redearslider.com

A lady I know had two red ear sliders for 9 years (male and female) and what with a new baby and all chose to adopt them out. Unfortunately they were separated and went to different homes. One almost immediately started to lose scales on his (or her) shell and became ill. My question is.. do they mate for life and can they die from mourning?

That's a good question. I know reptiles are not very social but there's really no way of knowing if they have feelings. I know when my dog ran away, the other one was so lonley, he wouldn't eat and just walked around with his tail between his legs. I was worried he may not get thru it but 2 weeks later when we found the other dog, he perked right up. Just proof that at least some animals can feel lonely.

I don't believe that they know the emotions humans or other "higher" functioning animals do, but since I've read that fish can exhibit signs of fear and pain, who really knows? Turtles are largely creatures of habit, though, so they can become used to other objects. When/if those objects are taken away, they're no doubt missed, at least for a while. A new environment will also cause stress to a turtle, and if not in the best of health to begin with, could contribute to illness. What other symptoms did the turtle exhibit besides shedding?

He (she) pretty much stopped moving around; most of the food was left uneaten. Granted, the new owner's inexperience with turtles was probably the biggest problem what with a different environment and all, but I guess being a romantic myself I thought there might be a more "personal" issue here.