Hatchling common snapper

[synodontisjack]

picked this little guy up a last monday, been wanting one for a long time but you don't see many over here. This is also my first herp so any advice concerning foods would be appreciated as he's currently eating mealworms, earthworms, bloodworms, prawns and lancefish.

 

[dannyboiiii]

hes gunna b a tank

 

[Unholy1761]

I remember when mine was that size they grow fast... Hmm food beef heart, any veggie with some vitamin d3 or calcium... What you feed him now is what he will gain a preference too in the future... Id start getting some market shrimp no shells until he is bigger... Feeders should be a treat. give him some sort of turtle pellet as a staple but dont feed him that everyday, change it up daily like meat,veg,pellet... I give mine a frozen feeder mouse at the end of the month as a treat... Oh yeah if he is shy put him in a room where he will see people more often, they love watching the outside of their tank more and more as they get older and smarter. Im sure i can think of more things.. If you have any more questions or wanna know anything about them ask me ive had mine for about 1.5 years love him to death. My guys a florida snapper care is pretty much the same except temperature....

 

[fishy12]

I love the underwater pic its ba! And those are some sweet turtles. Wish I had one

 

[kdrun76]

Be sure you have the right amount and kind of lights for them. Turtles have high light requirements same as lizards.

 

[Thongy]

You're so lucky snappers arent illegal there...sucks to be in california everything thats cool is illegal.

 

[synodontisjack]

thanks guys, unholy how big is yours now? i've heard they reach 7" or so in 2 years but i assume growth is substantially faster in the early days, can't wait for him to put on some size.

 

[coura]

Be sure you have the right amount and kind of lights for them. Turtles have high light requirements same as lizards.

A 5.0 uv ligth is beneficial but not by any means essencial like it is for many lizards. Very cute litle guy but he is going to grow very fast so make shure you have that really big tank in your shopping list for when the time comes. When he is full grow if you can house him outside during the warmer mouths in a pond, he will love it. The diet your using is correct but its better to avoid mealworms untill he is a bit larger. Use also a good pelleted food for vitamins such as tetra reptomin. You can also use chiclid pellets.

 

[Wiggles92]

I had a common snapper for a few years until my dad made me get rid of him due to his size .

I got it as a hatchling pretty much straight from the egg (still had remnants of it's umbilical cord [yes, turtles have umbilical cords]), and it grew to around 1' in a bit over two years. It loved minnows, guppies, and the occasional goldfish (bred in my pond, not store-bought), but never really enjoyed plant matter other than sometimes eating apple slices.

Get a filter that can handle an enormous bioload for when he gets bigger or else you'll be doing water changes daily.

Good luck with the little guy!

 

[synodontisjack]

thanks, he's only in a 60 gal at the mo but next year i'll be moving my fish to a bigger tank so he can have the 150 then i think the next step will be one of those 6x4' koi vats.