Raising Snapping Turtles For Meat

Turtle poaching a growing problem

When people think of poaching, they typically think of elephant ivory, rhino horns, tiger skins, and – closer to home – fish or venison. Rarely, however, do they think of turtles.

That's a perception Mike Rutter would like to change. Rutter, an intelligence investigative specialist with the Ministry of Natural Resources spends more time than he'd like investigating incidents of turtle poaching, including some here in the Highlands.

"Believe it or not, this is a growing problem," he says. "And much of the trafficking happens online."

He says modern poachers are utilizing social networking sites, online classified websites, hobbyist forums and reptile collection websites to sell animals. And this easy access to a ready market, along with the new popularity of reptiles as pets, is putting a strain on our native turtles.

Buyers have one of two motives: they either want to raise turtles as pets or consume them.

The latter is a cultural issue. In some communities, turtles are valued as food or for perceived medicinal qualities. Though, Rutter says, this is not widespread, it can have a detrimental impact on local populations.

The pet trade poses a far greater threat, however.

"The illegal harvest of turtles from the wild is not a new phenomenon, but it has undergone significant growth recently due to the huge popularity in Canada and North America of keeping reptiles as pets," says Rutter. "These days the number of people who keep reptiles as pets rival those who keep dogs."

This, and collector demand, is placing additional stresses on the turtle populations that can stand it the least. "Some of our rarest turtles are highly prized in the illegal pet trade due to their unique characteristics and their rarity," he says.

Haliburton County and the surrounding regions are particularly vulnerable. The area is home to five turtle species protected under the Endangered Species Act and three protected under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Rutter says one poaching event could eliminate these populations.

Who are the poachers? Some are merely opportunistic and ignorant of our laws regarding the possession of wildlife – they're the type who see a turtle and decide to take it home for whatever reason. These people are often unaware that turtles and other reptiles are strongly protected under Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and the federal Endangered Species Act.

What do Turtles Eat? Turtle Food

Turtles are a lot of fun to keep as pets. They range from extremely easy and low maintenance to very difficult high maintenance. Part of what makes a turtle easy or difficult to keep is what the type of turtle eats. Some foods are more difficult to acquire or cost more than others, so keep their diet in mind when selecting the type of turtle you want.

When assessing what a turtle eats, think about it's native environment. Ask yourself what you would eat if you were a turtle living in the area that the turtle lives. In this case, the painted turtle lives in North America in ponds, creeks, and rivers.

It may be best to supplement baby painted turtles' diets with natural animal foods and move more toward the stick food as the baby grows older. Babies need fed more often than adults. Adults you can feed twice a week.

Painted turtles are some of the easiest turtles to take care of.  You can buy fish or worms at the bait store or pet store to give it some fresh food, but stick food works well mostly.  Of course you can find your own worms and bugs outside to feed your turtle too.

Box turtles live more of their life on land. Because their living environment is different, they eat differently than aquatic turtles. Their natural food sources include:

Since box turtles need a variety, you will want to give them a meal containing a variety of nutrients, such as: earthworms, peas, grapes, and dandelion greens.

You will likely need to supplement the turtle's calcium by giving it pieces of cuttle-bone in it's food.

Snapping turtles will bite at just about anything, especially if they are wild caught and have not been tamed. You could put just about anything in their mouths, but they aren't going to necessarily thrive on anything you give them.

Snapping turtles eat mostly fish in their natural environment. They are master predators and have the second strongest bite among reptiles. Snapping turtles will eat other types of food such as beef if you cut it up into small enough pieces. You can feed baby snapping turtles feeder fish and stick food from the pet shop and your turtle should thrive. They are easy to take care of in regards to feeding since they are so aggressive they will eat most live fish.

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