Whats the best captive habitat for a Snapping Turtle?

Question

I found a snapping turtle (shell is about 4inches across) on the side of the road and brought it home. What the best type of tank setup for it? I know that they live in the mud/swamps.

Answer 1

Here's the basics on snapping turtle care:
Get the largest tank you possibly can. I have several snappers, each in a separate stock tank. The water does not need to be deep, just deep enough so they are submerged. They do not need a basking platform, as they do not bask. They should have a power filter, but they are messy, and it will need frequent cleaning. You don't need gravel, and you certainly don't need mud. Feed it bait minnows (NOT goldfish), rodents, crawdads and insects.
They can live a long time, I've had one of mine 21 years.
Here's a useful site:
http://www.chelydra.org/
Snapping turtles are aggressive, but their "danger" is overrated. A common snapping turtle cannot sever the finger of an adult human (a gator snapper can, though), and it most CERTAINLY can't bite a baseball bat in half, that is PURE FICTION, aquamarinequeen09. A large specimen MIGHT be able to bite a pencil in half, but I haven't tried it.
Handle them by the rear of the shell, folding the legs back so they cannot claw you. Do NOT carry them by the tail.
Good luck.

Answer 2

I used to have a baby one (size of a quarter), but it was really hard for me to find worms for it in the winter and he ended up dieing. Anyway it would probably be best to turn it loose in a same area since it is not used to captivity, and them bites can hurt! But it would need a tank way bigger than a 10 gallon, (since its used to the wild) maybe even a small swimming pool with a gate or something on top of it so it doesn't get out. I would put a little bit of mud and sand together for like a beach than have and have a water are and at the water area put a little bit of dirt and mud at the bottom of it. Just make sure it has freash water, some sand, mud and dry land. and it gets stinky really fast, just to warn you!

Answer 3

you my friend have goten a hold of the coolest pet in my book! so lets talk habitat's! theres two ways you can this butt first if you realy like and care for the lil guy get a BIG tank.....being that its small at i would get good size bag of gravel ,rocks to start with with most fish tank filter systems have a suction spout that can reach the bottom of the tank what you wanna do is build an island on one side of the tank not to big but not to small you want the guy to have room to swim and land to lounge on if needed! bring the water level to about 8 to 12 minchs of water on the water side is ware you want the filter becouse the tank is only quarter filled it creates a soothing water fall effect.now you can get plants and place them in the gravel so the roots suck up the water in the lower part of the gravel on the island and remember be creative mimic nature get some clean drift wood to help stabalize the island you can get a good sized piece and place half on the island half in the water towerds the back wall of the tank turtles like that they climb on to it n chill! on the deep water side you want a thin layer of gravel of course to keep it real! u can use a floresent its good to add a heat lamp over the island side or atleast get a bulb that provides another spectrum of bright healthey light get some small gold fish and other types of feeders and you got a piece of a river in your house! good luck!

Answer 4

You should find somewhere close to where you found him to let him go. Wild turtles should be kept in the wild. However, if you are going to keep him anyway, a pond is a good place for them. There are lots of wonderful members with information on http://www.turtleexchange.com/forum We have couple members who are snapper owners and one who is our pond expert.

Answer 5

Well first of all, you should NOT be taking home a wild animal and keeping it as a pet. It belongs in the wild. Moving it far from the road and somewhere safe is fine. But taking in a wild animal as a pet is WRONG. If you want a pet, go buy one that is already domesticated!! PLEASE!

Answer 6

i know it is hard to resist keeping this animal but it really should be captive. snappers arent even civilized they are pretty vicious. i admit turtles are awesome but it is a accident waiting to happen and they get huge. i live in de and have had them in my front yard. my dad had to fight it off with a baseball bat (didnt beat it of course) and it bit the baseball bat in half.

Answer 7

huge tank, docking station (to dry off and bask in the sun), UVA bulb, water filter, and thermostat. make sure to put lots and lots of water! also have sum fish in there so they can excersise and have fish to play with lol or eat. and sum anacharis!

Answer 8

Here are some sites. Hope this helps

http://www.turtlehomes.org/usa/snappingturtles.shtml
http://www.kyherpsoc.org/snappingturtlecare.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-commonsnapper.htm
http://www.herphangout.com/caresheet.php?sheet=63
http://www.pilbarapythons.com/turtlecaresheets.htm

Hope these help you out
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