Hello! :)

[Kame the Snapper]

Hi all! My name is Darian and i'm here to learn more about my new pet. My friend and I were out fishing and he suddenly dipped his hand into the creek and pulled out the cutest little baby turtle! He has a tank full of them so naturally he offered this one to me. He(the turtle is too young to sex yet) appears to be an Alligator Snapping Turtle. He's really cool!

 

[taza]

You should put him back. Its not fair to him to be pulled out of natural habitat to live in a fish tank.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Darian, and welcome to the Forum!

I think you should put the turtle back where you found it. I'm not positive, but I think it is illegal to collect snapping turtles in Texas:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_lf_w7000_1667.pdf

 

[tortadise]

Hi all! My name is Darian and i'm here to learn more about my new pet. My friend and I were out fishing and he suddenly dipped his hand into the creek and pulled out the cutest little baby turtle! He has a tank full of them so naturally he offered this one to me. He(the turtle is too young to sex yet) appears to be an Alligator Snapping Turtle. He's really cool!

Welcome. You should put the little guy back. So should your friend. It is illegal to collection this species in the state of Texas too. They're an important fundamental to the ecosystems of creeks and all the offspring needs to be able to grow up and keep those ecosystems properly balanced. We have quite a few breeders of turtles and tortoises here on the forum that can supply you with a lovely captive bred turtle.

 

[RainsOn]

There are lots of turtles in pet stores or with breeders who need a good home.
Turtles are fascinating and can be fun. They are meat eaters and need water to be kept clean and aerated.
A good idea is to do the research first so you are ready when you get one.
Hope you find just the right one for you. Come back here for great advice.

 

[Kame the Snapper]

I cant put him back. I got him in Oklahoma. I live in Texas. Its not illegal to pick them up in Oklahoma at all. This turtle was bred and released into the small drainage creek. My friend frequently rescues turtles because they cant survive in the filth. We were fishing for crawfish who CAN survive the filth to feed his rescued red sliders and alligator snappers.

 

[Kame the Snapper]

I have okayed having the little guy with the county sherriff anyways ^_^

 

[Yvonne G]

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[RainsOn]

Now you need to prepare to keep him. No chemicals! the more natural the environment the better. This can take some effort. He could get pretty big and will need lots of swimming space. Check out the area for turtles on this forum for detailed advice. The more info you can get the sooner the better. Sounds like your friend might have a pretty good grasp of what you can start with. Best of luck! It's a whole new world out there with a turtle in your life.
Keep us posted on his progress.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Darian welcome to the TFO from AZ . I'm sorry if we hurt your feelings but the TFO don't support the collecting of wild turtles legal or illegal . So we have to see if your collecting wild turtles .


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[Abdulla6169]

Hey! Welcome to TFO

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[Tom]

I'd like to see some more pics. I love snappers. Glad to hear you will provide him with a better environment than where he was.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome to TFO!

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and Welcome.

 

[tortdad]

Welcome