Is it a snapper? It is not eating...

[LouisianaTortuga]

Hey all!

My first graders recently saved a baby turtle found on the playground. Some older children were playing with it... (All children involved had some serious hand washing afterwards. No salmonella here...) The turtle appears to have come out of the incident uninjured.

I brought him home and went to the local pet store to get everything we needed to set up a tank for him.

We don't think he is eating though. We have tried two different kinds of baby turtle pellets, apple, and even some cooked chicken. Despite not eating he is really active. What else should we try?

He also appears to be shedding skin on his legs and neck. Is that normal?

Any help would be great.

His shell is only about an inch. He is tiny.

 

[Yvonne G]

Aw, how cute he is. I think it's a little mud turtle. They don't do well in deep water. They usually just walk along the bottom (not swimming) and walk up the side of the river/lake/stream to get to air.

Try offering some live food, like a wiggly worm.

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome to TFO! He is not a snapper, but rather a mud/musk hatchling. Without looking things up, I don't know which type exactly (but somebody will be in to tell that soon any how). Is he in shallow water? How warm is the water (if it's to cold that will also be a reason for him to not eat). I would try live food on him such as a tiny worm (like a red wiggler worm) for starters. Often moving food triggers eating. I would also suggest you to take him back to the general area he was found in and release him back to the wild.

 

[diamondbp]

Baby stinkpot also known as common musk turtle. Shallow water3-6 inches in preferred with several branches or underwater plants to climb on is ideal. Feeding any commercial food is fine but I use Reptomin. He is just a hatchling so give him a little while before he's appetite picks up.

 

[luvpetz27]

He is precious!!!
Welcome to the forum!

 

[SANDRA_MEISSNEST]

Very cute

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[Yvonne G]

I have it on good authority that it is a stinkpot - sternotherus odoratus.

 

[redfoot_mama94]

Definitely agreed with the above, he or she is a baby musk

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[Anthony P]

If you really want to get the turtle to eat, live food items like bloodworms, which can be purchased at fish centered pet stores, are a great tool. Small worms can work as well.

It can be tough to get them to eat, but it will happen. Soon you'll need to make sure the turtle isn't eating too much!