Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that this theory is going to sound obnaxious to most herp keepers, yet some are doing fine with this experimentation.

Anyone keeping snapper turtles and caimans together in one tank here?
The reason why I am asking is because I do have a common snapper and am getting my dwarf caiman next week. I personally do not want to experiment by throwing them both in one tank to conclude what happens. I know some of you keep these two reptiles together under one peace. It might be a rare cause, yet a successful one for most keepers. As i see the caiman ignoring the bottom dwelling turtle,but I cant see the snapper not trying to nibble on the gators tail or feet. Am i right or am i wrong here? Of course food supply, body size and space will play a major factor in successful sharing of the habitat.

Well any of you keeping these guys together, please take time to reply and let me know on your experience and if its worth a try or not. thanks

Well.... I have never kept snappers and crocs together, however, I did have a red-eared slider that was a real pain in the @$$ to the gators. I do have to keep them separated. If your common snapper is pretty big, I really wouldn't chance it. The overall size of the enclosure will play a major part in how well this works out. If they have quite a bit of distance to themselves, then it should work out fine, however, keeping them in too close of confinement with one another, can result in stress to your croc. In captivity you want to keep that amount of stress as low as possible.

I will say this though, I went to the columbus zoo (not the most impressive, but it's close!) and they had two common snappers with about a 5ft-6ft American Alligator. The gator appeared to have all of his toes and the full length of his tail, but the enclosure size between them was adequate. Furthermore, the gator had plenty of room for emergency evacuation on dry land if necessary.

Personally, I would keep them separated. It's your call, and perhaps it might work out ok. I just personally wouldn't want to chance it.

Hope this helps,

Chris
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Chris Law
U.A.P.P.E.A.L. (Uniting a Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League)
Herpetoculture Element Representative