Wefound a baby snapping turtle,what can we feed it?

Question

we found a baby snapping turtle very small the shell is still soft.we want it to live ,but we dont know what we can feed it. I went on line but didnt get much help.Does anyone out there have a snapping turtle,that can tell me how to take care of it. If I let it go will it survive? Any help would be great.Thanks

Answer 1

OK, you got all the "turn it loose, so it can die naturally" answers. Most babys die that first year.-
- They Do get pretty large, and keeping them can be a *Challenge.*

---The biggist problem is keeping the tank clean, they eat and deficate In the water. Bacteria build up quickly--(ugh) I do not know of any filter that can keep up-
---Yet many citys have additives to the water that will kill fish. Check in your location.
I had good well water, just changed *all* the water in the tank ,*Often*.
On the plus side, the water you take from the tank makes gardin plants thrive---think, "fish emulsion"

Houseing---Snappers are mostly aquatic, an aquarium filled with water to"tip-toe level"(---as far as they can streach their neck from the hindlegs-and-tail tripod.) Is a good start-- A couple of smooth, scrubbable rocks to peer around,--- some water plants
---and, (though they may not use it, ) a ramp down into the water, and a place to bask .. I built a little"table-and-ramp'' just above water level, that they could swim under, yet still reach air.
Snappers are very strong, they can knock apart rock piles not glued, and complex structures are harder to clean, i was always afraid mine might get suck in one, so they had a pretty empty home.

Food is not really so hard, Whole fish --frozen will do--chopped up smallish, wiggled in front of him--use a wooden skewer,
Bugs(earthworms, crickets) some plants to chomp on---vary the diet.
chopped lean meat (beefheart, fish, poultry) with pet grade bonemeal and reptile vitamins mixed in, can be a part of the 'meal plan', too
Whole frozen/thawed mice of a size correct for your pet (pinkys to start--if it is as young as i think, it may not be big enough even for them)
Hamburger is a no-no, too fatty, causes stomach upsets, *really* fouls the water

If you feed them in a seperate 'feeding pen' (a bucket will do, at first) left over food gets left behind. (two hours to eat, probably plenty of time to clean the main tank, just in time for them to foul it againe) There is an added benifit here, the turtle will not be used to eating 'at home', is less apt to mistake you for food and bite when you pick it up .

Snappers often get 'parinoid' out of the water (they do not have much undershell) --- but will come when called to be fed--*I* think they have a bad rap--mine was not very aggressive, but was perhaps an exception.



later on, if you want to let it go, after a year or so, you can, to let it remember how to hunt----wiggle bigger pieces of meat--use a chopstick-- give it live food,

Answer 2

First of all, wild caught reptiles nearly always carry parasites and diseases which will flourish and even kill the animal quickly in captivity. It's a wild animal and will do much better if kept that way.

Second, snapping turtles in general do not make good pets. Even captive bred individuals need specialized care, and generally must have an experienced handler dealing with them. They are very aggressive and won't hesitate to bite if aggravated. As this baby grows, it could literally inflict serious injury on you, or someone else.

Snappers absolutely do not make good pets. They are rather too much to handle, and if this is your first turtle, please don't keep it. Release the youngster where you found it. Wild snappers are no fun to deal with, not to mention the fact that a wild turtle can carry quite a large load of parasites.

Snappers grow very fast, and get extremely large. They are also rather nasty-tempered, and dealing with an adult is quite a challenge. They are ornery, aggressive, and have a lightning-fast strike. They are truly powerful turtles, and need to be treated with a great deal of caution. If you don't know what you're doing, a large adult snapper is entirely capable of taking off some of your fingers! They are totaly unsuitable captives for a novice.

There are two species in the U.S., the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) and the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macroclemys temminckii) . The common snappers will easily grow to 13" long, and 20lbs in weight in captivity. Larger and older 40-60 lb giants are not uncommon.

Source(s):
http://www.practical-pet-care.com/turtle...

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Answer 3

You should return the turtle to where you found it. The turtle should be going into hibernation unless you live in the southern part of the US. For this reason releasing it later can cause a serious problem.

Will it survive? The soft shell is not a problem, it is the predators. Like many animals Turtles have large batches of offspring to ensure that a few grow to adulthood. This loss, as horrible as it might seem, is natural. Unfortunately Snapping turtles are one of the few species where people are a predator. Whether or not people may harvest wild adult turtles for soup depends on the state you live in.

Snapping turtles are not good pets. Carefully consider what you are getting yourself into.

As a final note, are you sure this is a snapping turtle? There are several species of soft shelled turtles.

Answer 4

Buy some turtle food pellets that are sold at pet stores. If you found the turtle near a river, a lake or a pond, leave it there so that you don't interfere with wildlife. If you found it some other place, I suggest you feed the pellets and call the wildlife rescue team in your area, so that they can place it in a safe area where it can grow in a natural habitat or the environment it needs. Snapping turtles can grow very big and when fully matured, they will look like a fat alligator. They are dangerous pets, if you don't know how to manage them.

Answer 5

Putting this baby back is the best suggestion. Keeping something born wild is not in the best interest of the animal. There is no way we can simulate what it has in it's natural habitat. We can come close in a lot of areas, but we can not do it justice the way nature already has...:-)

No...the baby may not survive. It may become something else's food. When they're small like this they become part of the food chain. Generally only 1% of all baby turtles survive from the clutch. However, if it does survive...it has the potential to grow to be a 600 lb. monster if given the opportunity...:-D

Answer 6

You can feed it live things such as small fish or crickets that should be a main part of it's diet! However where did you find it at and how long ago did you find it, was it sick or injured at the time???? it may not be to late to release it into the wild where it will survive but if you found it because it was sick or something then keep it in captivity! Message me with alot more detail A SAP and i'll tell ya what to do. [e-mail]

Answer 7

You can feed it pieces of earthworms, snails, and lettuce. And pet stores have turtle food.

Snapping turtles are aquatic so put it at the edge of a lake, pond, creek, or other body of water that is nearest to where you found it.

Answer 8

You can feed it your fingers inf you're not careful. Snapping turtles dont make the greatest of pets, plus they can get rather large.

Answer 9

The diet of captive kept snappers should contain as much as possible of live food such as fish (gold fish, minnows and any other small feeder fish available through the local pet store or cought in a nearby lake or river), crayfish, frogs, snails and crickets.

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

Answer 10

try feeding it baby goldfish.also go to a locol pet shop and get reguler turtle pet food.