Baby Diamondback Terrapin! Pics!

[kookykate328]

Does anyone know how to tell how old a baby northern diamondback terrapin is? Also what he should eat and how long he can go without eating because he doesn't seem to want to eat the fish we gave him. He's just over an inch long and he looks healthy.

 

[dracoe19]

I would get some baby pellet turtle food at the pet store for him to start off. The fish maybe a little big for him since he is so tiny. He looks really young from his size. Possibly only a few months old if that but I'm not 100% sure. I'm confident he/ she is not a year old yet though.

 

[Stacykins]

I am assuming you took him from a local body of water? If so, please put him back immediately. Not only is it illegal in many states to collect native herps without a permit, it is not doing the animal any favors. What sort of setup do you have? Do you realize that all sorts of turtles need very large, well filtered enclosures with both land and water? That they need lightning that provides them UVB for proper shell health, and those bulbs can be expensive and need frequent replacement. Very few people actually provide proper care that turtles require in captivity, neglecting many of their needs.

Diamondback terrapins eat marine invertebrates, such as snails, muscles, shrimp, etc.

They are also considered threatened, because they were hunted almost to extinction for food.

 

[dracoe19]

I agree if you found him in out side I would put him back into nature. If not then I also agree on the set up and lighting. The tank should be big enough that it should be adequate for years. My friend has two turtles in a large 50 gallon aquarium with a fancy exterior filter, land access, and proper lighting equipment.

 

[kookykate328]

Right now we have him in a small tank with a heat lamp and UV light. He will have a bigger tank once we can get to our attic since everything is blocking it right now. We live in New Jersey so hurricane sandy hit us. We found him at a beach on the bay by my house and I've never seen any terrapins there before and I'm pretty sure they don't usually live there so I don't want to let him go there. We were planning on getting a permit to keep him and at my school we have a lot of young diamond back terrapins and they teach us how to take care of them. The tank he is in now is just temporary and he will have a better one once we get all cleaned up from the hurricane and can get to the attic and to the store to get supplies for him.
And yes right now he has dry land, wet sand, and water from the bay

 

[Stacykins]

Right now we have him in a small tank with a heat lamp and UV light. He will have a bigger tank once we can get to our attic since everything is blocking it right now. We live in New Jersey so hurricane sandy hit us. We found him at a beach on the bay by my house and I've never seen any terrapins there before and I'm pretty sure they don't usually live there so I don't want to let him go there. We were planning on getting a permit to keep him and at my school we have a lot of young diamond back terrapins and they teach us how to take care of them. The tank he is in now is just temporary and he will have a better one once we get all cleaned up from the hurricane and can get to the attic and to the store to get supplies for him.
And yes right now he has dry land, wet sand, and water from the bay

They are native to the ocean shoreline all along the East Coast. From Florida to Massachusetts. They inhabit coastal marshes, primarily. The little terrapin was likely just fine, he would be better off back where you found him.

 

[kookykate328]

We got him juvenile turtle pellets but he's not eating those either. Is it because the water is too cold? Does it make him think its winter and that he should be waiting until its warmer to eat?

 

[Stacykins]

We got him juvenile turtle pellets but he's not eating those either. Is it because the water is too cold? Does it make him think its winter and that he should be waiting until its warmer to eat?

Please, put the turtle back where it came from. It truly sounds that you do not know what you are doing and that will only harm the animal. If you want a turtle for a pet, research and prepare, then bring a captive bred animal home.

I highly doubt the terrapin will eat those pellets. Did you read that the diet is composed of marine invertebrates? If you buy some snails or glass shrimp from the petstore, the turtle may eat those. It doesn't recognize pellets as 'food' since that is not a normal diet.

 

[kookykate328]

They don't live on the beach where I found him. I volunteer at a local nature center we learn about them there and also at my school. I go to a vocational environmental school and would bring him there but i cant get there at least for another week because of the hurricane and at the nature center all the animals were transported to a safer place to get away from the water that flooded the center. I understand your concern but I know what I'm doing I was just wondering what he should eat since we already tried giving him fish and he wouldn't eat it. Someone suggested the pellets so I thought I'd try them.

 

[hollyclyff]

Have you researched New Jersey turtle laws? I had always read that it was illegal to take any turtle from the wild in New Jersey. And that captive bred were OK to keep if you have a permit, but you have to prove they were obtained legally. Supposedly they're pretty strict about it too.

As far as food, I would maybe try some small snails. Have you checked out one of the turtle forums? Maybe try Austin's Turtle page. They have caresheets and many people experienced in various turtle species.