Question
Whipper Snapper
hey mark... this site is great. thanx for all you do. i have a hatchling
snapper found in the middle of the bike trail. his shell is the size of a
quarter, his eyes are not open yet (although i see him blinking sometimes)
and his tail is a couple inches long. he still has remnants of his yolk sac on
his belly. he's active and localizes to my voice and i love him. :) i am
planning to let him relax in his container with me until his yolk sac is gone
and then i'll release him near the site where i found him. my question is
about the temperature i need to maintain for his comfort and survival for
the next week or so before release. my house is probably 72 or so... is that
ok? should i run a space heater in the room where i keep him to elevate the
temp? will his eyes open eventually?? thanks again!
AnswerA turtle with a yolk sac really should be returned to as close to where you found it as humanly possible, as quickly as humanly possible. While the baby is as cute as the dickens, it is in a very delicate state right now.
They usually spend the time absorbing the yolk sac in a protected area- often very close to their nest- and they get oriented to their location at the same time. That is- they use the sun, smells, and possibly even a sense of magnetic lines to figure out where they are going to go.
Studies show that they have the best chance for survival in the wild, and that the longer they are kept before release, their odds go down. One week does not make a huge change, but it does affect it.
Now, if you decide to keep it for the next week, here is a site on their care: http://www.chelydra.org/snapping_turtle_eggs_and_hatchlings.html
72ish should be OK, but a lamp shining in one corner can make a warmer zone for it if it wishes. It will open its eyes, if it is otherwise healthy, soon.
Good luck!
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