Question: Can I keep my hatchling or juvenile snapper in a big tank with deep water ?

Answer: Basically, a standard setup for a hatchling would be a smaller aquarium with shallow water (not deeper than the height of the turtle when sitting at the bottom of the enclosure). Some people, who already own large tanks, decide to house their newly acquired hatchling in those large settings. There is nothing wrong with that, and actually such setups can be made into a beautiful naturalistic environments. There are few very important things to remeber when setting them up. First, there should be an area there with shallow water. Any rock or wood structures posing a risk of the little turtle jammed underwater should be avoided. Snappers need to get to the surface to breath and will drawn if stuck underwater for too long. Larger setups also require more powerful filters and heater. To read more about snapping turtle hatchlings please click here Thanks for asking! Stan

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