A lady found a baby snapper turtle..need some help.

[flower]

Background: My granddaughters 12th Birthday is in October, and she wants a turtle. The pet shops turtles were all too large and ready for the 55g tanks. Then yesterday while in the LFS to get Mysis shrimp for my horses, in walks a lady with a baby snapper turtle. I ask her if she wanted to sell it, and she just gave it to me.
I have been on line and there is one question I can't seem to find a definite answer for.
Does a snapper turtle spend all it's days in the water like an alligator turtle and only enters dry land to lay eggs...or...does it need a little land island to crawl up on? I am fixing to build a habitat for the little critter and I want to make sure it's all according to it's needs.
LOL...I bet in a few years it will be so big she will have to release it into a nearby pond, but for now she has a turtle. She already knows how to respect a snapper and handle them correctly. Why a beautiful little girl would even want a snapper turtle is beyond me, it seems like more of a little boys choice.
LOL...Well I'm just Nana, and making sure the grandkids are properly spoiled is my job. So a snapper turtle it is. So does anyone know about turtles?

 

[beth]

I had a snapping turtle that I found when I was a kid. Pretty much can be in water, but there should be places where the turtle can swim, and at least stand, even if there is still a little bit of water. A muddy area would be good. The turtle will benefit from basking opportunities, so a small "land" area at least with a small heat lamp is a good idea.
I'm not sure these are a good pet choice. They snap and can bite. They also live a very long time and can get rather big. Releasing it back in to the wild after having it as a pet would be wrong.
Look at this turtle tub with a nice ramp up to a small land area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEir4u1Gg_Q&feature=related

 

[snakeblitz33]

I think you should look for a more suitable turtle.... snappers are dangerous.
Red ear sliders are a popular choice. There are also other types of turtles sold at a couple of the big box stores that are much more suited to being a long term pet.

 

[flower]

BIG SIGH...she already made a pet of this one...The basic set-up is the same. I offered to purchase a slider turtle, and she agreed that AFTER I actually purchase the turtle she will trade.
The first of the month is around the corner. I found a site selling baby slider turtles...a slider costs $14.95 for 3 babies, but a single baby snapper like the one she has is $59.95....Are baby sliders not so hardy or what????
I set up the habitat for it, she worked hard on it....do you guys want a picture? I helped her set it up so she knows what to do when she gets it home. It will house a baby turtle for at least a year, then she will need a habitat that is deeper. Right now I used gravel so the turtle can rest and peek his head out of the water. I have a reptile lamp she can use as well. I made an island in the center of the tub and made a waterfall out of the filter.
So if she has the little snapper for a few weeks...can it be returned to the wild?

 

[ironeagle2006]

Red Ears are Bred for the Pet Trade Snappers are not. Also I had a Pet Snapper for about 10 Years when I was a kid. Caught it Fishing when I was 6 and kept it til I was 16. Mine ate Krill Goldfish loved Crayfish and stuff like that. Never had an issue with it being mean. I released it back into the wild when I was 16 into the local River it was about 10-12 Lbs in size.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ironeagle2006 http:///t/392709/a-lady-found-a-baby-snapper-turtle-need-some-help#post_3489020
Red Ears are Bred for the Pet Trade Snappers are not. Also I had a Pet Snapper for about 10 Years when I was a kid. Caught it Fishing when I was 6 and kept it til I was 16. Mine ate Krill Goldfish loved Crayfish and stuff like that. Never had an issue with it being mean. I released it back into the wild when I was 16 into the local River it was about 10-12 Lbs in size.
Well that is a very encouraging post, dare I cross my fingers and hope.

 

[stdreb27]

I'm confused, when you say snapper you mean a red ear?
Like the ones we shoot in stock tanks?
When we did one of those tanks, we had them in water with a floating landing for them, with a heat lamp and canister filter.
We caught a Buncha minnows tossed em in. And fed a little greenery.
After a while they got bigger than the tank so we tossed him in a city park with a river.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by stdreb27 http:///t/392709/a-lady-found-a-baby-snapper-turtle-need-some-help#post_3489047
I'm confused, when you say snapper you mean a red ear?
Like the ones we shoot in stock tanks?
When we did one of those tanks, we had them in water with a floating landing for them, with a heat lamp and canister filter.
We caught a Buncha minnows tossed em in. And fed a little greenery.
After a while they got bigger than the tank so we tossed him in a city park with a river.
I don't see any red ... These are not my pictures but they look just like him.

 

[sweat90lx]

are you trying to make a terrarium for it? Im not sure what the require but Id guess they need some area with soil or moss.
All I can think of now is WOO-WO-WOOO-WOO LIVE ACTION! I watched call of the wildman earlier. Turtle Man is high quality entertainment. LOL

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by sweat90lx http:///t/392709/a-lady-found-a-baby-snapper-turtle-need-some-help#post_3489061
are you trying to make a terrarium for it? Im not sure what the require but Id guess they need some area with soil or moss.
All I can think of now is WOO-WO-WOOO-WOO LIVE ACTION! I watched call of the wildman earlier. Turtle Man is high quality entertainment. LOL
LOL...I love that show, that hillbilly is crazy.
You can tell it's a little girls turtle tank.

 

[sweat90lx]

Looks like a comfy turtle home.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by sweat90lx http:///t/392709/a-lady-found-a-baby-snapper-turtle-need-some-help#post_3489071
Looks like a comfy turtle home.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
I helped her set it up so she would know what to do when she got home. Left up to my daughter the little critter would have stayed in the 5 inch travel container. Mandy (my Granddaughter) would have tried to keep it in the bathtub...LOL, that's what she wanted to do here. The turtle habitat on-line costs around $300.00...my version $25.00 and the mermaid ornament was just sitting around so I tossed it in to make it girly. The turtle would just as quickly outgrow the on-line fancy one anyway.

 

[beth]

Needs a heat source. Turtles like snakes can not regulate their own body temps, and therefore require a controlled temperature in their environment to meet their needs. Snapping turtles prefer cool water but need a basking area to warm up.
This is a good read, if you haven't found it already on google.
http://kennythelizardking.tripod.com/id9.html

 

[bender77]

You need to look into your local laws. In a lot of places it's illegal to keep things like turtles that are found locally in the wild as a pet without a permit. I know people do it, but you could get into a lot of trouble.

 

[sweat90lx]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/392709/a-lady-found-a-baby-snapper-turtle-need-some-help#post_3489076
I helped her set it up so she would know what to do when she got home. Left up to my daughter the little critter would have stayed in the 5 inch travel container. Mandy (my Granddaughter) would have tried to keep it in the bathtub...LOL, that's what she wanted to do here.
LOL. My uncle and niece got a goldfish at the county fair many years ago. It started in a vase tank until it outgrow it. After outgrowing two more tanks the goldfish lived in the bathtub for a while.
They still have the fish. Not sure what size tank its in now but it is one large goldfish.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bender77 http:///t/392709/a-lady-found-a-baby-snapper-turtle-need-some-help#post_3489100
You need to look into your local laws. In a lot of places it's illegal to keep things like turtles that are found locally in the wild as a pet without a permit. I know people do it, but you could get into a lot of trouble.
I have driven myself to tears trying to get an answer from the state on snapper turtle babies....since my granddaughter is taking the critter to Wisconsin it wouldn't matter anyway. I plan to purchase a slider for her, and she can release the snapper back to the wild...and if not because she got too attached to it , then I doubt the state will ever find out anyway. I can't imagine her bedroom being raided over a baby snapper turtle that isn't even an endangered species.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth http:///t/392709/a-lady-found-a-baby-snapper-turtle-need-some-help#post_3489097
Needs a heat source. Turtles like snakes can not regulate their own body temps, and therefore require a controlled temperature in their environment to meet their needs. Snapping turtles prefer cool water but need a basking area to warm up.
This is a good read, if you haven't found it already on google.
http://kennythelizardking.tripod.com/id9.html
I found an article on the common snapper turtle, they are aquatic and dont require a basking area or a heat lamp. I have both...(available and set up already) but I was surprised to read they didn't require it.
Here is a part of the article:
It was several years later that I came into possession of another common snapping turtle. I kept it in a 20-gallon aquarium that was full of water -- nothing else, just water. That’s one of the nice things about keeping snapping turtles; they’re fairly easy to maintain because they are aquatic turtles and not basking turtles such as sliders, painteds, cooters, etc. So they don’t absolutely require a land area and basking spot in order to thrive. Plus they’re usually hardy eaters and seem pretty resilient to illness. You have to be careful with them due to their biting proclivities, of course, especially when they get bigger. Speaking of which, they need good-sized enclosures when they grow.

 

[bang guy]

If you look at the large snappers in the wild you will notice an impressive algae growth by the end of summer. This indicates to me that they do not require basking or it would have killed the algae. That said, I see many on the banks of a nearby stream so that seems to indicate that they do enjoy the opportunity even if it's not required.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///t/392709/a-lady-found-a-baby-snapper-turtle-need-some-help#post_3489108
If you look at the large snappers in the wild you will notice an impressive algae growth by the end of summer. This indicates to me that they do not require basking or it would have killed the algae. That said, I see many on the banks of a nearby stream so that seems to indicate that they do enjoy the opportunity even if it's not required.
I must agree, it's more like nature. I supplied the turtle tub with a heat lamp and basking area and planty of swim room..if the turtle wants to bask in the warm light, it can.

 

[stdreb27]

Down here at least it really doesn't get that cold, the water stays round 90 during the summer so I dunno about really needing heat.
I do know in Texas that keeping turtles under a certain size is illegal.
The snapping turtles I've seen in captivity have been larger 2-4 feet in length. And they basically are In an enclosure with a in ground pool. They basically stay at the bottom. Come up for air ever couple of hours and that's about it.
There is a smaller one in a fresh water tank at the aquarium. He really doesn't have a landing spot. That I could really tell.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by stdreb27 http:///t/392709/a-lady-found-a-baby-snapper-turtle-need-some-help#post_3489180
Down here at least it really doesn't get that cold, the water stays round 90 during the summer so I dunno about really needing heat.
I do know in Texas that keeping turtles under a certain size is illegal.
The snapping turtles I've seen in captivity have been larger 2-4 feet in length. And they basically are In an enclosure with a in ground pool. They basically stay at the bottom. Come up for air ever couple of hours and that's about it.
There is a smaller one in a fresh water tank at the aquarium. He really doesn't have a landing spot. That I could really tell.
Amanda says she will trade for a non-snapping slider...October 15th is her birthday, but I will order a slider on 1st of september, and then as long as it takes to get a turtle from the online reptile store, I can swap her for the new one. She said she won't release the snapper baby until she has the slider in hand...LOL she is taking no chances....she has been begging her mother for a turtle as a Birthday present for the last 3 months.