Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Found this in northern MA, about 5 miles inland from the coast in the driveway of my commercial office park. Surroundings are mostly homes and woods.

My wife thinks it's a snapping turtle. It's a baby, the shell is maybe a little over 1", it's caked in mud, I didn't want to wash it off because I was afraid his shell might still be soft.

I thought my 2.5 year old son might really enjoy watching him grow, but not if it's a snapping turtle!

two images here:
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2509/clipboard1uu0.jpg
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/574/clipboardca6.jpg

After reading this article about caring for baby turtles, I think I'm out. We don't have what we need and it looks like some $$$ to get into something where we will have to give away the turtle when he gets large enough to possibly hurt someone (assuming he's a snapping turtle). I'm trying to find a local wildlife refuge type of place that will take him since that same article says there is a 99% mortality rate with baby turtles in the wild.

Oh, the article I read was here:

http://www.turtlecare.net/babycare.htm

I just spoke with a marine biologist at the Mass wildlife headquarters in Westboro trying to find a home for the turtle and he told me to keep him and gave me the low down on care.

1-1.5" Water and rep-to-min in a tupperware bowl. Change the water once a day. No need for anything else. I guess we'll give it a go and get him a small aquarium.

Although this system may work for a while a healthy young snapping turtle(which is definitely what you have)will grow quickly and will soon need at least a 20 gallon long tank and sooner or later, a plastic stock tank or outside enclosre. Although snappers are interesting captives I would not recomend them a as a first turtle due to their large size and agressive nature. When a snapping turtles get larger few people want to adopt them and they cannot be released back into the wild for their own wellbeing.

according to the individual i spoke with ("pete the marine biologist", he said that snapping turtles are about the most adapting turtles in this area and would easily adapt when released regardless of age. he also said if i intended to release him, it would be best to keep him until he was a bit larger, giving him a better chance of survival, then to release him in an area with still water, such as a pond. that's essentially the plan. someone on freecycle is donating a tank, and once he's large enough to fend for himself, he will be released. I definitely don't intend to keep him for an extended period of time, certainly not past the point where he can actually hurt someone. i have a 2 year old and a 1 year old and we're not taking any chances. i have a cat living at my office because he bit the one year old once and my wife evicted him until she's older.

keeping turtle hatchlings through their first winter can vastly improve their survival rate in the wild. It is true, though, that if you keep them into adulthood that they then are at a severe disadvantage. Lots of places and organizations have what are called "head start" programs for hatchling turtles of rare species. The idea is to take hundreds of hatchlings from the wild into captivity for the winter and on through spring and release them in the early summer. At that point in time they are quite adaptable and can switch over to the wild foods with relative ease. Yes, some won't make it, but the odds are better. If possible I would try to feed it food that is as close to its wild diet as possible to minimize the risk of cluelessness when it does go back to the wild. Aquatic insects, worms, bits of raw fish, etc. If it gets a little larger you might even try giving it things like small minnows or feeder fish from a pet store...

good luck!

It wouldn't hurt to keep him over the winter and release him in the summer. Make sure there are lots of hiding spots (artificial plants, underwater caves), and keep 14 hours of light on him so he thinks it's summer and still wants to eat. Although he should eat earthworms, insects, fish (live or cooked), he'll probably eat Reptomin pellets (some biologists doing headstarting with wood and box turtles swear by it) and try some greens, too. Snapping turtles in the wild (at least those in northern VA), will come out of the water to pull up certain plants and then take them back to the water to eat. FYI, Reptomin has Vitamin D and other vitamins, so it'd be a good idea to offer it occasionally in addition to the other food items.

Katrina
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1.2 Eastern Muds - Fred, Ethel, Edith
0.1 Iguana - Tiffel
Foster turtles: More than I'd like the husband to know about.

A few things, definite snapping turtle baby. It may have been as far as one mile away from its mother's home lake, pond, or wetlands area. Most turtles do not survive long but because of the ability of the snapping turtle to grow at a high rate it has a higher chance of survival than most wild turtles. Most rescues will not take it because it is a snapper and not many people want to take in a snapper. If you cannot find a good location to release it near where it was found, you may consider finding an individual who has them already and can take another but it may be difficult. Good luck!

So this guy has been doing pretty well, I've been feeding him reptomin and during feeding time, I put him in a small bowl of fresh water along with his food so I don't muck up his tank. I clean the tank and rocks every 2-3 days with hot water and dish soap (no pump). Probably too far in between cleanings as evidenced by he now has some sort of fungi or other growth going on around by his tail. Thin wispy strands of something... any ideas on how to treat that or do I need to somehow find out specifically what it is?

How quickly are these guys supposed to grow anyway? He doesn't really look like he's grown at all in.. what's it been... 3 months? Thanks!

hmm... maybe it's shedding? i searched for turtle fungus and it almost sounds like he might be shedding rather than having a fungus. i suppose a picture might help but it's so fine and difficult to see (and it can only be seen in water so it floats behind him) i don't think I could capture a picture of it.

I does sound like skin shedding, which means he is growing.

I raised a snapping turtle from a hatchling until she was about 6 years old and about 8" in shell length. She was one of the coolest pets I ever had! When I called her, she would stick her head out of the water and come over to me. If I moved around the pond, she would follow! She took food out of my hand, very gently! If I was in the room and not feeding her, she would stick her head out of the water and make noises until I came and fed her!

I kept her in one of those blue kiddie pools. I had a good filter and a basking light, but no heater. She was pretty easy to take care of. She hibernated in the winter.

Not trying to talk you into keeping yours. If you can't commit long term, it is best to release it in the spring.

Have fun!
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.11.0 chickens
1.0.0 Dutch(rabbit)
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

She actually did shed the other day, but still has the wispy things hanging off of her. It doesn't look any better or worse than before she shed. Everything I've googled as far as fungus keeps talking about shell rot, but her shell is fine.

I'm definitely releasing her in the spring, I'm busy enough with two toddlers and 4 cats, but I thought the kids would find her cool (they do) and I wanted to make sure she'd live through winter.

Its a common or Florida Snapping Turtle.