Snapping turtle

[MyLittleFishies]

Hello All I am fairly new here to Aquaria Central. I have a few freshwater tanks and I am used to keeping fish but Recently a Snapping turtle has fallen under my care and I am curoius as to what kind of setup would be best for her (I sexed it allready) and what to feed her besides the stick foods.

Thanx:cool:

[dirtysanchez582]

there are lots of different snappers do u know what type that wud help

[MyLittleFishies]

I dont know... Let me see if i can find a piccie of him or one that looks like him

*edit*

the closest picture i can find is here @

http://www.chelydra.org/snapper04.html

[dirtysanchez582]

ok well any way most snappers get pretty big 16-18 " at least and are nearly all if not all carnivoures try him on lots of meaty foods like fish prawns and other shrimp cockle muscle things like that

[MyLittleFishies]

What about an ideal tank setup if i have a 10g tank w/ him in it right now...

[dirtysanchez582]

ok i would probably go for a pretty big tank not very deep maby 18"-24" and 5x3 at least if it is like the one in the photo the get BIG but im not and expert so hope and prey its a smaller one LOL

[Captain Hook]

I have seen large snappers in the wild that would eat fish off our stringers. I'm talking about good sized walleye and perch. Not sure how well suited snappers are for captivity either. That 10 gallon certainly won't do.

[case_rums]

How about a pre-formed pond? They're cheap at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. I've got a 100 gal+ one that would work for a snapper for a while. I believe it's now about $60 from home depot. You can put it indoors and build a wooden surround to make it look nice. Add a small waterfall, pump, and filter, and you'd have a nice home for a turtle.

[dirtysanchez582]

i got it and whenthere that size watch out they will snap wooden broomsticks easy so watch your fingers and be ready to take it to a sanctury of some kind if it gets 2 much 4 u

[MyLittleFishies]

Yep I know they can get big and I know that they can get very mean... I live near a wildlife sanctuary and I doubt they'd have any problem taking him if he gets too big. My father said we can keep him and eventualy build him a large enclouser outside... but if he eats one of my cats so help him goddess.

Ya I am going to look up some more info on them soon... any Idea on what to feed him please

[Cearbhaill]

Depends on the size of the snapper.

My Dad was in the fish shop business and I was given what looked like a newly hatched snapper (maybe an inch and a half?) in early 1967.
I eventually released him into a lake in 1978, so he lived almost 11 somewhat happy years under my care.

To the best of my recollection I never had him in anything larger than a 55 gallon, and I know I started him out in a 10 gallon.
He was keen on eating any sort of meat but we made sure he had lots of live fish as well. He even went semi-hibernating during the winters.

In retrospect it's amazing he lived at all, but at the time I thought I was doing a good job. He did not reach anywhere near his potential size- ended up maybe a foot diameter.

I have to add- word got out in our town that I was into snappers and we once had a guy bring me a HUGE mother in a burlap bag. He got loose in the fish shop and we had to find shovels to pick him up with- do not mess with the big 'uns!!

[Dragon_Lord_Tia]

im supprised someome hasent asked these questions already

where did you get it?

do you have a reptile/amphibian licence?

can you properly care for the animal?

can you assure its safety and well being?

you have to put these into account before taking in an animal that can be extremely dangerous even if they are small

i suggest releasing back to the wild if you caught him or taking him to the animal sanctuary where he can be properly cared for.

and like you said you live near one so you can visit him on the weekends;) ;)

[MyLittleFishies]

1. where did you get it?

I got her from my school... they weren't taking proper care if her and she was always getting stuck in the filter becasue no one put a cap on the intake. She had no live food avable to her and NO basking light.

2. do you have a reptile/amphibian licence?

No but now I am intrested in getting one, any info on how i can would be great. BTW do they give those to minors... I'm only 16

3. can you properly care for the animal?

Yes and thats why I am here... To get more help from people.

4. can you assure its safety and well being?

Yes


--------------------------------

Okay now that I have squared that away I am tryint to upload pictures I took of her to my PC. Threw this awesom site called http://www.chelydra.org I have found out some intresting things about my turtle. She is a young allagator (sp?) snapping turtle.

okay this digi cam is upsetting me... let me try to upload these pictures...

[MyLittleFishies]

okay i think this will work

[tricksterpup]

I recommend the following website: http://www.kingsnake.com/
This should help you with all your reptile needs.

jim

[elkinsb]

the way i fed my first turtle was to go to the local fish store and talk to the manager and he let me take all of the fresh dead feeder fish for free. i would then freeze them at home and thaw them out to feed it to the turtle.

[MyLittleFishies]

the only problem i find with that is what casued there death?? ich, internal parasite that you can pass on to your turtle... no no no I have decided to breed my own feeder guppies for now any q-tank them till there ready and as far as i could tell safe to feed to him-- unfortunatly for me he went into hibernation last nite. he burried himself under the gravle