A co-worker found this little hatchling common snapper in our plant this morning. I think I may keep him over the winter and release him next spring...give him a little "jump-start' on life.
Hatchling Snapper
- Thread starter StudentoftheReptile
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I do the same thing here. Our plant is built around marshland, so if we get a warm spell we'll get hatchling snappers in the plant in Oct/Nov/Dec. I take them in for the Winter and release the following Spring.
Sooo cute
We just released 7 of them. There was one egg that was so tiny, and we never though that it would make it, but it hatched last week. I's probably smaller than my thumb nail. I never saw one so tiny. A real little runt. I'm keeping that one until next Spring too. This happens here every Spring too. A big Momma usually comes from the pond in the woods across the street and lays eggs in the yards in the neighborhood.
I have him in a little plastic bin with creeping jenny and he just started to eat. I'm giving him some little blood worms. What are you feeding yours, and keeping him in?
I have him in a little plastic bin with creeping jenny and he just started to eat. I'm giving him some little blood worms. What are you feeding yours, and keeping him in?
Oh, he's still sitting next to me in my cubicle! I'll have to throw something together when I get home this evening. I got a variety of tubs to choose from to set him up in, and a couple basking lights lying around.
Any tips on feeding would be helpful and appreciated!
Any tips on feeding would be helpful and appreciated!
So cute!
Aww! Sooo cute! Can I have one? Nevermind my mom would never let me get another turtle. [dang it!]
StudentoftheReptile said:
Just try to mimic where he would be now after hatching. Ours would be in a very shallow part of the pond with a mud bottom where they would dig under until next Spring. We set them up in a small tub with about three inches of water, and lots of small plants (water plants from a pet stor or anything that can live in the water and provide cover.) I start them off with small blood worms. I buy the frozen one's that come in little squares and defrost one half of a square. I feed him in another little tub so I don't have to keep changing the water in his home tub. I also scoop out a bit of water from my turtle pond so he gets some insect lave' that's in there. I don't put any lights on him just keep it at room temp. This is where we released the others.
So UV lighting not very important for these guys? I noticed his shell was rather pliable.
I wrote to Tom (from TurtleTails) and this was his response:
Hi Terry,
Snappers must be in water to swallow their food like all water turtles. Baby snappers grow fast but still behave like babies for about a year. By that I mean they don't move much more when handled. I am in PA but I have also lived near Glens Falls, NY. While it is cooling off there will be many more mild days. You can release your baby up to about the time you start seeing ice on water. So you do have some time. For now I would hold it until the yoke sac has been absorbed.
It has been proven that baby painted turtles can freeze solid and survive like nothing happened after the thaw. I had a young snapper hibernate in the garden pen under only about an inch of soil. Most of the baby snappers probably never reach water in the fall. So if you release your little one a month or two from now, it will still be far ahead of the game of survival. As far as caring for it over the winter, a simple pan of water will due. I start my babies in a pan of water for the first few months with just enough water to cover them - see my article "Starting Hatchling Water Turtles" on the Raising Baby Turtles page.
I recommend a commercial turtle food like Reptamin as the main diet and you can give it table scraps like turkey or chicken and maybe some box turtle foods. Some snappers make excellent pets but it would take a year or two before you really know what kind of personality it will have.
Tom
http://turtle_tails.tripod.com/raisingbabyturtles2/tour18.htm
Hi Terry,
Snappers must be in water to swallow their food like all water turtles. Baby snappers grow fast but still behave like babies for about a year. By that I mean they don't move much more when handled. I am in PA but I have also lived near Glens Falls, NY. While it is cooling off there will be many more mild days. You can release your baby up to about the time you start seeing ice on water. So you do have some time. For now I would hold it until the yoke sac has been absorbed.
It has been proven that baby painted turtles can freeze solid and survive like nothing happened after the thaw. I had a young snapper hibernate in the garden pen under only about an inch of soil. Most of the baby snappers probably never reach water in the fall. So if you release your little one a month or two from now, it will still be far ahead of the game of survival. As far as caring for it over the winter, a simple pan of water will due. I start my babies in a pan of water for the first few months with just enough water to cover them - see my article "Starting Hatchling Water Turtles" on the Raising Baby Turtles page.
I recommend a commercial turtle food like Reptamin as the main diet and you can give it table scraps like turkey or chicken and maybe some box turtle foods. Some snappers make excellent pets but it would take a year or two before you really know what kind of personality it will have.
Tom
http://turtle_tails.tripod.com/raisingbabyturtles2/tour18.htm
Thanks for the info!
I just have him set-up in a tub with about an 1" of water, a big log to hide around and bask on, and a 75-watt heat lamp. Gonna hit the pet store this weekend to find some aquatic plants to fill it up some.
I just have him set-up in a tub with about an 1" of water, a big log to hide around and bask on, and a 75-watt heat lamp. Gonna hit the pet store this weekend to find some aquatic plants to fill it up some.
Those little guys are CUTE- and the looooong tails are amazing!
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