Urgent Care

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:48 pm **hand waving?**

We have two 3 inch diameter sliders that we have occasionally caught acting "strangly". They face one another and vigorously wave their front claws at one another, often retracting their heads. Has anyone ever seen this behavior? We think they are both males, so we wonder if they are being territorial.

Thanks!
G & R

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:55 pm

We just read the post on turtle tourettes, and think that was helpful. Probably normal behavior.

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:38 pm

What you are seeing is not turtle tourettes, it's called fluttering. It is one of two things: mating or aggression. Once you see fluttering, the turtles must be separated ASAP or it may lead to injury or death in a matter of moments.

There is only two solutions to the situation. The first is permanent separation. That is the best approach as if they are fluttering now, it is likely that they will start again in the future. The second is assessment of the living situation. What is the tank setup like? How many gallons are there? What are their sizes? It's possible to fix things by giving the turtles at least 10 gallons per inch of shell and it's additive. So if you have 2 3" turtles, you need a 60 gallon tank right now. If you believe they are male, you may need as large as a 180 gallon tank when fully grown. And it's possible that this won't fix the situation and they will still need to be permanently separated.

Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 9:38 pm **thanks**

Thanks Jax,

We are looking into getting a larger tank and are persuaded to put a divider in the middle so that the turtle aggression doesn't continue. Is craigslist a good spot to find tanks? Or does anyone have another location where they recommend?

Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:36 am

The best deals would usually be found on Craigslist or local classifieds.

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:16 pm

I couldn't agree with Jax more. Everything he said was right on. It only takes one bite for a disastrous result.

I separated my two turtles and they couldn't be happier. One has even changed from being very timid to letting you pet her. Good luck. I hope it works out.

Urgent Care :: hand waving?

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