Baby Alligator Snapping Turtle Care Sheet
Baby snapping turtles alligator snapping turtle.
Baby alligator snapping turtle care sheet. When a snapping turtle is a baby it is very cute and hard to resist. Snapping turtle may occasionally suffer from health conditions. Despite many large adults often being kept with other turtle species in zoo exhibits alligator snapping turtles are best kept alone. A common snapping turtle chelydra serpentina is a species of freshwater turtle native to the swamps and rivers of central north and south america it is a part of chelydridae family also commonly known as the family of snapping turtles.
Although all species have very similar care needs. Box turtle terrapene sp. The most popular variety are common snapping turtles and this care guide will mainly focus on that species. Caring for a baby snapping turtle is not really hard.
Diet snapping turtles are omnivorous in nature feeding on a wide variety of live prey and also eagerly eating floating aquatic vegetation. Alligator snapping turtles grow quickly and become very large. When selecting an enclosure keep in mind that you will have to upgrade constantly as the turtle grows and at full adult size these turtles require at least an 800 gallon pond or stock tank. In captivity they feed aggressively on fish worms and crayfish and will eat floating commercial pellets as hatchlings juveniles and adults.
Box turtles originate entirely within north america mostly within the united states. Snapping turtles may have respiratory conditions due to bacteria and vitamin a deficiency. Unable to resist temptation every year people who have never before attempted reptile care end up purchasing baby alligators to raise at home. These terrestrial turtles are members of the pond turtle family and vary greatly in appearance.
One difference is their tank size should be much smaller to accommodate the shallow water 10 or 20 gallons is best. Babies are typically defined as being less than 6 months in age and have very similar care requirements to adults. The alligator snapping turtle is physically different from the common snapping turtle in a number of ways. There s just a lot of time involved and you need to make sure you create a good habitat and establish good practices to make sure your turtle lives a long time.
Other information because of their extremely large size heaviest freshwater turtle in the world alligator snappers are not for beginners or even experienced keepers if they cannot provide the space for these beasts.