1. These guys get BIG!

This is probably the most important fact to consider (that's why I put that big 1 beside it). The little one-and-a-half inch long circle of spikes you're holding will become the size of your computer mouse in about a year. In another year, it will take two hands to hold it. Eventually, its shell may approach 2 and  FEET in length and it can weigh up to 75 pounds!! Oh yeah, forget it when people say "If ya keeps it in a small tank it won't get big. Them thangs is like fish, they won't grow no bigger than what they is livin' in." It's not true for fish and its definately not true for snapping turtles. The only truth to that wives tale is if you keep it in a small tank, it won't get big because it will die before it has the chance.

Basically, if you don't want to worry about the upkeep of a constantly enlarging animal that will eventually need a small pond or huge aquarium, then put it back where you found it (unless of course you found it in the street or something then relocate it).
 

Most snapping turtles in captivity live 25 to 30 years.  A few have lived as long as 40 years. You would go through 2 dogs, a couple cats, maybe even a marriage or two and Spike will still be begging for food when you walk by his tank.

If you don't want a major commitment (in your case 3 or 4 marriages would pass by), pass on a snapping turtle as your best friend.
 

Snapping turtles need water. Not just to drink and occasionally romp in, they spend the majority of their lives submersed in water. What this means is you'll have to have a water tight enclosure, you'll have to clean it and change the water often, you'll have to buy ALL that expensive stuff that your obsessive aquarium keeping friends have (pumps, filters, lights, stands, strata, decorations, carbon,......) and you'll have to like it.

Combine the need of water with the growth rate of these guys and you've got major considerations (maybe this should have that 1 beside it).  Sure, you might be able to get away with a coffee can at first, but you'll eventually need a very large, watertight enclosure. Most people buy several different sized tanks, each one larger than the next, as the turtle gets bigger. Either way, a 3 or 4 year old turtle will need a 75 gal tank ($$).

Don't want to spend a lot of money on a pet? Don't like cleaning up spilled water? Move around a lot? Hate the sound of splashing while you sleep? You might want to get a different pet.
 

Snapping turtles are primarily nocturnal. They may move around some during the day, but mostly they lie very still and pretend to be a rock. When those lights go down, it's a different story. Your quiet daytime 'rock wanna be' turns into a psycho at night. They dig and slosh and dive and jump and snap and dig and slosh and splash and dig and dig and dig. Anything and everything in the tank will be in a new position come dawn. You look into the tank past all the uprooted decorations and plants, under all the now rearranged pieces of rock and wood and find your innocent looking culprit.  Just like a college freshman, the party animal is once again quiet and calm in the light of day.

If you have to get up early or expect to see a lively animal during the day, think about maybe getting a dog instead.

"What? I found this cute little guy stuck in a drain pipe. Cheapest pet I've ever bought," or "I can buy a hatchling from Zippy's Extreme Herp site for $10." Ok, they are pretty cheap to obtain. Now, buy that tank (assuming you're smart and buy a big one up front): $200-$500, the filter(s): $100-$300, hood and lights: $80-$100, food, filter supplies, water, electricity... How much do you get paid an hour? You can add that in too since you will be spending an average of 4-8 hours a week cleaning, repairing, and observing your turtle. I've never really added up the annual total, mainly because I don't want to realize how much I spend on that ugly, ill-tempered turtle of mine.

Low on cash? Too busy to call home and talk to mom (shame!)? Well, I hear snails make good pets.
 

They bite. That should be enough said but you have to really pound it into some people. I get lots of notes that say "Tank has never even offered to bite me" and "I play with my new snapper all the time and he just looks at me and smiles." Your time's a comin'.

No matter what Pet Store Guy Steve says, you can't tame them. They may become less aggressive, but they will never know you finger isn't just another piece of that cooked chicken they love. If you get your snapper when it's young, it may never snap at you out of anger or fear. The problem is that your turtle sees it like you are the source of its food. "When that big thing that swims outside my tank comes by, its eatin' time."  It doesn't realize that it's not eating a piece of you, just that human=food.

As snapping turtles get older, they get crankier. Just because it hides from you under that pretty plastic plant you got it when it's young, doesn't mean your turtle won't try to relieve you of a few fingers when it gets older. It's not that he/she doesn't like you... OK... it really is that he/she doesn't like you. Sorry, it's the truth. If it seems excited when you come by, it's not out of love, your turtle just wants some food.

This also means you can't keep your new pet with other pets. Mixing snapping turtles with other turtles or even other snapping turtles is a big no no. They won't make neato additions to your koi pond either unless you enjoy seeing your koi with big hunks missing.
 

Getting a snapping turtle, or any turtle, as a pet is a major responsibility. Think ahead (years) and make your decision wisely. If you're not absolutely positive that you can handle all of the major chores and responsibility that goes along with keeping this animal in captivity, then don't get one.