Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im new to the forum, i run a reptile removal service, and i answere alot of calls on snappers and water snakes. i have a large collection of snakes of all sorts, and ive always been interested in snappers. im wanting to buy a florida snapping turtle, but am not willing to do this until i learn more about their captive care, i know about their size and how to handle them, and i certainly know how aggresive they can be. im wandering how large of an enslosure does an adult need? whats the best, low budget filtration? and most certainly, whats the prefered water temp?

I would say minimum enclosure size for an adult male would be 3' X 3' X 2' deep (about 130 gallons if filled to the top, but you would only want it filled half way). Obviously juveniles and females can be kept in smaller enclosures.

With a tank that size, and an animal that dirty, the best filtration option is probably a sump or filter chamber rather than a self-contained unit. If you're building the enclosure yourself, it's easy to add a filter chamber by walling off one end or a corner of the enclosure; add a pump, plumbing, baffles, and filter media. You can find more detailed info about building such chambers on various aquarium forums.

thanks, i have a big male common, currently living in a large fiberglass circular bathtub like they put in trailers, hes in there till i can relocate him to a local lake, that no one no longer visits. but this info helps alot, thankyou