We have a a snapping turtle and I have been housing him alone but have been considering getting him a buddy.

My main question is what should I use as flooring? I have been using river gravel and he likes to bury himself in it but im worried about him eating it. I havent seen him eat any of it yet and wouldnt think he would considering he is mostly carnivorous...

Also would it be safe to house him with a red ear slider. we have had them in the tanks together and they dont seem to be bothered by each other but that was only for a few minutes to see how they react towards each other.

Thanks ahead of time

Snapping turtles get so much bigger and nastier than red eared sliders...I would think eventually it could cause some big problems.....Lyn

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

I agree with Lyn on this one. Snappers have generally bad attitudes and it's not worth the RES getting injured. I use gravel in my aquatic turtle tank but I use a tupperware container full of a bark/soil mixture to give them a place to dig.

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I was aware of the eventual size difference but I was only considering this until the size difference is considerably different. Also Alstott(the snapping turtle) seems to be very well tempered. He allows us to hold him and pet him on his head with no problems at all, not even a sign of fear by retracting his head. and he is very healthy and jumps at a chance to eat.

Still shouldnt house them together though?

They cohabitate in the wild but in a small enclosure I would be wary. You could do a trial and see what happens but just be cautious. If they are the same size it may work for a while, I'm not sure how territorial snappers are.

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I too kept a snapper and while he seemed nice and not overly aggressive, I was strongly advised by numerous people not to keep snappers with other turtles or even other snappers. Period. As hatchling this is okay, but not as juv's or adults.

Snapppers do not need tank mates.

Snappers are very territorial, they wont chase prey, but they do know what is in its space and whether it should be there or not. They may be nice to each other in day, but at night a snapper comes very much alive and is a much different animal.

These animal co reside in the wild in huge lakes......not tanks.

Just my thoughts