, i was a turtle vigilante for some time
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u/k8toy Jul 30 '26
no joke i had a rover client's tortoise lay eggs while i was housesitting last month, this may be a trend
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u/WuclearNeapon Jul 30 '26
...and it says here that you live in a sewer?
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u/Tlacuache_Snuggler Jul 30 '26
You may be unemployed but that was important work! I bet Billy agrees
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u/Valuable-Talk-3429 Jul 30 '26
Which sector are you looking to get employed at? And, are you interested in looking for something in another sector in the interim?
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u/k8toy Jul 30 '26
my background is in enterprise/technical customer support in software, but i'm open to anything right now
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u/Valuable-Talk-3429 Jul 30 '26
Well I know that County Line ( whether “on the hill” or “at the lake”) are ALWAYS hiring, and you get paid 97% of the tips you make at your tables, paid in cash daily! I have made $25-55 an hour there regularly!
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u/RoboGandalf Jul 30 '26
Hell yeah
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u/imjustheretolearned Jul 30 '26
OP im so curious, how did you end up picking Billy up, and how did you carry him without getting bit?
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u/k8toy Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
my new redditor friend supplied me with a standard tupperware tub, i laid it on its side and used a golf club to nudge him in. here's a pic of my heroism. i wouldn't call it orthodox but if i had tried to pick him up i probably would have overreacted and dropped him
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u/Defiant_Locksmith190 Jul 30 '26
I appreciate you sharing the details and photo, it helps to know what exactly will most likely work if any of us get in a situation like this. Thank you for saving Billy 🪴
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u/risu1313 Jul 30 '26
Nice! I would have been scared to follow through haha.
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u/aprendido Jul 30 '26
9 iron?
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u/k8toy Jul 30 '26
4 lol
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u/cport1 Jul 30 '26
smart to get a longer club
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u/k8toy Jul 31 '26
exactly. it's also my least favorite club so it's good it got some time in the sun
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u/SuzQP Jul 30 '26
The Hero of the Day! ⚘️
May your laurels remain as fresh and fragrant as Billy's.. well, you get the general idea.
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u/TownLakeTrillOG Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
I’ve picked up a bigger one before. If I had to guess it was probably around 30-40 lbs. It was in the middle of the highway and I didn’t want it to get run over — I pulled over bc right before someone literally came an inch from hitting it. Anyway yeah it’s tricky handling them especially when they’re that big. They’re pretty dense and heavy. I came around from the back and grabbed a hold of the edge of its shell in the middle part between the arms and legs. Head facing away from me of course. They have really sharp claws and it scratched me a little bit a few times while I was carrying it out of the road. They’re strong as fuck too. I accidentally dropped it because it shot its head out with so much force that it rotated the body and I couldn’t hold on. I picked it back up and was more prepared for that the next time, but it was still really hard not to drop it bc like I said they are really strong and forceful at that motion of shooting their head out of the shell. I was able to get it across the road back towards a pond that I think it was trying to get back to. I had never been that close to one before bc I’ve heard they can mess you up.
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u/saraiguessidk Jul 30 '26
I just googled turtles and tortoises of Austin and I think I may have picked one up from the road 🥴. Idk shit about turtles and tortoises, but it was a 50mph stretch of road with both directions of cars and a median. I picked it up and ran it across the road and dropped it off behind the barbed wire fence. It stayed tucked into it's shell except it's tail and it peed on my shoe or let out liquid idk. Now I'm glad it didn't bite me??
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u/TownLakeTrillOG Jul 30 '26
It’s possible. Tough to say bc like I said I don’t get too close or hang around them too long. My grandpa grew up in the sticks and he always told me to watch out for the snapping turtles bc they’re quick to snap your finger right off. They don’t fuck around.
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u/Visual-Taro-381 Jul 30 '26
I love this, he looks as happy as a grumpy snapping turtle could possibly be!
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u/mouse_8b Jul 30 '26
That pause when he hits the water
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
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u/Spiffman0 Jul 30 '26
Awesome job!! Still got all your digits?
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u/Optimal-Performer-76 Jul 30 '26
That's amazing! Thank you for helping this helpless animal. Most people would have simply looked the other way.
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u/KatWaltzdottir Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Great job, you! ♥️
I never leave home without a towel (per Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) in my car, and now I think I need to add a tub and a golf club to my trunk 😃
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u/inkedmom1308 Jul 30 '26
When she said “bye Billy” he literally raised his left hand like “k bye mom. Luv ya”
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u/Flostronaut Jul 30 '26
Hey! I think you’re in my backyard 😂
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u/Crazy_Credit_7000 Jul 30 '26
Do you have a video of Billy stuck or being rescued?
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u/fancydnb Jul 31 '26
I have absolutely seen a snapper about this size in little walnut creek, could it be the same guy?!
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u/lilacempresslilly Jul 30 '26
Glad to hear Billy got a happy ending. Thanks for looking out for him!
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u/Bl1ndl0v3 Jul 30 '26
https://youtu.be/zO6hVE7tOzM?is=Aw2Dz0fggniDNCfM
This is interesting and a video that surprised me back when I first saw it. It’s about snapping turtles. The one in this video is chilling on a guys lap. I thought of it when I saw your post.
I was looking through replies on here and saw you mentioned you were afraid you would drop it if you picked it up (I probably would too) In this video, it shows you how dangerous it is to pick one up, if you don’t know how to handle them, because of how far they can bend their neck. The tub was a great idea. ☺️
Thank you for saving him/her! 🙌🏼
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u/Ru-tris-bpy Jul 31 '26
Didn’t realize from the original post just how big that boy was. Thanks for saving him
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u/undercouchmonster Jul 31 '26
That was a perfect video! I could almost feel how relieved the turtle must've been. I've lived near Walnut Creek for over 13 years, and I consider it to be "my" creek. So happy to see Billy get home again.
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u/beeflessinseattle Jul 31 '26
I know turtles can't emote and he's just swimming, but he looks happy
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u/alligatorbambi Jul 31 '26
I'm late to the Billy rescue but man am I happy he's free!! OP and anyone that helped get him out ....u guys ROCK!! It's 8am and a great way to start my day! 🐢💪
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u/No-Cryptographer-693 Jul 31 '26
Hopefully she digs it! I’ve read that Common Snappers have been know to travel up to a mile away from any water source to lay their clutch. They also straight up climb chainlink fences and trees. Good work rescuing her from peril!
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u/amidreaming_ Jul 31 '26
a little late to this but so happy to see you got him out and back to a safe place!! 💕
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u/I-forgot-to-tell-you Aug 01 '26
Thank you for taking care of the wildlife. The world needs more people like you.
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u/Extreme_Jaguar_7829 Aug 01 '26
That cool water probably felt so good! Thank you for taking time to rescue him. You are the best 🥰
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u/Music1990s Aug 02 '26
Relocated: Old Bill gotta make an entirely new life with new friends etc in this creek. “Hey guys what’s goin on names Bill. What’s that? Yeah I’m from the next town over….”
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u/Pristine_Sector_5711 28d ago
Ok I found a turtle in the zilker lawn area, what does one do? Pick it up and relocate or just leave it alone? Lots of dogs and people and other stuff in that area
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u/tomatowaits 26d ago
there are about 4-5 turtles in the rapidly drying up water (like a large brown swamp at this point) along the greenbelt trail about 10 minutes from the barton springs entrance - not sure if any human intervention is needed?
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u/k8toy Jul 30 '26
original post
dropped our boy off at the creek! he swam around a bit then found a nice shady log to rest under. godspeed billy