Other Turtle Discussion :: Friend?

[buddys_my_turtle]

Well I was looking on the internet if turts get lonley.Do turts. get lonley?Well anyways I was looking and I read up on if I should by my turt a freind.They said that "(red Eared Slider Turtles don't get lonley if you put another turtle in wit him/her they will fight and not like each other").For those of you that have more then one turtle is that true should I not get another turtle?For those of you that have a single turtle does your turtle get lonley?Do you think I should get another frend for my turtle?


[color=red]-Tori

[TurtleMan17]

I olny have one turt and he/she dosent seem to get lonley but then again i cant fell what he/she is feeling so there is no way to tell.

[andywoo87]

it isn't at all possible for my turtle to get lonley. It might be possible for it to get lonely though.

[jdub1107]

I had 1 for about a week and it acts the same now that I have 2 others with him. No idea if one gets lonely by itself.

[buddys_my_turtle]

So none of u noticed if they were happy or not with a friend?

[cam722]

I think there have been a few posts regarding this. Turtles don't get lonely. Often they have territorial disputes and it creates a problem to where you have to separate them. I guess it all depends on the turtles. Not to mention their environment. I believe the territory problem would be more prevalent in a tank that isn't adequate for one turtle let alone two... You also have to take into considering upgrading and the expense and time of taking care of more than one turtle, trust me, the time and money multiply by the number of turtles you have in the early years while they are in a faster growing pattern. I use to have 3 turtles and ended up giving one to my daughter for just those reasons. 3 -4" turtles need a LOT of space and since I don't have the option of an outdoor pond, was just easier and best all around for me and the turtles. Maybe my daughter (flutterby) can tell you how well Scooter is doing after leaving the other 2 turtles, he doesn't seem to mind it a bit!! Just something for you to think about.

[marisa]

They are basically solitary creatures and do well by themselves. Getting another is, of course, your decision, but before you do, make sure you have the space, time and money (better equipment like a bigger filter and heater, for example) for a second.

What is the set-up like for the turtle you have now? Get another, and if the turtle you have now is in a 20-gallon tank, for example, you're most likely looking at upgrades of most of the equipment you're using now. And any new turtle should be quarantined for a minimum of 90 days to make sure the turtle doesn't have anything yours could catch.

I don't think your turtle cares if s/he has a buddy. I'd concentrate on making the set-up more interesting for the turtle you already have (if you think yours is bored and needs a friend for that reason).

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

I think that about the only time they would care (at least the males) if there is a companion nearby, would be during mating season, other than that, I doubt they would need another turtle around, they are territorial, so if you get another turtle, you would have to make their setup big enough so that there are no confrontations, especially since they weren't gotten at the same time.

[steve]

There's a lot more potential problems with multiple turtles. Also if they don't get along, you would have to separate them and have different tank setups... it can become very expensive.

[pkneeyahx]

I think this should be a sticky note.. a lot of people ask about turtles needing friends.

It's not the turtles that get lonely and want a friend.. It's the owner of the turtle who convinces themselves that they need a friend.

In the wild turtles compete for hunting territory.. why confine them together in captivity with a shared "hunting" space??

[cam722]

You know pkneeyahx.. i was thinking today how maybe there should be a newbie section with all the FAQ's in it.. so they can go directly there for the important info that are scattered in all the forums so that way they'd not have to go in search of all the questions that seem to often get asked repeatedly. Like temps, food.. etc.

[steve]

i have approximately 60 percent of the site content written, which does go into some detail about multiple turtles. not sure how much longer it will take to finish, but i will move more content to sticky areas.

[cam722]

Steve: is it possible to open a new forum specifically for all the sticky's?? maybe they could be double posted?? Like a FAQ area?? Just a suggestion to cut back on the often repeated questions that have been answered so many times. Might make it easier on the mods and yourself that way.. just a suggestion!!

[steve]

if it were just stickies or faq area, then it wouldn't need to be a separate forum (since they will not be able to post). i'll definitely keep that in mind as we are making other changes. maybe there should be a newbie forum? thanks for your suggestions

[TexasJagsFan]

Wouldn't that like be the Welcome forum?