Alligator snapper

[Arrowanaoscars]

They are legal here, I bought two during the summer and was told that no permits are needed by the DNR here.

where did u buy them from i live near denver and all the local fish stores dont carry or order them im thinking of putting a hatchling in a 55 gallon let him grow then in to the 210 gallon then from there make the pound to his size as needed and by the time i need a biger pound ill probly be dead lol and my grand children can carry out the task of raising him

lol...should put in my will only way to get any money from my death is to take care of my turtles and other fish

 

[Texascowboy1979]

MY 2 cents...

Ally snappers do not grow fast dispite what many say... of corse if you are able to convert you ally to pellets, that will help you have a faster growing snapper...

Mine eat fish... dead or alive. They dont prefer pellets...

Alligator turtles do not apply to the standard rules for tank size.

1st, they are seditary animals... You wont find one swimming for fun and exploring. They are "Wait and Ambush" Predators... You can house a good size snapper in a 150 gallon stock tank for many years. What you really need to look at is,

1, Turtle needs to be able to move around comfortabley... Lets say you have a snapper that is 15 inches long... you would want to use a 150 gallon stock tank.

Granted, yes you would want the largest habit you can afford, say a pond or what not, but if your on a budjet... a large stock tank will work just fine and is much more inexpensive.

I have 2 snappers that are about 7 inches in a 55 gallon aquarium in my house... and for the past 3 weeks... they have been in the same spot. They only move to get air and when there chowing down. Most of the time there jaws are open.

Thats my 2 cents.

Oh... and one more thing... they are extreamly Powerful animals... do not underestimate them, they are not to be messed with, only looked at. If your not carefull, you can loose a finger.... be careful. and best of luck

 

[methos75]

My AST swims around and explores quite a bit, yeah he doesn't do so as say a Slider might, but at least when young they aren't as inactive as many think either. As to rather they are fast growing or not, they do tend to slow down after a few years and the two I have were both purchased from Loggerhead farms in August when they were right under a inch long and both are pushing five inches now so I say that is pretty fast growing.

 

[Joe M]

I don't get why people think they grow extremely slowly. I had one of mine for a year before I sold it to my friend. It was 6 inches SCL when I got it, and was just under 8.5 a year later. 2 1/2 inches per year is slow for most turtles, but thats decent growth for an alli, and it was nothing special but talapia fillets and hikari turtle pellets.

It may be kinda slow, but people are wrong if they think the have 10-15 years before they outgrow their 12 inch wide tank.

 

[methos75]

I don't get why people think they grow extremely slowly. I had one of mine for a year before I sold it to my friend. It was 6 inches SCL when I got it, and was just under 8.5 a year later. 2 1/2 inches per year is slow for most turtles, but thats decent growth for an alli, and it was nothing special but talapia fillets and hikari turtle pellets.

It may be kinda slow, but people are wrong if they think the have 10-15 years before they outgrow their 12 inch wide tank.

Yeah I don't get it, mine are growing pretty fast IMO

 

[Joe M]

Yeah I don't get it, mine are growing pretty fast IMO

Yup. No offense to anyone who actually has some, but I think a lot of people have no direct experience but just post that they are super-slow growers because they have heard that from somebody.

 

[Creek_stomper]

Yup. No offense to anyone who actually has some, but I think a lot of people have no direct experience but just post that they are super-slow growers because they have heard that from somebody.

That's what it looks like from my end. Most sliders will only hit 2.5-3'' in the first year on healthy growth, so comparing that to several ASTs that I know of hitting 5" at least in the first year, that seems like a pretty hefty growth pattern for the AST.

Josh H