Raise a Baby Alligator Snapping Turtle - Select an enclosure for your turtle. A glass tank, stock tank, plastic tub or pond work well. A hatchling requires at least a 20- to 50-gallon enclosure.
Fill the tank with water that is at least as deep as two times the turtle's length. Place plenty of obstructions in the water to make the turtle feel secure. Examples of obstructions include driftwood, stones, logs and stumps.
Raise a Baby Alligator Snapping Turtle
Set up a filtration system for the tank. For smaller tanks, canister filters are available. Canister filters sit outside of the tank. You place one hose at the bottom of the tank that pulls water from the tank into the filter, while another hose sits in the tank to return filtered water to the habitat. These filters can be cleaned by rinsing the canister every two weeks. A variety of pond filters are available. Each is installed and maintained differently, but a good way to choose a pond filter is to select one with a gph (gallon per hour) filtration that is double the amount of water the pond holds. For example, a 200-gallon pond requires a 400 gph pond filter.
Place a submersible heater into the enclosure that corresponds to the amount of water your enclosure can hold (for example, a 50-gallon tank requires a unit that heats 50 gallons of water). Set the heater to keep the water at a constant 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Create a basking area by placing a log, a piece of driftwood or a stone large enough for the turtle to get completely out of the water and stretch out on. While basking is uncommon in alligator snapping turtles, this allows the turtle to dry off if it desires.
Alligator snapping turtles live in deep water in rivers, lakes, canals, swamps or bayous. Although they are only two to three inches in size when they hatch, these turtles can weigh in at 150 lbs. when fully grown, making them the world's largest freshwater turtle. The large size and appetite of the alligator snapping turtle can make caring for it difficult. Alligator snapping turtles should not be cared for by inexperienced turtle owners, or by experienced owners who lack sufficient space. Keep this in mind when contemplating adoption of a hatchling. - by eHow
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