What do u feed a snapping turtle?

Question

Ok well i was rideing my 4-wheeler and i looked down and saw a little snapping turtle the size of a quater and it almost got hit by a car so i picked it up and now i have it in a huge inclosure where i used to have box turtles. I was wondering what do you feed snapping turtles so i can give it a meal. Also do they like to swim. If i need to know anything else please let me know

thanks alot

:)

Answer 1

First off not your finger, lol,lol,lol,,  Minnows, worms, crickets, grub worms, grasshoppers. They eat it all. Turtles have to adjust their body temp, by sunning & cooling. Snappers like to go under water to cool, then set on a log or rock to warm-up. Your aquarium must have these features, for it to work for him. You also need to keep the water clean, and free of poo.

Answer 2

live fish lettuce carrots veggies worms

Answer 3

ground beef venison lean chicken fish live and your fingers if not careful lol

Answer 4

Please take it back home. It will cost you $150-200 to set up a good habitat for the little thing, and even then there is no guarantee it will survive- baby turtles taken from the wild are usually badly stressed by it all.

Besides- in much of the US it is illegal to collect or capture turtles, especially babies. In many places, it is a violation of the fish or game laws, in others they are considered endangered or threatened.

If you DO decide to keep it, AND it is really a baby snapper, try http://www.chelydra.org for some great care info.

Snappers are hardy pets if given half a chance, but they are not considered good pets for beginners- they get big, are a little dangerous, and make a lot of messes in their tanks.

Answer 5

They are more aquatic than any of our native turtles other than the softshells. They rarely bask on land. Someplace in the tank should be shallow enough for the turtle to stand but still stick its nose out to breathe. The rest of the tank should be deep enough for swimming.

Live food is the best. Earthworms and soft-bodied insects are great food. Small fishes can be kept in the tank for the turtle to feed itself. They also like liver dusted in bonemeal.

Your filter will get quite a workout. Get the largest one you can or get used to having a cloudy, alga-filled tank.

Answer 6

With your limited knowledge, it is unlikely to survive. My advice is to release it in a wetland near where you found it.

Answer 7

please return it to the area in which you found it.

Answer 8

I've raised 3 clutches of snappers that size and started them on Betta bits and tubiflex worms.  Live food.  they will eat red worms, brine shrimp, Tiny feeder guppies, and pin head crickets.

Your snapper needs water to be in, as deep as he is long. They love warm 75f water and small ones will bask but stop as they grow.  By the time they are 5-6 inches its nearly only females that leave the water, and then usually only to lay eggs.

Filtration is the big fight with snappers, they can c**p up water fast if well fed. so be prepared with a filter that can handle 2x the amount he is in.

If you look on the under side of his shell you can tell if he is a new hatchling , there will be a "soft spot" visable in the center of the plastron.

They make great pets, if you dont mind things that arnt cuddly or do tricks. They will recognize people who feed them. become somewhat docile with regular handling

heres a forum with lots of people who keep snapers and will answer any questions you have.  http://z10.invisionfree.com/The_Snapper_...

Answer 9

WHen i was in NY and found a snapping turtle we gave it any leatuces and put it in a tub of water about 4in (it was full grown) and a big rock that stuck out of the water for it to climb on when it was tierd of the water.

Answer 10

Are you sure it is a snapper? Snappers have long tails with little fins on top and points like saw teeth at the back edge of their shells. Their feet are webbed a little bit. Snappers are water turtles that RARELY leave the water. They don't swim much, they crawl on the bottom of the lake or river. If it is a snapper it needs to be in water and it doesn't need a basking spot. They are primarily carnivorous so I would feed a baby small whole fish, worms, and insects. NEVER FEED A TURTLE GROUND BEEF, it has indigestible fat. They are cold blooded and their bodies don't get warm enough to digest solid fats. I have one that I watched hatch 7 years ago.

Answer 11

I have a pet turtle but it's a red eared slider. My turtle eats little pelits of food. This might sound weird, but he also eats crickets. And, its aquatic so his tank has a lot of water in it. Also, we have a special heating lamp, because they can grow fungus with too little light or too much. Also, he is little too, and when they're little they might have salimanila (sp?) poisoning. Wash your hands after cleaning his tank or holding him.  I would recommend looking up the care of snapping turtles on the internet. I would highly recommend that because my turtle might be different.

P.S. Your snapping turtle is a red-eared slider if it has red on each side of its neck.

Good luck! They're a handfull! Don't forget to clean the tank!