My daughter received a snapping turtle as a gift... what do you feed it? Does it need anything special?

Question

Other then a tank? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

( we have a dog and a cat ) so she's used to taking care of them.

This gift was a surprise to all of us in the house. When it was given to her, she received the turtle and a tank with a stand. Also with a bag of about a dozen feeder fish. We also live in the country now. My daughter is 11 yrs old.

Answer 1

Setting aside issues about legality or appropriateness of the gift...

1. Are you SURE it is a snapper? A lot of people call all turtles 'snappers'. Try the World of Turtles Gallery at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com to help ID it for sure.

2. If it IS a snapper, try http://www.chelydra.org for advice. If a Red-ear Slider, try http://www.redearslider.com for help. Another great site is Austin's, mentioned above.

3. Yes, it does need special stuff to keep the turtle healthy and happy. To be brutally honest, it can run about $150-200 to set up a good habitat for a healthy adult turtle.

Answer 2

If this in fact a snapper, it's not exactly the best gift for a child. These turtles have a VERY strong bite that can remove a finger easily.That being said, they are flesh eaters & turtle pellets or insects will not be eaten by this turtle. They eat fish, small birds, frogs, small rodents etc and they eat these in the water. These turtles require lots of water & will not eat on land. They can be dufficult to keep considering these requirements, but it is hardly a death sentence as was suggested by a previous poster. Some people seem to feel that taking an animal from the wild will always result in it's death, which is just so much hogwash. If a person is knowledgable of the creatures requirements & is willing to provide the necessary care, there is no reason that the animal won't continue to thrive. ALL of my snakes are wild captured specimens that have survived a minimum of 5yrs. in captivity & I've been collecting snakes for over 40yrs. with no fatalities from anything other than old age. Good luck & be careful.

Answer 3

Your daughter may be responsible enough to keep a snapping turtle, despite what others have said. Snappers are VERY painful though, so tell her to be careful and always be with her when she is near the turtle. That is however, if you are not willing to get rid of it. Fish are a favorite of snapping turtles.

Answer 4

I agree it's a strange gift idea.
In response to your question though, we have a snapper. He is almost 1 1/2 years. My MIL caught him at her house in the country. I didn't initially want him but my husband kept him.
He is in a 10 gallon tank. He has a basking dock, he has rocks to climb on, he has a heater set to about 78 degrees, we have a good filter in his tank because snappers are messy turtles. We feed him live feeder fish, crickets, veggies like romaine lettuce, shrimp, krill and occasionally pellets from the pet store. He prefers live food.
He will get very large. Once you start caring for him, you cannot set him free. Do research and be prepared. Good luck.

Answer 5

I don't think a Alligator Snapping Turtle is a gift you want to keep. The Turtle should be turned loose in a pond becasue they are monstrous when they get big and will bite your fingers off.

Answer 6

How big is it? I'm assuming its a baby, if so you can feed it feeder fish, worms, crickets and it might also eat turtle food from the pet store.

In response to Toe Cutter I was naming foods it would eat if it was a baby. If it is an adult then you are correct it will not eat pellets or insects, but if its a bady it will not eat small birds or frogs either. Why don't you pay attention to what I write before you correct it. Also if its a baby it will not be able to bite off the childs finger like everyone is saying it will, it won't be big enough to do that until it is at least three years old.

Answer 7

Dion, as commonly happening, is acceptable, so some distance as he is going. in no way feed processed meat to a turtle. Small snappers will do nicely on earthworms, bait fishes, tadpoles, and liver dusted in bone meal. as quickly because it matures (6" to eight" shell length), you are able to initiate including dark eco-friendly leafy vegetables to its weight loss application. Mine additionally gets the rodents that make the errors of invading my living house.

Answer 8

Ummmm...... Last I checked snapping turtles are actaully illegal and often carry disease since they are often illegally removed from their habitats. They also grow BIG. I would do a bit of research on your turtle and evaluate if you can keep him. I hate to be negative here but I just thought you might want to know.

Answer 9

The one who gave you a wild caught snappy condemned the poor thing to death.

Please use the experience to teach your child about how precious these animals are: Return her to the wild. You can't care for her and provide all her needs, and the turtle won't survive in captivity.

If it is a captive bred animal, please return her to the person who gave her to your daughter, and instead set goals to have all the animal will need before you bring her home to be a pet. In both cases, you'll teach a valuable lesson: animals aren't toys, and we need to mind their needs. Good luck

PS: I agree with previous posters. Snappies are NOT turtles for children. Do your research, and determine whether you can really provide a good environment for a turtle or tortoise, at your house.

Answer 10

snapping turtles are not childrens pets. they grow very large and become very dangerous.
Its bite is strong enough not only to break the skin but to take a finger off and they are very mean creatures.
You shouldnt really take on any exotic pet without seriously researching first for both the animals and your own sake.