1 WEEK OLD SNAPPiNG TURTLE....?

Question

I have just be given a 1 weekold snapping turtle and i have no idea what to do with it, i cant let it go becuase its a house pet now & im scared it will die if i try to set it free. i need to no if i can keep it in a 10 gallon tank like u would a fish becuase fish only get as big as the tank will allow is it the same thing with turtles? and if i feed him rite and let him out and stuff in a bigger area in the summer....idk give me some help people..please

Answer 1

no, You just asked this question...

You need a several thousand gallon fenced in pond. It will grow bigger than your tank.

Answer 2

No . . . Snapping turtles get HUGE you will need an outdoor pond once it is an adult. You should give it to a shelter or petstore.

http://www.dausettrails.com/snapturtle.j...

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs...

http://www.turtlehomes.org/usa/snappingt...

Answer 3

Your plan is not going to work. It will quickly outgrow a 10 gallon tank, and you are not going to want to carry a big, aggressive turtle to your yard.

Let it go as close to its home as possible as soon as possible!

Answer 4

This is a native turtle? He will not miss being in your home if you release him. He will thank god that his kidnappers released him so he could live out is life FREE.

Please take him to the Zoo pond or a pond at a park and set him free.

If you must then a 10 gallon will be fine and research his diet and try to get as close to natural as possible.

Answer 5

well if its really one week old it should be about 1 inch long and a 10 gallon will be fine for the first year of its life. but they outgrow their enclosures fast. it can grow up to 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 inches long in the first year of its life. rule of thumb for snappers is 10 gallons of water for every one inch of snapper (and keep in mind they can get up to 18 inches long!). the water should be shallow, as deep as the turtle is wide. a hide box is recomended (never stack up rocks to make a cave because there is a chance the rocks might collapse and hurt your turtle) being that your turtle is so young, you should offer a basking ramp for the little fella and proper UV lighting. snappers diet is 60% vegitation. they can be fed red leaf lettuce, romain lettuce, mustard greens, ocasional cuttlebone for extra calcium. you can also offer them boiled chicken and strawberries. habitat wise, they like muddy bottoms (like peatmoss), driftwood and a lot of vegitation such as: Elodea, polygonum, and Nuphar. also, the driftwood and peatmoss will help in making a suitable home for the "good bacteria" in the water.

BOTTOM LINE: a snapping turtle is NOT a begginers turtle and if you arnt willing or able to dedicate the time and $$$ it takes to care for this animal, I strongly advise you to give it to an experienced turtle owner. I'm not trying to be mean, i just wanna let you know that it is A LOT of work and money to get a turtle set up and provide it with proper housing throughout its life  which could be 30-40 yrs (i know from experience)...  if you are going to set it free, make sure its somewhere that meets its habitat requirements (murky/muddy shallow pond) good luck and please keep us posted on what you decide to do with the little guy :)

here are some pics of a young snapping turtle's aquarium set up from the turtle forum...

http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/...