Pet Snapping Turtle

[Mudpuppy]

not when your friend not only pays you for catching them but also makes the soup whilst you drink beers..

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by tommymac

DONT FEED THEM GOLDFISH, you have ot use minnows or something else, goldfish are not good for turtles.

That's good to know. I had a smaller snapper many years ago and fed it lettuce and cold meats like hot dogs and ham. Did not get salmonella. It was pretty tame, but looking back, I am glad I did not get bit lol

I have a 55 gallon tank now, so it will be a smaller snapper. I have eyeballed a few that will work, but seeing the size of the big ones in the lake will require a LARGE aquarium sooner than latter.

I might just make it a Blue Gill aquarium, there are LM Bass in the lake also, but they will outgrow the 55 also. Maybe some sliders with the Blue Gill.

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by Inferno

That's good to know. I had a smaller snapper many years ago and fed it lettuce and cold meats like hot dogs and ham. Did not get salmonella. It was pretty tame, but looking back, I am glad I did not get bit lol

I have a 55 gallon tank now, so it will be a smaller snapper. I have eyeballed a few that will work, but seeing the size of the big ones in the lake will require a LARGE aquarium sooner than latter.

I might just make it a Blue Gill aquarium, there are LM Bass in the lake also, but they will outgrow the 55 also. Maybe some sliders with the Blue Gill.

Look at mud and musk turtles too, some look prety cool and dont get as big as snappers. I had a 20 gal with 2 muds, one musk and a painted turtle and they all did well 9despite me feeding them goldfish )

Snappers can be agressive but will sneak up on ya too so be careful. I have never owned a ginormus one bt have handled a few and had a few smaller ones as pets and they can be sneaky.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Inferno

That's good to know. I had a smaller snapper many years ago and fed it lettuce and cold meats like hot dogs and ham. Did not get salmonella. It was pretty tame, but looking back, I am glad I did not get bit lol

I have a 55 gallon tank now, so it will be a smaller snapper. I have eyeballed a few that will work, but seeing the size of the big ones in the lake will require a LARGE aquarium sooner than latter.

I might just make it a Blue Gill aquarium, there are LM Bass in the lake also, but they will outgrow the 55 also. Maybe some sliders with the Blue Gill.

Blue gills are awesome in the home aquarium. Very aggressive though eat damn near anything

[z06boy]

Originally Posted by tommymac

Some are tough to switch over if they have been started on live food, and some species are tough to start on as well. A few of my king and corn snakes would even eat right from my hand (but not try to eat my hand LOL) my northern pine usualy just ate when you intorduced the rat, he woul dlook at it for a few seconds, find the head and swallow from there. his response was so blunted when he struck at food he just pushed it against the side of the tank.

Now fungo on the other hand, hes 7 rys old, never had or saw a living rodent and his response is still as keen as ever and actualy has to strike and wrap a rodent or he wont eat it.

Yeah that's what I had heard about switching them as well. I wasn't sure if it was going to work but luckily he took right to it after just a few try's. He still snatches it from me and wraps it up. Sometimes I'll even take the forceps and tug at the tail just to make him 'think' it's alive. He usually does a little quick jerk and wraps a little more.

I haven't and probably won't try to feed by hand...I'm a little chicken about doing that. I'm just a rookie compared to you...only owned a couple in my whole life and only one at a time.

[Mudpuppy]

yeah blue gill would be an awesome aquarium fish..

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Mudpuppy

yeah blue gill would be an awesome aquarium fish..

I had one for like eight months, you could toss anything in there, house bugs, pellets, fish, lunchmeat. Dude just didn't care

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by z06boy

Yeah that's what I had heard about switching them as well. I wasn't sure if it was going to work but luckily he took right to it after just a few try's. He still snatches it from me and wraps it up. Sometimes I'll even take the forceps and tug at the tail just to make him 'think' it's alive. He usually does a little quick jerk and wraps a little more.

I haven't and probably won't try to feed by hand...I'm a little chicken about doing that. I'm just a rookie compared to you...only owned a couple in my whole life and only one at a time.

The smaller colubrids I have had I would sometimes hand feed, but th elarger pythons I always used forceps or just toss it in and slam the door shut and hope for the best. Sadly a few of my pythons have aquired a taste for my blood

[z06boy]

Ouch !!

[tommymac]

Originally Posted by z06boy

Ouch !!

got the scars to prove it too. Curb will back me on this since I am most interested in the larger boids and have owned several burms and retics in my days. had a 13 ft sulawesi retic (they are pure evil) try to kill me on more than one occasion. Sadly she was one of the ones I lost due to parasites from live food.