Hello all! I am Keen and I have been a turtle keeper for going on 5 years now. I have a Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) who has a roughly 6" carapace. He enjoys long walks on the beach and burrowing down in the sand to talk about his day. His name is Adamantoise, or just Adam for short.
Currently his tank is rather basic. Rocks, sand, basically a southern stream without the vegetation. I keep it around 6-8" deep, just enough to allow him to burrow into the sand and still be able to crane his neck out to breathe every once in a while. He eats fuzzies, fish, other small reptiles (mainly baby lizards), and turtle sticks (The sticks are like his junk food). I have a heater in there to keep the water an even temp all year since we live in New England. He does not hibernate of course, but I think he appreciates the gesture.
He has only bitten us once because we are generally smart about feeding him, but accidents happen. He is my favorite pet and we have quite a few. I want to spoil him a bit with a new tank and setup since its just about time to upgrade his tank.
I am wanting to use wood for the decorations along with stones, and I want to put in a powerhead to simulate waterflow. The filter I have is working well so I will just leave that alone. I have never put vegetation in his tank, but people tell me he would eat the plants. I have my doubts as he is young still, but who knows?
So if any of you have any ideas on a nice aquascape that will still give him lots of floor-space, let me know. I am looking forward to continuing to browse this forum. I have been lurking for a while now and decided to join today.
Happy Tank-Keeping Y'all!
-Keen & Adam
P.S
Thought I should edit in: I know ownership of snappers is restricted in some states and have made all proper inquiries before we ever moved here to be sure keeping him with me was allowed. So he is perfectly legal in the state that I reside in.
Currently his tank is rather basic. Rocks, sand, basically a southern stream without the vegetation. I keep it around 6-8" deep, just enough to allow him to burrow into the sand and still be able to crane his neck out to breathe every once in a while. He eats fuzzies, fish, other small reptiles (mainly baby lizards), and turtle sticks (The sticks are like his junk food). I have a heater in there to keep the water an even temp all year since we live in New England. He does not hibernate of course, but I think he appreciates the gesture.
He has only bitten us once because we are generally smart about feeding him, but accidents happen. He is my favorite pet and we have quite a few. I want to spoil him a bit with a new tank and setup since its just about time to upgrade his tank.
I am wanting to use wood for the decorations along with stones, and I want to put in a powerhead to simulate waterflow. The filter I have is working well so I will just leave that alone. I have never put vegetation in his tank, but people tell me he would eat the plants. I have my doubts as he is young still, but who knows?
So if any of you have any ideas on a nice aquascape that will still give him lots of floor-space, let me know. I am looking forward to continuing to browse this forum. I have been lurking for a while now and decided to join today.
Happy Tank-Keeping Y'all!
-Keen & Adam
P.S
Thought I should edit in: I know ownership of snappers is restricted in some states and have made all proper inquiries before we ever moved here to be sure keeping him with me was allowed. So he is perfectly legal in the state that I reside in.
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