Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have kept Common snappers for several years. I offered my 1st snapper a basking area for a few months when he was a hatchling and he never used it. So ever since then I stopped giving them the option. I have seen full grown adults basking out in the local ponds. Does anyone have them in there indoor setups, and if so are they used often? Ive been thinking about providing one.

Thanks,
Chris
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Currently in the US Navy so I have sold off my collection. But over the years I have had dozens of turtles, fish, geckos, and other lizards. Cant wait to get back in the hobby once im out though!

it couldn't hurt!

is this a common snapper?

Yep, common snapper.

here is one of mine basking a couple of years ago...never seen him do it again.

>>I have kept Common snappers for several years. I offered my 1st snapper a basking area for a few months when he was a hatchling and he never used it. So ever since then I stopped giving them the option. I have seen full grown adults basking out in the local ponds. Does anyone have them in there indoor setups, and if so are they used often? Ive been thinking about providing one.
>>

You should always provide an aquatic turtle with a basking site. While snappers typically don't make use of them often, they do occasionally like to leave the water to rest on land. In the wild snappers mostly "shallow water" bask but every so often I've seen them actually sitting on the edge of a pond or out on a log.
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PHWyvern

Yeah thats what I figured... Now I just need to figure out how to make something that will support his weight and is easily accesible. Hes not a hatchling anymore!

Thanks,
Chris
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Currently in the US Navy so I have sold off my collection. But over the years I have had dozens of turtles, fish, geckos, and other lizards. Cant wait to get back in the hobby once im out though!

>>Yeah thats what I figured... Now I just need to figure out how to make something that will support his weight and is easily accesible. Hes not a hatchling anymore!
>>
>>Thanks,

I usually take some bricks and a flat piece of paving stone or slate and make a table like structure on one end of the tank. For smaller turtles you can set the bricks on the side with the flat on top and have a cave like structure underneath, but for a snapper that likes to move things around, better to keep the base more solid instead of hollow and fill it with additional bricks.
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PHWyvern

when my ally snapper was young i always had a basking spot for him for the first 6 months or so. he never used it once. since he has been in the stock tank while there isnt a set up basking spot he could easily climb up on the bricks and sit out of the water but have never seen him do that. perhaps since my water temp is watrm it doesnt need to bask and warm up its body? water temp is 78-82.

i too see commons basking. usually in the spring when they first come out of hibernation. i always assumed it was just the big females warming up their bodies getting ready for mating. otherwise i never see commons basking in the summer. like ph said though, i have seen them sitting in the shallows during the summer, but never out of the water like in spring.