Hatchbody

Tips for Baby Snapping Turtles
I've received several questions on the general care for newly hatched snapping turtles via e-mail. To save you (and me) some time, I've decided to list some common questions about taking care of baby snapping turtles and their answers.

How can I get it to start eating?

Like most wild animals, it takes snapping turtles a while to get accustomed to living indoors and receiving food from a human. To help your snapper overcome this natural aversion, try to make it's surroundings as natural as possible. I don't mean turn your spare bedroom into a pond, but try to set up your turtle's tank with all the amenities of home (i.e.. natural looking rocks, pieces of wood). Also, try to start you turtle off on food it would be accustomed to finding in its natural surroundings. Your best bet here is to buy some red worms from the local pet store or anywhere live bait is sold. Drop one or two in the tank near your turtle and then leave. No one likes to watched while eating, especially by a big dork that is like a hundred times their size. One last tip, keep the water warm. I've said this before, but it is especially important with a new turtle. If the water is cold, a turtle will get slow and groggy and will not feel like eating. So keep it between 70 and 80F. Once your turtle starts eating regularly, switch to some of the other foods listed in Feeding since snapping turtles imprint quickly.

One more thing, if your turtle has a little sac on the bottom of the shell, it may take a little longer for it to start eating. The yolk sac provided food for your turtle while it was still in the egg. It will eventually drop off so don't worry about it being there. Your turtle is very young and may take a week or so to start wanting food. Offer it food everyday and it should begin to eat shortly. If a week passes and it's still not eating, give a vet a call and see how you should proceed.

I just want to keep <insert cute turtle name here> for the winter, will he/she/it be able to survive when released?

First, these turtles are very hearty. They hatch in the later part of the summer, or early fall in the northern parts of the US, every year and then try to fatten up quickly to hibernate for the winter. This may sound like they don't have much of a chance, but somehow they survive. Not all snapping turtles will get the opportunity to see spring, either because they didn't get fat enough quick enough or they were chewed on by a raccoon or whatever. So if you want to increase a snapping turtle's chance of making it through the winter that's ok, just be aware that many new hatchlings do survive.
Yes, your turtle should be able to make it on its own once you release it in the spring. That is, as long as you don't carry it around all the time, hand feed it, teach it to shake hands, or otherwise desensitize it to humans. Don't worry, it won't like you when you get it nor anytime during it's stay with you. The only concern is that it no longer fears you. Don't constantly scare it or grab it and give it a shake every time you walk by so it will always be afraid of humans. Just limit your contact with it. Keep it in a part of the house that sees little traffic; don't stand around watching it eat every time you feed it; turn the lights off when you feed it, etc. One thing to watch out for is if your turtle starts to expect food when you approach. This is a bad sign if you plan on setting it free. If this does occur, feed your turtle only when the

lights are off and then leave the room after you feed it (stealth feeding), and never feed it when it's crawling up the tank begging for food. As for concerns that your turtle will forget how to hibernate, don't worry. It is a natural instinct when the days get shorter and the temperature drops, they will know what to do.
Something you should keep in mind is that captive turtles released to the wild can spread disease to or otherwise disrupt the wild population. To lessen the likelyhood of this occuring keep the turtle's enviroment as clean as possible, feed it quality food, and don't release it in an area (like a very small pond) were it is likely to cause problems. Try to release it in the body of water close to where you found it, if appropritate.

Can I keep more than one baby snapper in the same tank?

I don't recommend it. Snapping turtles are solitary creatures and only enjoy the company of another snapping turtle if it is of the opposite sex and it's time to mate (like most college guys). If you do keep more than one snapping turtle in a tank, make sure it is a large tank and when you feed your turtles, use a separate feeding tank and feed them individualy. But I strongly recommend separating them.

Can I keep baby snapping turtles with my other turtles?

Again, I don't recommend it. All aquatic turtles are omnivores. Those sliders you've had for years that have never bitten each other will probably see your new pet as food. Even if they can't eat it they may attempt to bite it anyway. I've received several e-mails from folks that have tried this and ended up with a dead turtle. They usually die from the trama of being repeatedly bitten. The only time this may work is if the turtles are of the same size, but you should still get a separate tank.

Do you know where I can buy a baby snapping turtle?

The best places to start looking are reptile shows, local breeders, and respectable pet stores. Look at the health of ALL the animals your supplier has. Check out their living conditions, the overall cleanliness of the place, and ask questions. Find out if the person selling you your pet (which may be with you well over 30 years) knows what they are doing. Most pet stores will not let you return reptiles after purchase so be sure you know what you're getting. Ask other customers about the place. Ask what the seller knows about this animal. Ask anything you can think of. A few questions can usually let you know if you're talking to someone that knows what they are doing when it comes to reptiles or a fish guy that decided to expand his selection. Taking the time to find a good supplier may save you lots of money and hassle in the future. If you find a bad supplier, don't even buy a cricket from them. The cheapest place isn't always the best and they are usually the cheapest because they cut corners and sell 'cheap' animals.
There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 273 million web sites that sell snapping turtles and other reptiles. Should you get your turtle from one of these sites? Well, while I don't like the idea of the UPS guy bringing my new turtle to me in a beaten up box, lots of people get their reptiles this way. I would use it as a last resort. Again, you should do some research. Find out how your animal would be shipped, warranties, and if they provide animals for research or food. I have a few sites that I'll provide for you to start your research. I'm not recommending or discounting these sites, so don't buy from one of these locations just because "that snapping turtle guy" has a link to their site.

Alligator Snapper Foundation