hello im new to the forum but i would like advice on alligator snapping turtles.Im purchasing 1 in 5 days i have my set up ready.Its in a 2foot by 1foot by 1 and a half foot tank.And woukd like advice onkeeping them please im in the uk.
1.it has a fluvl filter and a heater set to 80degrees
2.the substrate is sand.
3it has a turtle dock to let it clime out
4.the water is only 6 inches deep
5.,does the water have to be a certainn ph level as ive put fish tank water in it from my own fish (pet shop advice)

what other things does it need in the tank rocks plants?how often do i clean my water when my alisnappers in and filter?
My ali snapper will only be 7 months so be very small bout 4 inches thanks please only experianced ali snapper keepers please. Also whould i put live food in petshop said its inhumaine.Fish etc.thanks


also how fast do they grow sorry for great story aswell.

Welcome, alligator snappers grow very slow.

An alligator snapper can NEVER grow 4 inches in the first 7 months of its life.

thanks how old would u estimate then they sayd 7 months pleasde other people reply to the start of the thread

There's no mention of you having a UV bulb or a basking bulb. I hope you have one of each

__________________

My Reptiles: 2.1 Rankins Dragons2.4 Leopard Geckos0.0.2 Ackies1.1 Royal Pythons3.2 Kenyan Sand Boas1.0 Western Hognose
Other Animals 1.0 Cockatiel
For Sale: 1.1 Adult Saharan Sand Boas
MY BAND!!! www.indianafoxx.com <---Check it out, let me know what you think

Home Do you have plans to upgrade the size of his tank? I don't think that this guy would be very happy to live in a tank of the size you said.

__________________

My Reptiles: 2.1 Rankins Dragons2.4 Leopard Geckos0.0.2 Ackies1.1 Royal Pythons3.2 Kenyan Sand Boas1.0 Western Hognose
Other Animals 1.0 Cockatiel
For Sale: 1.1 Adult Saharan Sand Boas
MY BAND!!! www.indianafoxx.com <---Check it out, let me know what you think

PM'd an article which will help.

no need, i use neither, just a simple fish tank tubelight. alligator snapping turtles never really leave the water except when females go on land to nest, the water filters UV out anyway so it'd be pointless. same for basking,

there abit of a wierd species really, the usual turtle tank size requirements dont apply becuase they rarely move and so are happy in a smaller tank than you might imagine

anyway lloyd1, check out www.chelydra.org

you'll find alot of good info on there

as for your questions, well i hardly ever clean my tank out, i run a tetratec ex1200 filter and i just do weekly 30% water changes, i use sand as a substrate, some people use nothing as its easier to clean but i like to give my turtle something, also it can cause compaction if too much is swallowed but i have succesfully kept snappers this way for years.

as for the live feeding, well that all depends on your own morals, i do it, my turtle lives with a good supply of fish that he can hunt, some people think its cruel but seeing i think it is cruel to let it sit wiggling its lure for years and knowing it will never get a catch, its such a huge part of this species that in my oppinion if your not prepered to give it the live fish that it is so perfectly designed to catch then this is the wrong species for you

like i said, others may disagree, probably people who dont keep alligator snappers though

temperature wise 23 to 25 degrees Celsius ( 70 - 80 Fahrengheit ) is fine, i keep mine at 77

i keep mine with lots of rocks and lots of live plants, i dont like fake plants as a friend of mine had a snapper drown because it bit the plastic plant and couldnt unhook its beak, ive often witnessed mine eat some of the live plants also

lastly, its hard to guess age from size because it can depend alot on food availability and water temps. are we talking 4 inches from nose to tail or just its shell length???


regards.....kwiky

__________________
0.0.1 alligator snapping turtle

thanks alot for your help kwiki i have a uv repti tube in it. I have other reptiles iguana 12 yr old just tame and a herman tortoise had him 4 yrs now.But wanted 1 of these for ages and they are very rare where im from.They are 4 inches in total length that mugucian man dont no a deel as they dont need basking bulbs.There for he nos nothing about ali snallers like i said EXPERIANCED KEEPERS ONLY .any way at what age do they start to gape with there mouths aswell???i went to put deposit on on saturday got tank sat set it up.Just putting rocks in now dont no about plants though.Also do u think a 2 foot tank will do for a yr or 2.
Thanks for ur help lloyd. Mail bak plz my filter is a fluval internal filter.And how deep do u think it shud be in the tank mines 6 inches i bought a turtle dock but think it is inapropriate be better with rocks?????? thanks also what sort of fish to put in guppies neons will he be able to catch them at early ages?? of shud feed him white bait by hand??

ive replied in your other thread

__________________
0.0.1 alligator snapping turtle