Snapping Turtle won't Eat & legallity question?

Cute little feller. It may be legal for you to keep it if you have a current fishing license. You'd have to check with your state fish and game department to be sure. I have never heard of fish wardens getting a warrant to find out whether anyone is harboring a wild turtle, though.

As far as feeding goes, you are doing the right thing. As you suspected, It is just getting used to the tank. One thing, though, get rid of the gravel, all of it. Turtles sometimes swallow gravel and not pass it. The result is an impacted intestine and a dead turtle.

Not that I am suggesting that you get rid of your young friend, but snappers have been reported swimming around under the ice. They are tough little critters.

Often they may take a week or so to adjust to a new environment before eating. A few things I noticed which you can do to help make it feel more comfortable are to make the water just a little deeper, but not much. The turtle should be completely submerged. Give it some hiding places, such as a clump of plastic plants. In the wild, they hide in brush piles or thick vegetation in the water. You can always get a submersible water heater from the pet store to increase the water temp a few degrees. As for the legality, it is often left up to city ordinances. I live in Texas and the state allows them, but some cities don't. Good luck!

Turtles hibernate of sorts in the winter, so he could be getting into that in active stage. You also could try to cut a fish in half and offer it to him since he may not be quite up to par when it comes to hunting on his own, and doesnt really know how to get those guys, or to eat them.

As for the regulations, if you have a fishing license atleast in MN, you should be able to catch hatchlings and keep them captive.

I strongly caution against keeping him but since it is winter out (I know, we have snow, and its sticking!) I understand. Just keep his food all wild, so he has to catch it himself,they live to 40 years or so, if you keep him on an au'natural diet, he would have a stronger chance of surviving in the wild, if released.

It looks like you have a good tank set up, he looks so small in there. I recomend a few websites, where you can look up anything else, or ask questions.

http://www.turtlehomes.org/usa/snappingturtles.sht...

www.reptileforums.com - you should ask this question there..

"HUGE", wild snapping turtles are not good pets for beginners, and people that are too squeamish to touch a cricket.. And they don't eat lettuce. How are you keeping it? What else are you doing wrong? Probably many things. I recommend that you release it where you found it.

He looks jus like mine! Having the same problem with the eating. Going to try a heater and some small fish.

Our little snapper looks just like yours! found him last spring. Hes in a 10 gallon tank with 1 inch of water, a few rocks, and we use turtle pellets and leaf lettuce, which he munchs on. Try the lettuce. GOOD LUCK.