Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 2 inch hatchling and am feeding him small feeder guppies and ghost shrimp. How many will he eat? How stocked should I keep his tank?

Thanks!

i keep my tank stocked with about twenty feeder guppies at all times but i have three hatchlings in there so i would think that as long as there is about ten in with your turtle he/she will be fine. remember they like to laze about and wait for the food to come to them so keep that in mind. also what size tank are you keeping him in. that can have a lot to do with how many feeders you should keep in with him/her.

I have a 30 gallon turtle tank (approx four inches deep with water) some floating plastic plants, driftwood and a stone thingy he can climb under or out of the water on top of.

So far he sits in odd places with his little mouth open, but doesn't advance on any food - even when they are right in front of him. Perhaps he's still adjusting to his new environment and will catch on soon.

how long has your turtle been in his/her enclosure depending on how long they have been in thier tanks turtles may not eat if they were just put in there. if your turtle is hungry then he/she will eat. dont worry about it unless there is something abnormal like not eating for a week or two. i have seen on more than one occation my snappers not eating for up to two weeks straight and they were hatchlings. also unnecissary amounts of handling should be avoided as hatchlings to young juveniles will stop eating if handled frequently. just keep your tank stocked with some feeder guppies and some of those "ghost shrimp" that you mentioned in your first post and wait and watch. the alligator snapping turtle will not commonly chase its food. especially if it is luring with his/her tounge. dont be alarmed if you see your turtle just hanging out with his/her mouth wide open and wiggling its tongue this is normal hunting behavior. e-mail me directly at evesamacula19@hotmail.com or call me at 541-761-7442 if you have any more questions. i will help you in any way that i can.

Thanks so much for your help! We've only had him since Friday, we fed him with chopsticks over the weekend and are now just keeping an eye on him. He is so patient, sitting there with his mouth open - I guess if he were really hungry he'd take the two steps forward and eat the shrimp.

No problem im always willing to put my two cents worth in just so long as you realize that i may not always be right although i do have three of them so theres that for whatever thats worth. and WOW im amazed that you got yours to eat out of chopsticks i have never gotten any of my three little guys to eat out of anything while im around their tank. i have seen them lure fish into their mouths but i have never been able to "hand feed" them. thats really cool. you should post some pics of your new aquatic friend. i am working on getting a few pics of my turtles up here, soon very soon i hope. best of luck