Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I rescued David just seconds before a couple kids would have ran him over infact I put my life at risk to save his thats just how I am in either case He refuses to eat and has done so for close to 6-7 months now...I need to know what to feed him Heres what he won't eat (aquatic turtle food,Feeder fish,or worms) any ideas as to what he might eat.......Alittle background on David He previously lived in a local buyou/creek and once I got him home he I guess you could say Bonded with me he isn't mean at all he rarely snaps at all when handled and enjoys having his chin scratched infact he pretty much likes having his entire head scratched the only time he'll snaps and he doesn't even always snap then is when I wake him up and surprise him once he see and recognizes me he calms down He's abit large though his shell alone is roughly 10-15" in diameter Hes a good pet and an unusually tame wild caught snapping turtle so if anyone knows what I can try to get him to eat let me know I'd apreciat it

when he use to eat,could you feed him with tongs?if so maybe try giving rats or beefheart a shot...

Actually I've had Trouble with David eating for nearly a year now he ate a hotdog weenies a few times when I initially Saved his life but after that he quite eating and by then the seasons had changed from warm weather to winter and he'd already started losing weight and I couldn't with a clear contious set him free knowing he didn't have enough fat reserves to make it through the winter hibernation Plus I'd became emmotionaly attached to David I've never seen any Snapping turtle so Friendly and Gentle he Even Co-Exists with: Cats/Dogs/Chickens and I for one think Davids pretty intelligent as far as turtles an tortoises go

Anyway thats the problem in a nut shell he won't eat what I give him and since he wasn't raised in captivity I have no way of knowing what he used to eat or what He'd eat now So any fresh Ideas you all can come up with will be greatly appreciated Davids my Pet in the same exact context most people consider dogs or cats their pets I'm very fond of him so as I said any ideas that help will be greatly appreciated thanks
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Courtney1245

you can try crayfish, frogs, tadpoles, baby birds ducks, other turtles, turkey chicken, etc. i would just think of what lives around in your area and get similar types of food. They are nocturnal and so sometimes they may not eat during the day. Last year I recused a big male on our vacation and let him go off our dock (we were on a lake). at night hed come around and eat the fish scraps after I'd fillet the caught fish. keep the temperature warm too. good luck

How often are you trying to feed him now, and how many times have you tried to feed him fish? Do you leave the food in overnight? Were the fish live or dead? My little snapper loves bait minnows, but I stun them first by throwing them pretty hard against the plastic container he lives in. Bait minnows are also pretty cheap, and since they are whole organisms, pretty nutritious. How much weight did he lose? If all else fails, try putting him down in your basement in the cool and dark for just a few weeks, and then bring him back up. It may cycle him back up as if he just came out of hibernation. Good luck. Duffy

Hey guys great news even though it isn't the healthiest thing He ate a Hot Dog Weenie just now which is a good sign however I'm not going to count my turtles before they hatch so continue feeding me good Ideas. I wish I had as good a response on the Cichlid page as I've gotten from you guys Ya'll are Great I Appreciate the hell out of ya
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Courtney1245

asked how the snapper is being kept? at 10-15 inches in shell length it would require a pretty decent tank ( what size tank is it in?. whats the temp of the water you are keeping it in? is there a basking spot ( yes i know snappers don't always bask, but maybe providing one that isn't eating might cheer it up) basking spot if you give him one should be like 90-100?.......are you keeping him in good clean water? i have read that snappers will eat veggies. my friends common snapper ( i forget if you said it was a common, what kind is it? where are you from?) would eat collard greens, turnip greens, and mustard greens. water plants might be good too. not only will he be able to hide amongst them, but he can snack on them. anachris is a good aquatic edible plant. non eof my turtels have ever hibernated. my ally snapper is kept with out a basking spot and water is 78 degrees. just eats and eats. even wild caught older turtles never hibernated indoors for me. not eating does not seem right for a snapper. i have read of reports of them being seen moving around under the ice. could be that there is something wrong with him. perhaps he is sick. the fact that he lets you scratch him on the head and he never snaps also don't seem right. especially for an older wild caught animal. you say he gets along with your cats and dogs????? your turtle isn't eating. hasn't for a yr. i would set him up really good, and not take him out of the tank tell he does start eating. perhaps all the contact with you and other animals and being taken out of the tank and picked up and being moved around isn't helping him adjust to his new captive environment ( yes i know thats a run on and i know its been in captivity for a yr). i think the most important thing is to tell us how you got the turtle set up.
as far as foods, worms, fish, crayfish, i feed mine rodents ( thawed out ones), trout chow, jumbo dried shrimp ( was a food at the pet store for fish), reptomin. ....i don't know how healthy hotdogs are for the turtle. i would definately get him on something else . sorry if i missed an earlier post about how he was set up