Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hello from Boston

[GWalsh]

Hey all,

I was out golfing the other day and found a very small turtle. Whether it was wise to do so or not, I kept it.

Can you guys help me figure out
1) What kind of turtle is it? (My roomie says snapping, but just to be sure)
2) How old is it, about?
3) Off those questions I can do the subsequent research, but any tips on feeding, environment, and care?

Right now I have him in a large plastic food dish with a lot of grass.

please take a look at him and let me know what you think.

http://community.webshots.com/album/560 ... =community

[DavidY]

Yup that looks like a common snapping turtle hatchling. Most likely you found it after it dug it's way out of the nest and was on its way to the nearest water hole. They can get pretty big and heavy and don't make a good first pet reptile. The best thing for the turtle would be to release it in the nearest pond where you found it (it may also be illegal to keep wild caught native species in your state). A turtle like that needs an aquatic environment as they rarely come out of the water. A full grown snapper would require a pond to live in during the warmer months and at least a 120 gallon tank from late fall to early spring.

[rachel16]

ya thats a snapper

[GWalsh]

Thanks guys,

I'm good on the legality issue, just checked.

I found it last night and am going to the petstore right after work, any idea what to feed it? At this age?

[DavidY]

Snappers are carnivorous and will probably take small crickets and feeder fish. Try getting some small rosy red minnows or feeder guppies but avoid feeder goldfish since they are high in fat. Also you can try any aquatic turtle pellet food like Reptomin baby turtle food. A new hatchling may take a couple of days before it will start eating. Make sure to keep it in an aquarium with shallow water and a few pieces of drift wood and plants so he can rest on them and stick his nose above water, and also an area or another piece of wood that he can climb all the way out of the water if he wants to. You should also place a heat light (normal household 60 to 75watt bulb) over those areas so he can bask and warm himself. You will also need a UVB light bulb like a Reptiglo 5.0 or 8.0 over the basking area too. If you decide to use a substrate in the tank you should probably go with some kind of river sand or smooth river rocks, avoid anything abrasive like gravel. And don't forget a good water filter as snappers are messy eaters and they eat/poop a lot.

Remember if you decide to keep him, you should be sure you are able to provide for him the rest of his life since once a turtle has been raised in captivity it would not be a good idea to release him back into the wild later on.

[Safdar]

Welcome to the forum

[Turtlelover123]

Its a snapper, probably a hatchling too.

oh, and Welcome to the forum!