# What do baby Snapping Turtles eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2000, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229 "2000-03-27T01:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/1 "2000-03-27T01:48:00Z")
I found one last night wandering around the parking lot, so I decided to give it a good home…at least until my girlfriend returns and throws a fit. The turtle is about two inches in diameter and about half an inch thick (on average,) and it hides from the tasty worms I tried to feed it. I know that the adults eat fish and worms and swimmers’ toes, but what do the babies eat? -David ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/2 "2000-03-27T02:08:00Z")
Give it some time with the worm. It may just need to get used to its new environment (or it may have eaten recently.) It will also eat any of the live food that pet shops sell for snakes (crickets, mealworms, waxworms). If you don’t think it’s fast enough, stay away from crickets. For some reason, nearly every cold-blooded critter that can bite seems to enjoy cucumbers–I have no idea why. (Geckoes and anoles that swallow their prey whole don’t seem to like cukes, but turtles, iguanas, and a few others do.) * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/3 "2000-03-27T02:26:00Z")
Cukes I have! Just sliced one up into tiny chunks–we’ll soon see. Thanks Tom! 🙂 David ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/4 "2000-03-27T02:41:00Z")
Are you sure it’s a snapping turtle? If so, **please** return it to the wild soon. Snapping turtles are becoming scarce. I don’t think they’re “endangered”, but I believe at least the alligator snappers are considered “threatened”, and the numbers of all snapping turtles are decreasing. I don’t mean to preach at you. It was good of you to rescue the turtle from the parking lot. Please try to find a good fish-filled creek, pond or lake for the critter, though. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/5 "2000-03-27T02:58:00Z")
I agree with spoke. I think that if you think about it you will agree that being free is a better place to live than anything you could provide.A good place would be near where you found it. As far as what they eat I believe they are opportunistic. Watch your fingers. ---
**Author:** ![LucyVanPelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@LucyVanPelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LucyVanPelt)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/6 "2000-03-27T03:31:00Z")
This is about turtles in general > [@](#): > > Stress is also a serious problem for turtles. Too much handling, moving, or anything else that disrupts their routines may result in the turtle temporarily not eating, though these pets can survive more than a week without food. I got this infomation at: [http://www026.personalogic.aol.com/pl/system/pl.qanda;4RNzuo23C$QXxZynl5MSM9hVBaeZyX9qbS3kR6iPGl4lzx864U6xr8LQUonNgFlMPbfwM$O&e7FSqpbUEN8qJobazCgWAnoMFS$velUCbhyBTZGAu1GJ4E550$xLL1](http://www026.personalogic.aol.com/pl/system/pl.qanda;4RNzuo23C%24QXxZynl5MSM9hVBaeZyX9qbS3kR6iPGl4lzx864U6xr8LQUonNgFlMPbfwM%24O&e7FSqpbUEN8qJobazCgWAnoMFS%24velUCbhyBTZGAu1GJ4E550%24xLL1) mdE7vZYNOynjUy41XmvRO7FFc3YnBTBDYBWdFxY90OYCB2A1RkGY8\_eJX4E\_kdxTNUshOwMtS5o3UwQ5w2SSRVJo4xTmhnA6Xi ## Dang thats a long link. 🙂 Be prepared. Keep kitty litter in the trunk. ---
**Author:** ![LucyVanPelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c6cbf5/32.png) [@LucyVanPelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LucyVanPelt)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/7 "2000-03-27T03:37:00Z")
OOPS sorry about messing that last one up. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/8 "2000-03-27T04:11:00Z")
It sounds EXACTLY like my situation - when I found a baby alligator-snapping turtle (named “Speedy”). Poor guy didn’t eat for nearly a week, then started eating, of all things, bologna. That’s right, ordinary bologna - I would tear off a long strip and hold it in front of his nose, and he would eat it that way. Good luck! * * * The Prince: “Did you kill Jahamaraj Jah?” Lady: “Yes.” The Prince: “My Gods! Why?” Lady: “His existence offended me.” ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/9 "2000-03-27T04:30:00Z")
Yeah, it’s a Snapper…though you couldn’t tell it! The wimp wouldn’t even bite my girlfriend when she put her finger on his snout…sigh…they just don’t make vicious carnivores like they used to! Anyway, I’m going to return it to the pond behind our apartment–I’m pretty sure that’s where it came from. I’ll be letting it go tomorrow, in the shallow end of the pond, because all of the really BIG turtles hang out in the deep end. I was hoping it would get a full meal first, but it isn’t touching the worms, catfood, cucumbers, or the newly added bologna… Thanks all! -David ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/10 "2000-03-27T04:32:00Z")
Oh…I’ve named it “Spot”. Cute, huh? -David ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/11 "2000-03-27T04:48:00Z")
Bye Spot ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/12 "2000-03-27T06:15:00Z")
Lucy Van Pelt pulls out the football again, and goes long. That link worked for me, thanks! This is it, ain’t it: [Pet Match]([http://www026.personalogic.aol.com/pl/system/pl.qanda;4RNzuo23C$QXxZynl5MSM9hVBaeZyX9qbS3kR6iPGl4lzx864U6xr8LQUonNgFlMPbfwM$O&e7FSqpbUEN8qJobazCgWAnoMFS$velUCbhyBTZGAu1GJ4E550](http://www026.personalogic.aol.com/pl/system/pl.qanda;4RNzuo23C%24QXxZynl5MSM9hVBaeZyX9qbS3kR6iPGl4lzx864U6xr8LQUonNgFlMPbfwM%24O&e7FSqpbUEN8qJobazCgWAnoMFS%24velUCbhyBTZGAu1GJ4E550) $xLL1mdE7vZYNOynjUy41XmvRO7FFc3YnBTBDYBWdFxY90OYCB2A1RkGY8\_eJX4E\_kdxTNUshOwMtS5o3UwQ5w2SSRVJo4xTmhnA6Xi) * * * rocks ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2000, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-baby-snapping-turtles-eat/9229/13 "2000-03-27T06:16:00Z")
Omigod the horror.