Reygan2
Aquarium Advice Addict
Having read over a few threads here I'm sure I'm in the right place. Yesterday it came to my attention that a 5th grade student of mine had his pet turtle in his back pack. I was quite shocked when he pulled out what looked to be a tiny snapping turtle. He told me he'd had it for some time and that he was feeding it worms. He said he found it on it the side of the road a couple of months ago. Considering this is one of my most mischievous boys (love him) and also notorious for stretching the truth, I have no idea how much of that is true. The turtle is just under the size of a silver dollar. It was lethargic, but still moving when I first saw it. He agreed to let me take it since I already have a 5" YBS in the classroom and I told him I'd help him take good care of it.
My questions....my guess is that this little guy is dehydrated and malnourished. Should I keep him dry in a heated enclosure with occasional trips to a shallow container to eat and rehydrate? Or should I leave him in the tank? I have a 15g long that I'm going to set up until he needs something larger. Also I'm getting conflicting info online as to the water depth of a snapper tank. Most importantly, this is a snapper, right? Any idea if it's a common or alligator? I live near Asheville NC and it is bitterly cold, so I don't think releasing him is an option at this point. Plus, I've become a turtle lover since rescuing my YBS and it'd be great to keep this guy if possible. Oh, I was finally able to get him to try thawed mysis shrimp. He won't eat anything else yet, but he is getting much more active. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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My questions....my guess is that this little guy is dehydrated and malnourished. Should I keep him dry in a heated enclosure with occasional trips to a shallow container to eat and rehydrate? Or should I leave him in the tank? I have a 15g long that I'm going to set up until he needs something larger. Also I'm getting conflicting info online as to the water depth of a snapper tank. Most importantly, this is a snapper, right? Any idea if it's a common or alligator? I live near Asheville NC and it is bitterly cold, so I don't think releasing him is an option at this point. Plus, I've become a turtle lover since rescuing my YBS and it'd be great to keep this guy if possible. Oh, I was finally able to get him to try thawed mysis shrimp. He won't eat anything else yet, but he is getting much more active. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice