We removed (caught) another snapping turtle day before yesterday, and thought we only had one left in the pond.
This evening Blazer and I went out to feed the fish, and there were two very impatient turtles literally hanging over the edge of the pond, waiting to be fed. Because they were halfway out of the water, I couldn’t throw bread to them, but had to find a small stick (a lilac branch, in this case) break it in half, and put a piece of bread on each one. Once both sticks were “loaded” I held them out and the turtles yanked the bread off. They will only eat store-bought white bread, and I have to use the crusts and the heels so the stuff won’t fall off the sticks. (The center of the bread gets thrown into the middle of the pond so the poor fish actually get to eat.) I am not the sharpest crayon in the box, but this is as close as we get to “hand feeding” snapping turtles.
I squatted out there for about five minutes, poking food into two gaping maws, while Blazer hovered behind me. Some protector he is! I imagine it was like feeding twins, but most twins don’t have such sharp edges.
I really dislike snapping turtles. Besides eating all the fish, they ate all the crawdads.
I’m not all that wild about them myself, but filling them up with bread does help keep them from eating the fish and the bullfrogs.