Outdoor Animal Control - Snaping turtles

A pond on my property is being dredged and recontoured. It has been drained and we have discovered a colony of snapping turtles, several which are 17 to 20 inches from shell edge to shell edge. Awesome looking things!!
Our intension was to use the pond for swimming and it will be close to 2 acres in size.
Is it better to have these turtles relocated due to aggressiveness or are they ok? I have a 3 and 5 year old.
Thanks,
Brett

I have seen baby geese get pulled under in my pond, and I know I never want a snapper of any size getting hold of my toe. I would get rid of them.

I am sure that humans are not part of a turtles normal diet but... If you or the kids are in the water splashing around a lot I'm sure it would scare the turtles away. I would be more worried about lazily floating around on a raft or quietly dangling my feet in the water. I can just hear the turtles little brain thinking... "ooh, Vienna sausages, how yummy...".

While it's easier said than done... Get rid of them.... especially with the munchkins.... "Look, a turtle.... lets take it home to mommy"...

snapping turtles can be extremely dangerous.. Once they grab on.. they don't let go.... One of the few aquatic critters that make me nervous... and I'm about as much of a "water person" as there ever was....

i agree they are dangerouse around children especially on the ground where they feel most threatened. if you dont want to kill them, you might be able to get parks and wildlife to trap them and relocate them for you.
if you think all turtles are slow try this. next time you see them on land, take a long stick and poke its tail. it will do a 180 so fast you cant believe.

Trapping is the best control for snapping turtles. The secret is to use the right trap. Turtles should be relocated at least 10 miles away. Contact your local Wildlife Control people to see if they will trap the turtles or if there are any restrictions for relocating in your area.

The common snapping turtle can be aggressive towards people when they are on the ground and at their most vulnerable. I tried to help a huge one scoot across the road by my house but he got awful angry at me! It hopped, turned and hissed. It was amazing to see something that big act so fast. I didn't even want to try to pick it up after that. But you'd really have to almost stick your finger in their face to get them to bite you. They'll threaten and snap their beak and act vicious, but it does take some harrassing before they'll actually bite.

In water, they are a different story altogether and not aggressive at all towards people. They are pretty mobile in the water so they'll instantly swim away if you happen to get near. The worst you'd have to fear is stepping on one, but its unlikely you'd ever get that close to one without it swimming away. They really want nothing to do with people.

These creatures aren't endangered, but they are fascinating and it would be a shame to eradicate them if they aren't causing any problems. If the children are educated about these creatures and have the common sense not to mess with them, there won't be any problems.

just KNOWING FULL WELL that there are "many" LARGE turtles, SNAPPING TURTLES no less, in that pond, and your kids are small, i personally would never let them swim there. i, myself, wouldn't want to swim there! would you? could you really ever relax & enjoy your time in that water? or would you be on constant lookout? how would you feel if your little 3 year old had the biggest one clamp down on her? if it's true that they clamped down & don't let go, there'd she'd be screaming her head off with this huge ugly scary thing painfully clamped down on her? how could you ever forgive yourself? she'd be traumatized for life! or maybe it'd take a hunk out of her? maybe snap off a finger or toe?

why risk it? no doubt about it - i'd get rid of them or put in a swimming pool. a pool might be more fun anyway. it would be for me!

okay........this original post was from Sept 2005 - i'm guessing brettbh has dealt with this by now, right? how about an update???

I have chosen to cohabitate with the turtles and so far so good. Since the pond has filled back in with water I have not seen any of the large ones (close in size to a seat cushion on a couch) but have seen a smaller one (foot diameter) that crosses the beach area once in awhile.
We start stocking fish this fall through the Iowa DNR farm pond restoration project and I would imagine with this additional food source, the turtles will be more prevalent.
My kids and I have a running joke that anytime you leave the mowed grass and enter a field you are entering the food chain. I know that this sounds silly but it is how I was taught to respect wildlife (snakes in general and rattlers specifically) and it is an awareness I really want to impart in them. Please note, this is not paranoia but an awareness and respect for the environment you enter.
Thanks to all for the input!!