By Bill Bradley
Snapping Turtles are the largest turtles in the United States and some of the heaviest freshwater turtles in the world. They are ancient-looking ambush predators with powerful jaws and claws. They are also, for the dedicated keeper, wonderful captives. To start, there are two different types of Snapping Turtle that we will be discussing. The first is the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). There are two other species recognized in the Chelydra genus, Chelydra rossignonii and Chelydra acutirostris. They are native to Central and South America, respectively, but neither are common in the pet trade so they’ll not be discussed further in the article. The second species we’ll be discussing is the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii). Recent studies have shown that there are at least two species in the Macrochelys genus but for the purposes of the pet trade we will consider Alligator Snapping Turtles as a whole.
Snapping Turtles of one species or the other are incredibly common throughout a huge portion of North America. Between the Common and Alligator Snapping Turtles, their ranges extend from Florida north throughout Canada and from the east coast of the United States to the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Both species are noted for traveling long distances over land to lay eggs and are frequently encountered by motorists. Indeed, car related deaths are a significant cause of mortality among these turtles and this has far reaching implications as the traveling turtles are most often females seeking nest sites.
In their native ranges these turtles are a staple finding of children growing up in the outdoors and they have led many to a fascination with reptiles and dinosaurs alike. Hatchlings of both species are relatively small and quite similar in appearance. Both are very dark, have ridged shells, relatively long tails and what appear to be quite oversized heads. They are often quite active as hatchlings and are ready feeders, leading to many first time keepers enjoying these new found “pets” for the summer. Watching an armored little tank walk around the floor of an aquarium and eat anything that hits the waters surface can make for a quite entertaining captive.
These qualities persist throughout the lives of these turtles, albeit with a slowing of the appetite in adult Alligator Snapping Turtles. That makes for an intriguing captive. They have ancient looking faces, highly effective camouflage, great appetites, a relative tolerance to cold and wonderfully long lives. The reason for citing dedicated keepers at the start of this article is two-fold. The first is those wonderfully long lives and the second is the eventual size of an adult of either of these species. They get big!
Housing
Hatchlings and juveniles of both species are readily available in the pet trade and both species have similar care requirements until reaching adulthood. Hatchlings can easily be kept in small aquaria between 10 and 20 gallons but care should be taken to keep the water somewhat shallow. Snapping Turtles are not very accomplished swimmers and are more inclined to “walk” along the bottom of a tank and utilize their neck length to reach the surface, breathing through their nostrils while keeping their faces submerged. Water depth can come more distinctly into play when looking at the difference between the two species as the Common Snapping Turtle has an extremely long neck in comparison to body size whereas the Alligator Snapping Turtle is more bluntly and powerfully built.
I strongly recommend adding structures to the water for your young turtles to climb on and work around. Snapping Turtles are adept diggers and Common Snapping Turtles are actually quite good at climbing with their powerful claws and tail. UV light and basking is something to seriously consider when talking about structures in the enclosure. For young turtles, I provide some sort of a basking platform where they can completely leave the water and dry off if they choose. This basking platform has both a heat source and a UV source. It is quite often debated whether Snapping Turtles “need” this type of heating and lighting but I have found that young turtles will readily use it if it is offered. Both species do grow out of this “phase” and I have observed that juveniles and adults make no use of basking platforms. They also don’t seem to have a preference for UV availability or shade preference except in what appears to be “setting up” for camouflage purposes. That is to say, the turtles don’t appear to be basking underneath the UV source but rather using the light and shadows created within the enclosure structures to better ambush prey.
I keep nearly all species of turtle in enclosures with clean bottoms, no sand or rocks. I find that this makes cleaning enclosures much easier and also allows the heavy mechanical filtration to better do its job. Turtles of all species require serious cleaning, Snapping Turtles especially so. They are messy eaters! They are large, powerful predators and even as hatchlings they will go after prey items much larger than one would think. What doesn’t fit into their mouths on the initial bite is quickly torn into bite size chunks by those powerful claws. Snapping Turtles of both species are also omnivorous although Alligator Snappers are less so. For this reason, I don’t use fake plants in their enclosures as I don’t want them to sample the décor and end up with plastic in their system. Snapping Turtles have been discovered to have eaten any manner of thing and are similar to sharks in the wild stories of items discovered in their bellies but I think we as keepers can do our part to minimize testing their digestive powers.
Housing adults is where the real fun begins and it’s due to the eventual size of adults. Common Snapping Turtles average 9-18” in carapace length and can weigh between 9-35 lbs. as adults. There are many records of adults over 20” in length and far higher than 35 lbs. in weight but it is widely accepted that these are very old males as these turtles continue to grow throughout their lives albeit at a significantly slower rate once reaching sexual maturity. An average adult, breeding Common Snapper is 11” in length and weighs ~13 lbs. One downside to captive keeping of Snapping Turtles is overfeeding so there are records of adults weighing in excess of 80 lbs.! Those numbers may sound high but Alligator Snapping Turtles are the true giants. Sexual maturity for this species is typically around 18 lbs. and 13” in length. They typically range in size from 13-31” in length with a weight anywhere from 20-175 lbs. Average size in wild breeding groups was found to be ~30 lbs. but there are zoological records of some true giants in excess of 200 lbs. with one unverified record of a wild caught individual in excess of 400 lbs.! These giants are very rare but it should be noted that these outliers exist because we’ve found that modern animal care is allowing us to achieve longer lifespans for our captives and it is precisely that longevity that leads to these truly gargantuan sizes. Some things just take a very long time!
So, how do you keep something that big? Well, in a pond is the simple answer. The vast majority of Snapping Turtle keepers live in climates where they can keep these animals outdoors year-round and they simply have ponds dug on their property to accommodate such large animals. I, however, am not one of those keepers. I live in Illinois and it gets far too cold for me to properly keep these animals outdoors. That’s not to say that they can’t survive the winters here but that I simply lack the available space to dig them a pond that would allow for their hibernation and survival. That leaves me creating ponds in the basement of my shop. I use poly tanks or troughs for all of my turtles and they are most definitely in the basement of my facility. These animals are quite large and heavy but water is even heavier! I keep some juveniles in 60 and 100-gallon troughs but the majority of my Snapping Turtles are in 150-gallon poly tanks. Most troughs and tanks are oval shaped but the general floor size for my adults is 4’ long by 2’ wide.
Floor space is much more important than water depth for these turtles as they’re not active swimmers. They are ambush predators by nature and really only travel when forced to by habitat disturbances or due to natural need such as egg laying. I keep the bottom of adult enclosures bare as with the smaller turtles and I again rely on heavy mechanical filtration. I prefer pond filters and pumps meant for large outdoor ponds. These typically have heavy duty components and are meant to be run for long periods of time. They are simple in construction and just require consistent cleaning. It’s nearly impossible to keep a clean-up crew stocked with Snapping Turtles unless they’re kept in a large pond with plenty of hiding places. Fish and invertebrates do provide for an enjoying experience when looking at aquatic enclosures and provide some benefit to cleanliness but, unfortunately, they nearly always end up as food items when it comes to Snapping Turtles. For individual turtles greater than 24” in length your options become severely limited unless you plan to build your own enclosure. My experience thus far has been limited to circular troughs available at some feed stores. Typically, a circular trough with a diameter of 6’ or 10’ is your option. A 6’ trough is 500-600 gallons depending on depth and a 10’ diameter trough is usually right at 1000 gallons. I’m giving you the gallon measurements on these enclosures because there is a serious concern for the weight of the water when housing these animals. A gallon of water weighs roughly 8 lbs. so we’re starting to talk about some serious weight even for the 60 to 100-gallon troughs and stock tanks let alone something that’s 10 times that size!
Feeding
So, what do you feed a dinosaur that grows to 30” and 150+ lbs.? Just about anything that will fit down their gullet is the answer the turtles would give you. Both species of Snapping Turtle are omnivorous but literature shows us that Alligator Snapping Turtles are much closer to being obligate carnivores. Snapping Turtles are opportunistic feeders by nature and will readily scavenge. Alligator Snapping Turtles are also well known for having their lure-like tongue which they use as bait for unsuspecting fish. The feeding habits of these turtles really come down to what we mean when we say the word Snapping in their names. For each of these species that word means something different and it dictates both how they feed and what they feed on.
The Common Snapping Turtle can be thought of as using that “Snap!” in the sense of speed. As in, their head snaps out on that long neck and scoops up a prey item. Common Snapping Turtles are active foragers and will go out in search of their food much more readily than their larger cousins. They are eager consumers of small invertebrates, tadpoles, frogs, fish and other reptiles. In other words, small, fast and slippery things. So, that “Snap!” is for that speed of reaching out to get that quick little food item.
The Alligator Snapping Turtle is an entirely different hunter. Their necks are much shorter and their skulls and beaks are much larger. Their “Snap!” is the speed and power with which their jaws close. They also have a much different beak structure than their Common cousins. Common Snapping Turtle beaks are quite hard but flat and wide. They close quickly like a trap at the end of that spring-loaded neck. Alligator Snapping Turtles have large, pointed beaks with incredibly large skulls and jaw muscles behind them. They lie in wait while that vermiform tongue wiggles invitingly. Their bite is meant to pierce and hold prey that gets too close and then their claws do the rest of the work. They eventually grow to a significantly larger size compared to their Common cousins and, therefore, eat comparatively larger meals. They do have a diet high in fish content but have also been found to feed on molluscs, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. In one study, 79% of the gut contents of Alligator Snapping Turtles was actually found to be other turtles!
So, what does that mean for our captive turtles? Well, they need whole prey or a good proximity thereof. I do use pelleted food for young turtles but quickly transition to whole prey items and meat pieces for juveniles and adults. Honestly, modern pelleted and prepared diets have come a long way and I believe do provide adequate nutrition for your animals. With that being said, adult Snapping Turtles eat a lot! I simply don’t feel like I could keep up with their appetites feeding solely pelleted food and I’m better able to provide for them using whole prey items and meat meant for human consumption. My turtles get lean meat, organ meat, bone, feathers, skin and intact whole prey items depending on the feed schedule at the time. I do offer greens to both Common and Alligator Snapping Turtles but I have only had Common Snapping Turtles accept any kind of vegetable matter.
Conclusion
Snapping Turtles generally don’t make the “good pet” lists and I can see the reasons why. I’ve actually listed some of them here. They can get truly gigantic. Both species have been documented as living in excess of 100 years. They eat a lot. Their enclosures can weigh well over a ton and require filtration that you have to routinely clean out by hand, which is gross. BUT, those are also all reasons why Snapping Turtles make awesome captives and are on the “great pet” list for many intermediate and advanced keepers! They are eating machines as readily available hatchlings and juveniles. They provide a challenge for enclosure building and maintenance. They’re incredibly long lived, inquisitive and personable captives. They have proven to be both station and target training adept due to their food centric and curious nature. And they get gigantic if given enough time. I truly believe that they are the closest your average keeper can come to those lumbering dinosaurs. Real armored giants with that slow gait and inquisitive nature yet enough danger in the “Snap!” that you need to stay on your toes. Snapping Turtles really are wonderful captives.
Except the filter cleaning. So gross.
Such cool species!