Common Snapping Turtle Habitat Checklist (Shopping List)

If you are planning to bring a common snapping turtle to your home for the first time and wondering what you will need to take good care of them, then this is the guide for you. We are going to list all the necessary things needed for common snapping turtles.

Snapping turtles are almost entirely aquatic species. They pretty much almost never leave the water. They can be found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats. They prefer slow-moving water that has soft muddy or a sandy bottom.

Below is the list of things needed for common snapping turtles.

Aquarium

For common snapping turtles, you will need a tank that is at least 5 times its size. Adult snapping turtles do best in a 200-gallon tank. Always remember, the bigger the tank the better.

List of things needed inside of the aquarium.

Heater

You will need to keep the water between 74 to 78 degrees. To achieve this temperature level, you will need an aquarium heater.

Thermometer

To keep the aquarium temperature in between the desired level, you will need to install a thermometer inside the aquarium.

Lights Bulbs

Common snapping turtles need both a heat lamp and a UVB bulb installed in their aquarium. For a heat bulb, you can use a regular desk lamp or a Reptisun 5.0 bulb. For UVB lights, you can get a purpose-made UVB bulb that’s both cheap and works great.

Filter

You will need a good quality filter for common snapping turtles to keep the water clean. We recommend Magnum 350 or Fluval 404’s, they both work great.

Food

Feeding snapping turtles are not very complicated. They feed on crickets and live fish. We recommend feeding them formula food like ReptoMin along with fish and crickets.