Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, i bougth an alligator snapper a month ago, the owner had it for 3 years in an glass aquarium with 3 inches of water,without gravel, filter nor temperature device, just plain water, yes i know it is irresponsible so thats why i bought it and put it in a plastic aquarium with gravel, filter and water heather, it has 6 inches of water at 30 celsius degrees, thats 86 farenheit i guess, plants and logs. the problem is that it hasnt ate since it arrive, it used to eat turtle pellets. i have tried turtle pellets, fish alive and death, tadpoles, meat, shrimp but refuses to eat. am i doing something wrong, is the temp ok??
any ideas, im getting desperate
thanks

Sounds like your water is a little warm- bring it down to 80-82 degrees farenheit, and give him a few days to adapt to the new environment. Good luck!

Thanks for your advice, i will try to low a little the temp, another factor that i forgot to mention is that the container where he is, is a little dark since it is a plastic one, he used to live in a aquarium next to a window, do you think the lower light level is afecting him, i thought that he wold feel more "secure" this way.
thanks

i agree with JKC, he needs time to settle in(plastic plants and the log for cover will make him feel secure)I have a large snapper i got in the summer but wouldn't eat till the following spring. now he eats like a pig.they also are mostly nocturnal so i would keep leaving the food in when its dark. and if he is 3yrs old and up around 6" it wont hurt to raise the water level 12" as long as he can climb the log for air.

Give your turtle some kind of light. Everything needs a day/night cycle. The plants and logs will provide security.