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my dad rescued a hatching and we are going to care for it until its about hand size and release it into a pond close to where it was found

idk what to do! is it like taking care of a res hatchling? except the fact u might lose a finger? idk what to feed it and im freaking out trying to come up with how im going to take care of this thing

Link for some basic snapper care:

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/c ... napper.htm

But technically, you could release the little guy back into the pond area where you found him. Turtles in the wild should be left in the wild & really don't need rescuing.

well the pond is kinda far for a coin sized turtle, he was found in the middle of a farmers field.

i want to release him in the fall so he can hibernate

www.chelydra.org may have information you can use

You may be wiser to release him in the summer so he can get re-accustomed to the pond and start catching his own food before he slows down for the fall and winter.

megcornell wrote:You may be wiser to release him in the summer so he can get re-accustomed to the pond and start catching his own food before he slows down for the fall and winter.

This is very good advice. Even if the pond is far away, it would still be a good environment for him to get used to being on his own.

i will do that, besides i would have no place to keep him when he grows... and i have enough pets lol

i just trying to get him to swim and eat, and catch little fish.

atm hes not shy... but he isnt as active as i would think a normal hatchling is... is that normal of snappers?

Yup, do NOT release him in the fall or the winter. Canada is cold, and if you release him back in the cold without letting him acclimate for a couple of months he could die.

I think snappers are SUPPOSED to be inactive. Their tactic of catching food is waiting a long time for it to swim by.

roseK wrote:atm hes not shy... but he isnt as active as i would think a normal hatchling is... is that normal of snappers?

Snappers in general have a more "reserved" personality. In the wild, many don't get out of the water to bask like RES's do. They would rather sit in the mud with their nose above the water to breathe. It's almost like they are sulking, LOL!

ok thats good cuz i was scared that he was sick cuz he goes so slowly.

i think end of june we will release him in the big pound, and hopefully the large snappers wont attack him