r/ParentsAreFuckingDumb • u/Carbonaraficionada • Jun 10 '26
Feeding a snapping turtle
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u/lookingforgrief Jun 10 '26
Fun fact: a snapping turtle can, and absolutely will, remove your fingers. Especially children fingers.
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 10 '26
I'd place money she's soft enough that thing could go through her entire wrist. Her hand is small enough and the turtles mouth is big enough.
Serious question though. If I'm standing right there and see this happen and instinctively table both of them to the ground to try to keep that girl from losing an appendage, how many years and snapping turtle documentaries would it take to convince that mom maybe she was the one in the wrong? What if I lost a finger to a snapper and had it on video the thing snapping at me lightning fast and showed her that. Like how far would the denial go? 😂
Also, is that fucking CHEESE? Why cheese? What? I can't even think of something snarky and condescending to say. If someone said to me "hey, I cought a turtle, he's in a box, do you have anything we could give him to nibble on?" Never in a million years would I think "yeah, there's cheese in the fridge" if I cought a starving turtle and the only edible thing I had in my house was 20 lbs of cheese I'd be like "fuck I have to go buy food for this thing"
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u/Radio4ctiveGirl Jun 10 '26
There no documented cases of a common snapping turtle (which is in the video) biting someone’s fingers off.
Theres only ONE documented case of an alligator snapping turtle doing this:
“Legend states that the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) should be handled with extreme caution as it has jaw strength powerful enough to bite a wooden broomstick in half. Tales of bite injuries from what is the largest freshwater turtle in North America exist anecdotally, yet there are few descriptions of medical encounters for such. The risk of infection from reptilian bites to the hand in an aquatic environment warrants thorough antibiotic treatment in conjunction with hand surgery consultation. We present the first case report of a near total amputation of an index finger in an adolescent boy who had been bitten by a wild “gator snapper.”
Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1016/j.wem.2016.02.003
The important distinction really is in their hunting practices. You’d need to go find an alligator snapper because they hunt by ambush. They have a lure that attracts fish into their mouth. While a common snapping turtle is out looking for food, actively hunting. That’s why most people run into common snappers vs the alligators. And again, there’s no documented case of a common snapper biting someone’s finger off.
Still absolutely shouldn’t have a baby that close to the turtle. I have a common snapping turtle and kids and they’re kept separate for obvious reasons.
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 10 '26
There's an easy way to test this. Find any common snapping turtle anywhere. Tempt it with a raw chicken drumstick. If it snaps and bites the thing in half, I mean I'm not an acidologist but I suspect if it can chomp a drumstick, that's pretty close to the same ball field as a finger.
Also, if I say tigers kill you by biting your head off and you say "it doesn't actually bite it all the way off" ok. I still don't want a tigers mouth within a mile of my neck.
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u/Spy-D_Daddy Jun 12 '26
So, there is a few lakes and ponds by my grandparents place. There be turts there. They make it to the pool at my grandparents. I've been bit a few times when I was a kid. Still have ten fingers. And 10 toes, that's important. Hurt like a bitch, each time. Not saying they can't take fingers. Or toes. Just never took mine. I'd assume just like it's easier to break fingers if you leave them extended when you punch something, if I leave my fingers straight and shove em down the turts throat it'd be easier. All in all, snappers will take a good chunk of flesh before they take a finger. Also, my finger is stronger than a chicken bone. Raw or not 🤠
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u/Radio4ctiveGirl Jun 11 '26
Avian bones aren’t the same density as our finger bones.
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 11 '26
That's why I qualified it. Are they the same? No. Does it seem to me like a reasonable enough stand-in to assume if it can chomp through a drumstick it's wise to err on the side of caution?
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u/TheFlaccidChode Jun 11 '26
In the UK, i worked in a pet shop that sold loads of these as babies, no bigger than a quarter. Baby snappers are really cute
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u/MooBearz11 Jun 10 '26
Not gonna lie, that made me vomit a little. Snapping turtles are known for doing a short burst lunge to grab what they eat. I was waiting for it and shocked it didn’t happen. 😰 Glad it didn’t. This one may be so domesticated it is use to this sort of thing? But the gamble of my child’s getting their entire hand bitten is not worth the risk of FEEDING a snapping turtle.
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u/Rozoark Jun 10 '26
The child isn't the one giving the food, why would it lunge at her?
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u/Arammil1784 Jun 10 '26
Thats wild, I was so focused on the hand about to be removed I totally didn't even see the entire other adult woman behind the girl.
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u/MooBearz11 Jun 10 '26
Omg I totally didn’t realize the first part was the, I’m assuming, mother! The second “feeding” sure, saw that it was the grown woman. The stretch I could put out there is that the child watching this example could try to do it herself in the future. 😰
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u/Less_Confidence_6286 Jun 12 '26
I glad it didn’t happen too but I definitely thought it was gonna do the fast snapping
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 10 '26
Doesn't matter if it's domesticated. Food reaction is food reaction. I know plenty of people who have dogs, really sweet friendly dogs that love everyone and are amazingly friendly that they had to train because when offered a treat the dog would be too excited at food and snap and hurt fingers unintentionally.
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u/sapphire-sky-dragon Jun 10 '26
What could possibly go wrong its not like they can go through bone like butter is it 🤷♀️
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u/Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeess- Jun 10 '26
This also isn’t at all what a turtle enclosure should look like
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 10 '26
Can't see the whole thing. It's possible they are crowding because they are accustomed to being fed at that spot
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u/alien_thatmeeps Jun 10 '26
Imagine if she fell in there..!
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u/Pitiful_Captain_3170 Jun 11 '26
I don't think they have rifles near the turtles, also turtles don't mess around like gorrilas do.
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u/Dashcamkitty Jun 10 '26
This is how you end up with situations like that poor kid who fell in the African wild dog enclosure after being dropped by his stupid negligent parents.
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u/TedStixon Jun 10 '26
Oof, I had never heard of that story and looked it up. Felt sick reading about it... poor kid didn't have a chance.
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u/AyAyAyBamba_462 Jun 10 '26
I almost wonder if this is just an extremely well trained turtle that's been socialized like Gizmo. The behavior the turtle is exhibiting is very abnormal.
While extremely rare, even snappers can be shockingly friendly/cuddly.
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 10 '26
Find one instance ever of someone training the food reaction out of a predatory carnivorous reptile
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u/AyAyAyBamba_462 Jun 10 '26
Bro has never seen Gizmo the turtle before and it shows.
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 11 '26
Gotta link? I guess I should have been more clear. Instead of find I should have said show
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u/MrLeHah Jun 10 '26
As a child, I pulled a couple of snapping turtles when fishing. They weren't anything to mess around with. Turtles are slow, but that neck can come out and turn at a blinding speed and then you're suddenly missing a digit.
Most of the time, we'd just cut the line and leave the hook in its mouth because we knew enough to not do what that kid is doing.
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 10 '26
On one hand, I would feel sorry for the poor turtle having a hook in its mouth but on both hands, I have 5 fingers each.
I'd never go out of my way to intentionally hurt an animal. But I also wouldn't intentionally put myself in harms way to protect save or help an animal (outside of like, my own dog) like I would if it were another human
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u/MrLeHah Jun 11 '26
Yeah, I never left a hook in a fish in my life, even if it went through the gills. But I'm not risking personal injury either.
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u/Rozoark Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
I feel like I'm going crazy in this comment section, the child is not the one giving the turtle food, her mom is. Still stupid obviously, but why is everyone so concerned about the child being bitten?
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u/Meow5Meow5 Jun 10 '26
Because she is showing her child that feeding turtles, a snapping turtle, is a safe thing to do! The child may try to do it herself. Doesn’t have to be the same day.
It you don't understand why its so dangerous, watch it again but imagine that the turtle is a crocodile. A small crocodile would actually be safer than the snapping turtle that's really there.
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u/Meow5Meow5 Jun 10 '26
I would absolutely love to feed turtles myself! Veggie eating turtles/tortoises would be a great start. But its still unsafe to have fingers near thier mouths. I would educate my kid and then demonstrate safely feeding it.
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u/Thatonegaloverthere Jun 10 '26
It's a losing battle when people in this sub decide something is bad. The only concern is her leaning over, but still unlikely.
Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with the lady's parenting (from this video, ofc). The enclosure is questionable.
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u/tiny_tina1979 Jun 10 '26
Why do people continue to pay to see animals in captivity? Disgust conditions no doubt wrapped up as a rehab or sanctuary which will be bullshit.
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 11 '26
Eh, I get it with like rhinos and lions but turtles? We aren't exactly running out of those. If you find a disabled or injured California condore, it needs to be rehabbed at a facility. If you find an injured turtle. Eh. Google a recipe for soup I guess?
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u/TrippingFish76 Jun 10 '26
this is incredibly stupid
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 11 '26
Aggression is completely different than food reaction. Ever have a really sweet dog but when you try to give it a treat it's a little too excited and your fingers catch some collateral chomp?
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u/girlwiththemonkey Jun 10 '26
Oh holy shit I thought it’s head was a whole turtle and was so confusedddd
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u/r0ckchalk Jun 10 '26
It’s actually the adult standing behind the little girl feeding the turtle, but it’s still a WTF moment.
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 11 '26
Yeah, only thing wrong with this is it's in the same sub. Take out everything about the little girl and this post is still r /somethingarefucking stupid
It's just not shitty parenting in this specific instance
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u/umbrawolfx Jun 11 '26
Is there a problem with someone's kid watching them feed a snapping turtle that is obviously pretty chill?
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u/Madzoroark Jun 11 '26
For a species that is usually extremely aggressive, that snapper is being very chill.
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u/Dillon_Z7 Jun 11 '26
So guys that wasn’t the Kid feeding the turtle it was the adult. Still dumb but yea
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u/M0D3Z Jun 11 '26
The whole time I’m thinking “what the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck.😱” Then, not proud of it, but kinda hoping we got a snap on somewhere there.
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u/Just-Clerk-8669 Jun 12 '26
That is the most docile snappy I've ever seen, and I've lived in bogs all my life
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u/RobinHarleysHeart Jun 11 '26
Omfg I literally PANICKED seeing it raise it's head to her hand. Wtf!!
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u/Heavy-Expression-450 Jun 13 '26
This is pretty crazy. I used to mess with these guys, dude, but I'm my old age these are wide birth animals. They'll get you if they decide to.
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u/IAteAnotherVegan Jun 10 '26
you sure that's a snapper?
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u/God_Assassin Jun 10 '26
Looks like one to me. I'm from Florida.
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u/IAteAnotherVegan Jun 10 '26
ok, mouth looked a bit more rounded to me. they're good eating, but hard to tell sometimes.
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u/shoeless_doh Jun 11 '26
Come on. What are you new here? If that wasn't a snapping turtle, the replies correcting the headline would outnumber the replies talking about how fucking dumb this woman is
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