Snapping turtle pond

[beandoo]

My friend has a baby snapping turtle that is 2" big he is currently in 10 gallon tank with some water and some land. But, he is going to make a pond about 5 feet deep with 1 foot of mud. What types of plants should we get for decor? I have some pond snails that I have which will be put in there. What types of fish should we feed him? Should we put water lilies in? And what should we know about hibernation?


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[brennae]

In my state it's illegal to keep a snapper that was taken out of the wild. Just be cautious who you tell about this. They get quite large. I did know someone who kept one illegally in a home aquarium. He got fed catfish nuggets. Feeder fish such as guppies, goldfish and rosy reds can be fed but obviously aren't part of the snappers natural diet. Maybe minnows from the bait store would be closer to what he'd be eating. I really dont know what you should do about hibernation or plants. It might be a good idea to check if it's even legal in your state. Also I am assuming the pond will be outside, how will you keep him from climbing out and just leaving? They can travel a decent distance as I've found them in my yard before and the creek they live in is down the street.

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[Aliray]

Pickeral weed, hardy water lily, Pickeral weed for the edges and the lily for the deeper water. Alison

 

[Aliray]

I grew up in Mass and used to bring home a baby snapper every spring and keep till the following spring , take it back to where I found it and repeat every year. 5 foot deep with a foot of mud on the bottom should be good. You could always put a log part way in and part way out for him to climb on and the frogs that move in can sit on. They will move in. That sounds like a really fun project and with that much mud he should be able to hybernate through the winter. Alison

 

[beandoo]

Also, what types of fish would be able to survive in there that he could eat?


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