Home › Forums › Diamondback Terrapins › Hatchling terrapin
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Ihuntsnook@aol.com.
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April 16, 2004 at 10:48 pm #19486
captainfred51
Hi, I’m new to the group. Found a hatchling in the driveway last week and have yet to see it eat anything. I believe it to be an ornate terrapin — all the local mature turtles seem to have orange on them. The turtle seems to be healthy and active, but I would sure like to see it eat something. I have a bait shop on the water with infinite resources to feed the critter. Any and all advice would be appreciated. Capt. Fred
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April 17, 2004 at 1:29 am #19487
Diamondback Terrapin World
Hi Fred, Frozen bloodworms have worked very well for me in the last. Once he starts eating offer him foodsticks don’t let him feed on just the bloodworms for more than a week or he will only want the bloodworms. Good Luck Jonathan http://www.diamondbackterrapin.comcaptainfred51
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April 17, 2004 at 10:35 am #19490
Stephen Chew
Wild hatchlings normally do not emerge from their nests until their yolk sacs have been absorbed but you may want to double check and see if this is the case. Hatchlings will not begin food intake with their yolk sacs still intact. If this is not the case, then the hatchling has most likely been eating live foods in the wild so live foods would be your best bet. You might try small crickets, live blackworms (commonly mislabeled as bloodworms), small guppies, small ghost shrimp, etc. Of course, if you have access to baby periwinkle snails, then you will have hit the jackpot! Try feeding it in very shallow water (.5″) as opposed to on dry land and see if it helps. Chun Tail Moderator http://www.geocities.com/dterrapin — In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, “captainfred51”
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April 17, 2004 at 11:24 am #19491
Ihuntsnook@aol.com
Chun, I believe this turtle was picked up shortly after it hatched. Because of where it was found, I don’t believe it ever reached the water. Fred
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April 17, 2004 at 12:29 pm #19492
Todd Stockwell
Fred; If it hasn’t hunted and eaten live wild food, try dried gammurus shrimp (Tetra Turtle Treats, etc.). Most hatchligs will go for gammurus. You can also try Tetra Baby Reptomin sticks, ZooMed Hatchling Turtle Diet (very fine floating pellets), and Hikari Cichlid Gold mini fish (omnivore) pellets. If you can get a hatchling started on dried food and pellets to begin with, you’ll be able to keep it on a stable, staple growth diet and then add other supplements, too. It’s worth a try as hatchlings first imprinted on live foods are harder to get to take pellets later. If the dried stuff doesn’t do it, live brine shrimp and live glass shrimp are nearly sure bets to get a predator reaction, along with the guppies, snails, blood/blackworms, etc. Frozen fish cubes of bloodworms, glass worms (mosquito larvae), and omnivore cichlid diet will also catch the tastebuds of hatchlings. It may take a while for the hatchling to acclimate to his new surroundings. Give it plenty of hiding places in the water (live or plastic plants) and a quieter location where it can adjust. And make sure the basking temp is warm enough. Sounds like this one wintered over in the nest and popped up with the warmer weather? It should be hungry. Late summer/fall season hatchlings seem to sometimes be harder to get eating which some of us have speculated may be due to some bring “pre-programmed” to overwinter in the nest. Yours should be ready to eat soon though. You mentioned “ornate” and that the adults in your area have orange coloring. If you haven’t already seen our previous discussions about the term “ornate,” this list reserves ornate for the Florida subspecies macrospilota as per the scientific nomenclature. What area are you located in? Todd Ihuntsnook@… wrote:
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April 17, 2004 at 2:51 pm #19493
Ihuntsnook@aol.com
Thanks Todd, I’m on the mouth of the Little Manatee River in Ruskin — 20 miles south of Tampa. I have seen mature terrapins on the flats often, and have even held a few in my hand. They all have orange tips on the shell. The hatchling in my care never reached water. I believe it hatched under the restaurant across from the bait shop. A customer alertly picked it up before it met with a car tire or a sea bird. That was about 10 days ago. I haven’t seen it eat anything, but it’s alert, active, and looks healthy. I have an infinite supply of live baits, and will rest easier once I see Bill take a bite out of anything. Thanks. Fred
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