Other Turtle Discussion :: i got a new res. but the other tries to bite him/her

[AstridS]

so today my little sister was asked if she wanted a little baby res turtle and she accepted it. its as small as a quarter. anyways i put the little baby with the res i've had for a year already. that turtle is about the size of a human palm.its not that big but its defenitely larger than the other. the little baby was shy at first so it would just lay on the rock i have in the tank after a while he/she got into the water and the other saw it and tried to bite its tail and feet. why? right now i have them in separate containers. what should i do?

[devilduck]

You'll have to keep them separate from now on. Turtles are territorial and don't want others in their space. I'd suggest finding the new one a new home.

[steve]

Agreed. Size difference is too great, you're looking at a separate setup now. Is the other a male or female?

[Paul]

For now, keep them separate but later on when they are full grown, you may be able to keep them together if there are no aggression issues. Trust me, if turtles were not aggressive towards each other , we'd all have a lot more turtles.