Where Is the Girl With Upturned Shell Bonaventure

I just found this guy!

He didn't act afraid when I moved some of the algae away to uncover his tail, so I went for it and picked him up for a few seconds to get a decent ID pic. He didn't scratch, bite, or hiss, he just sat there while I held him, then hid under the algae for about 30 seconds after I put him back down. I'm not sure if he's already been handled enough to be used to it, or if baby snappers are normally not all that feisty.

Is he an alligator or a common snapper? I haven't seen the big snapper, so I don't know what breed it is or if it could be this one's mother.

I also saw a half-dollar-sized baby redear (or redear hybrid, not sure) in there somewhere, sitting on top of the algae. Tiny, bright green little thing. Big feet. Cute as heck.

Edit: Went by the pond again, and I saw a lot of scuffling, so I went over to look. That turtle with the messed-up shell was head-down in a clump of algae, so I thought maybe he'd gotten snagged on something. I lifted him up to the top of the water to check, and, no, he had not gotten snagged on something. He had clamped his jaws down right behind the head of a redear slider twice his size. He let go after a moment, and the redear fled, looking thoroughly chastised.

I'm not sure what species he is, but every turtle of his species (there's about 5 of them, not sure how many are hybrids) is really on edge today. Most of them are chasing the others around. The other turtles are all horny. I'm not sure if it's the pressure shift or what that's got them all riled up, but a decent number of the assorted sliders have bite marks on their necks from, I assume, others of the feisty species biting each other.

I've also determined that the majority of the young turtles, the hybrid ones that definitely grew up here, don't especially mind being picked up. You can scoop one up, hold it for a few seconds to show it to someone, and put it back, and it just sits with its legs tucked in for maybe one second before going right back to begging for food like it was before. At worst they swim a couple feet away before turning around to come back. They definitely aren't starving or anything, but evidently being picked up by someone isn't anywhere enough to put them off of wanting snacks. I've done that a few times now to show people "no, they won't bite your fingers off, look, they're pretty tame". I wouldn't if they seemed like they minded, but most of them don't seem to care. Today, someone asked me if I was trying to catch one while I was sitting by the edge, so I said "no, but if I was trying, I could just do this" and scooped one up. It stared at me in confusion until I put it back, then acted like nothing had happened. I've never met turtles this tame, and no one's trying to tame them, they just are. If I was trying, I bet I could train them to swim into my hand on command if I offered them a treat now and then.

Some of them do bite if you put your finger right in front of its face, though. What I think was a painted turtle bit onto my finger, then made a snorting noise, yanked its head back into its shell, and paddled back with its feet, doing its level best to steal my entire hand. Hurt, but too funny to mind. Just not funny enough to repeat. I've also had some of the others nip at me- I like to sit with my hand in the water so all the gambusia come and nibble on me. It's good for relaxing.

Where Is the Girl With Upturned Shell Bonaventure

Source: http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?%2Fforums%2Ftopic%2F176443-turtles-one-has-an-upturned-shell-whats-with-him%2F

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