Pet shops are full of unique characters – but not all of them are the ones in the tanks.

One thief learned the hard way that stealing turtles can come with a bite more painful than expected.

You’ll want to read on for this tale of petty revenge!

Oh snap(ping turtles)

Many years ago (I’m old) my parents owned a pet shop that sold turtles.

They soon found themselves with a unique problem on their hands.

We developed a problem of the turtles being stolen.

Time and time again, the thief would evade them.

This was pre-surveillance cameras, so it was impossible to watch the turtle tank all day.

We also couldn’t figure out how the turtles were being taken out of the store since whoever was doing it walked right by the register to leave.

It would have been very obvious if someone was coming in frequently but not buying anything.

So they decided to take unorthodox measures to stop the thief.

We figured that the best solution was to get some snapping turtles, so the culprit would identify themselves when the turtle took a snap at their hand.

And the plan worked even better than they expected!

Instead, he identified himself when he stuck the little snapper down his pants.

He got about half way to the register before he started screaming and dropped his jeans for all the world to see.

To this day I wonder how the cop that took the report kept a straight face for as long as he did.

I also wonder what the thief told the doc at the ER or if he just skipped the stitches.

This lesson came with sharp consequences!

Reddit is sure to get a kick out of this.

Snapping turtles do live up to their name.

The thief will definitely be more careful about where he stashes his stolen goods next time – if there is a next time.

The thief should have known exactly what he was up against.

Both the shop owners AND the cops will have quite a story to tell.

The thief left with more than he bargained for and a story he’ll likely keep under wraps — just like the stitches.

Crime doesn’t pay, but in this case, it sure pinched.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.