need urgent advice

[Landon21]

today me and my cousin had to sane our grandfathers pond due to the recent drought.. we found a 4 inch long baby snapping turtle.. now the things i live in ashdown, arkansas (where texas meets arkansas).. what species would this be, most likley a alligator snapping turtle, but you guys have any ideas? Also ive kept large aquatic turtles in the past and have a good amount of experience with them.. however ive never collected one from the wild.. right now he is in a ten gallon aquarium with powerful filtration and a submersible heater that keeps the water at 76f to 80f.. i also have a hot lamp under the hood.. my problem is ive heard different stories from different people, this guy does need a way to get out of the water, correct? my friends have a couple snappers and they've had them for a couple years in a full to the top 55gallon.. right now i have my water level at 6 inches.. any advice would be appreciated!

also i have treated him with medications to rid parasites and fungus!

Thanks,
Landon :confused:

[Valvaren]

I really think you should check in your area if you are even allowed to house wild caught animals and then look into keeping him.

[Landon21]

its in my house, and it was collected from my pond.. so i dont see a problem..

[millertime89]

so essentially... he was a pet before, you just moved him inside.
:D

[Landon21]

my main question is though do they need a basking spot?

[stephanbakir]

The main issues are, snappers have massive claws. I had one as a pet for about 12 years and we needed to swap the tanks 3 times because he clawed them so bad you couldn't see through the glass and he was at risk of going through. They also eat a ton, and rarely take F/T, and they poop a ton.

They normally kill their prey quickly, but sometimes its... hard to take.

If you want an example, I have a saved link of a snapper ripping a mouse in half, and the mouses front half trying to swim away while the turtle chases it down...

[TeaNinja]

The main issues are, snappers have massive claws. I had one as a pet for about 12 years and we needed to swap the tanks 3 times because he clawed them so bad you couldn't see through the glass and he was at risk of going through. They also eat a ton, and rarely take F/T, and they poop a ton.

They normally kill their prey quickly, but sometimes its... hard to take.

If you want an example, I have a saved link of a snapper ripping a mouse in half, and the mouses front half trying to swim away while the turtle chases it down...

sad, animals are brutal lol.

[stephanbakir]

I personally hate watching the video, but when I see people like my neighbor tossing a half dozen tiny living mice in with his turtle at a time I get pissed.
His turtle only eats 3-4 at a time, the other 2 have nothing to stand on so drown and the turtle picks em off later... how freaking cruel is that...

I save it to show people the harm their animals can cause.

[Landon21]

yeah i know their pretty tough to say the least but now what about a basking spot? is this required? ive seen people keep snappers in tanks filled to the top with water...?

[Landon21]

also; whats the difference in a common and an alligator snapper?

[ladyjustice33]

You said you are on the border where Texas meets Arkansas right? Why don't you post a pic, I'm in Texas and have relocated many turtles from my yard.

[Landon21]

my camera isnt working right of i would... hes got a smooth oval shell (4 inches) and heavy scales on his feet with long claws with about a 2 inch tail..

on another ive cleaned the algae off the shell but on his feet and head he has this stuff that looks like white (?) algae.. ive added anti fungal and parasite medicines but what other way can i get rid of this?

[TalonNC]

I personally hate watching the video, but when I see people like my neighbor tossing a half dozen tiny living mice in with his turtle at a time I get pissed.
His turtle only eats 3-4 at a time, the other 2 have nothing to stand on so drown and the turtle picks em off later... how freaking cruel is that...

I save it to show people the harm their animals can cause.

I think i just watched the aforementioned video....and let me say..I feed live to my BP...but if I EVER saw that take place...i think i would instantly move to F/T.

That was :Wow: eye opening and horrible.....

[TeaNinja]

you might as well just switch to f/t anyway. it's much easier to deal with and theres no chance of the rat/mouse chomping the hell out of your snake. there are some downright disgusting photos of live feeding disasters. (please don't post them, i've seen them enough lol)

[Landon21]

its been confirmed its an alligator snapper my dad used to catch them.. please help me with this im really concerned, hes what looks like white algae all over his feet, head and neck.. also please tell me how deep i should fill the ten gallon and does he need a basking spot out of the water?

btw i notice he does crap a ton lol... some advice would be greatly appreciated!

[stephanbakir]

Don't let him marinade in the feces.
Algae is normal on snappers, it helps them blend in and I've found 100+ year old turtles with forests growing off of their shells who swam faster then you could imagine, I believe hes fine.