General Care Discussion :: Will My Turtle Be Lonely? Pal Died

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:12 pm   Will My Turtle Be Lonely? Pal Died

Hello: I purchased and raised a male and female red ear slider pair to the age of 3.75 yrs old. they've always been together.

Last night the male, Fred, died. :( I'm worried that "Wilma" may get lonely without Fred.

Should I try and "adopt" another male to keep her company? Will she be okay on her own? I'm concerned about adopting an unknown turtle as I've read on the forums of the turtle fights. Fred and Wilma never fought.

Pls, looking for some guidance. :?: :?: :?:

Thank you,
Candace
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:30 pm   

I am sorry to hear about Fred. :( Do you know what happened to him? If you don't, you may want to take Wilma in for a vet check-up, she may have what he had. I think a male would just up-set Wilma. You where VERY lucky they never fought, I think any other male you adopt would just want to mate with Wilma, and drive her crazy until she does. I think Wilma will be just fine. :) It is MUCH easier to care for one RES then it is two. Its two times cheaper too. Just stick with Wilma, you can focus all your attention, time, love, and funds on her now. :) Which will make her all the more happy. :)

Good luck,

Nathan.
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N4784N R4613
 
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:32 pm   

Sorry to hear about your loss :-(

If you were to get another turtle, you'd have to follow the 90 day quarantine rule anyway. I'd advise letting her be on her own for now. You could get some feeder fish if you want to keep her busy.

Many people, myself included, will tell you that turtles don't get lonely, and they're solitary animals. Sometimes their body language leads us to believe otherwise. They do, however, need mental stimulation, as any other creature does.
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jenaero
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:04 pm   

Hello Nathan:

It was an accident that Fred died - the water in the tank is fairly deep as they loved to swim together up and down and around.

I cleaned the tank yesterday, and somehow the grill over the pump intake came loose and Fred's front foot became sucked into the intake. The suction was too strong and he couldn't remove his foot; he couldn't breathe. All was okay when I went to bed last night. I very sadly found him this morning. I know it was an accident, but I still feel guilty. I really feel sorry for Wilma.

Thank you for the insight on Wilma. I believe I will leave her alone for now. I'm really afraid to introduce another turtle.

Question, feeder fish were recommeded. What fish should I look for? Or just go to the pet shop and request feeder fish? How often and how many should she receive? She's approximately 10 long by 6 inches wide. Thank you,\
Candace
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:17 pm   

I would suggest that you do not introduce another turtle. A turtle will do just fine alone. If you introduce any fish in the tank they will get eaten or nipped at until they die. It may take a while but it will happen. Good Luck
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:55 pm   

I'm sorry you lost Fred. But, I wouldn't go out and get another mate for Wilma---she'll do fine by herself.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:16 pm   

Feeder fish, a good kind are Rosie Red Minnows, they are cheap and available at most pet stores. I think based on your turtle's size, you can get maybe a half dozen for her to chase around and eat. Only give them once a month, max, and you can not give her pellets on the days she eats a fish. Watch out for her, she may have a bout of depression come on, so take extra special care of her. I wouldn't recommend another turtle since she's the resident, another turtle will probably just upset her. And glue that intake on so it can't fall off again! I'm terribly sorry for your loss, though, but it happens a lot on this board.
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:51 am   

Sorry to hear about Fred. :(
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:30 pm   

I went through the same thing you went through in January. My two baby res, gabanna and chu never fought and gabanna passed away. At first, i thought Chu was acting differently, kinda like he didn't know what to do with himself..but he got over it. My favorite thing about having the turtles was watching them interact with eachother, so I too am tempted to buy another one. However, Chu did always dominate over Gabanna (always took more food, and was just more aggressive) so I'm worried he won't get along with another turtle. I currently have a fish in there for him, I thought for sure he'd eat it right away..but he doesn't mind it at all. I think you just have to give the turtle extra attention now that his partner is gone.
<3Chunobi&Gabanna
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:50 pm   Thank You So Much for Your Reply Post About Fred

Dear Daniella: How long did you have Gabanna and Chu? Wilma is being very, very quiet. Too quiet for her. She was always swimming around. She was the "lead" turtle too. Always the first to eat, etc.... and although I got them both at the same time, almost 4 yrs ago, she was double the size of Fred. I never understood that.

What type fish do you have in the tank with Chu??? What is the size of the fish compared to Chu's size? I still have a feeling she'd do better with a companion, but I really don't think another turtle is the answer.

I know she sometimes got annoyed with Fred, but she put up with him really well. She was never too aggressive - never tried to bite him. I never saw any marks on either of them.

I feel sooo stupid for letting this happen. I've had the flu and the tank really needed clean, so I'm not sure if I "missed" something yesterday. I didn't think so, but I must have.

Again, thank for your experience.

Candace



daniella wrote:I went through the same thing you went through in January. My two baby res, gabanna and chu never fought and gabanna passed away. At first, i thought Chu was acting differently, kinda like he didn't know what to do with himself..but he got over it. My favorite thing about having the turtles was watching them interact with eachother, so I too am tempted to buy another one. However, Chu did always dominate over Gabanna (always took more food, and was just more aggressive) so I'm worried he won't get along with another turtle. I currently have a fish in there for him, I thought for sure he'd eat it right away..but he doesn't mind it at all. I think you just have to give the turtle extra attention now that his partner is gone.
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:21 pm   

Well I didn't have Gabanna and Chu as long as you. A few months, but they might have been together longer because I bought them together and they were alone in the same tank. They too got along pretty well, and just like you I blamed myself for Gabanna's death (he got stuck in between a rock and the glass, it was really odd though because I have no idea how he moved the rock.) They always got along pretty well, and never fought but when it came to food Chu was always the more aggressive one, and he grew a lot faster than Gabanna. Right now I have a guppy in his tank, orginally it was for him to eat but he just swims around and really pays no attention to it. When I found Gabanna stuck, he was pratically dead, couldn't lift his head or anything, but still breathing and I was able to keep him alive for about 3 weeks after it happened. However, I took Gabanna out of the tank because there was a good chance he had an RI and i didn't want Chu to get sick. During that time for about 2 weeks Chu acted differently, wasn't as aggressive and for a few days he didn't eat and I was worried he was sick. But now he's back to normal and has grown even more now that he's by himself. I've been thinking about getting another turtle, i loved having two baby res, but I'm nervous too. I know my brother really wants a turtle, so I was thinking if I get another one and they don't get along I can give my brother my old tank and he can have the new turtle. So maybe, you can talk to someone before you get another one and see if they would be willing to take care of it if they ever started to fight. or, you can just put them in different tanks and keep both. Oh, and another thing..after Gabanna's death I bought new things and made Chu's tank a lot better, more natural too. I think when I put all new things in his tank is when he started acting normal, so maybe you can buy something new that your turtle would enjoy. I bought a floating log and he loves playing in it, it keeps him busy..so maybe you just have to kinda find something that your turtle would really enjoy, it may help.
<3Chunobi&Gabanna
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Post Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 1:28 pm   Re: Will My Turtle Be Lonely? Pal Died

I am in the same situation, but I raised my turtles together for 17 years when the male
died last week. I wonder if the advice from
People on this board (generally that the female will
Be fine on her own) changes because of the number of years these turtles had together? Thanks for
Any feedback out there.
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Post Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:46 am   Re: Will My Turtle Be Lonely? Pal Died

Hi Lauras, sorry for your loss. While my turtle did not die, I did have to separate them into different tanks and they cannot see each other. Both are fine and do well without any interaction from each other. Welcome to the forum!
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Post Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 7:52 am   Re: Will My Turtle Be Lonely? Pal Died

Piggley and I are sorry for your loss. What great memories you have of Pal in 17 years. The female will be fine alone.

Seventeen for Pal's DNA may of been a full life. Some captive sliders , if a slider , can be 40-50 years. Unless you know for sure the cause I would break down the tank to be sure. Necropsy done ? Clean all , even change all filter media as a “precautionary measure”. Organisms can live in the water a long time and be contagious to others if any. Turtles hide problem very well. Prevention is our best friend.
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