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I have two female RES that are about five years old. Recently, I was given a male RES that is about one year old. The male is flashing his nails at one of the females and has been since shortly after being placed in the tank. My children found that cute and entertaining. But recently, we noticed that the male is biting the female's foot and will not let go. Should I be concerned for the female's health? I can't see how it doesn't hurt her, but she doesn't seem to mind. Should I remove the male from the tank? I would greatly appreciate any help.

I'd remove him if I were you. You'll need a separate setup for him.

How big a tank are they in now? What are the shell lengths of the turtles?

Biting, usualy on the neck, and the vibrating claws are usualy part of the mating routine. But can also be a sign of aggression.

If the female is less than 4-5 inches it may be more aggresion and less mating, too small to lay eggs, but some one more qualified may have to answer that.

I would think if this happened very soon after introducing the new turtle to the tank it is probaly trying to mate. it is that time of year.

Either way, if you plan on keeping them together. Be prepared to have a set up that has a nesting area. If the female doesn't have some were to lay the eggs they could become impacted and that is a very serious problem.

here is some good info that was passed on to me. one of the links may be dead i'm not sure which one. (can't test at work)
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Nestsites.htm
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/Emerge ... niques.htm http://www.gctts.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ ... lonianEggs

No, all the links work. I usually test them to make sure after I've posted them.

L, E and LR--how big are your turtles and what size tank do you have them in?

I'm sorry it is taking so long for me to reply. My tank is a 40 gallon breeder tank with a floating island. I was told that the breeder tanks are wider and not as deep as regular fish tanks. I'm not sure if that is true. The Lucy (5 years old) is 6 inches, Ethel (5 years old) is 7 inches and Little Ricky (1 year old) is 4.5 inches. Lucy and Ethel were given to me last summer and Ricky was given to me about a month ago. I do have a 20 gallon tank to put Ricky in, but I worry about him being lonely. The whole idea of me taking Ricky was so he wouldn't be in a tank alone. He is not aggressive all the time. But he does have his moments and Ethel can usually get away quickly. Thank you all so much for your help and guidance. I greatly appreciate it!

Oh I forgot to say -- the vibrating claws started after Ricky was in the tank for only a few days.

that tank is way too small. for 3 turts of that size, you're looking at a minimum of a 180 gallon tank to keep them from fighting over territory.

I had no idea the tank was so inadequate. I guess Little Ricky will be finding a new home. I know someone who has the proper space for him and I can still visit all the time. Thank you for your help. This is a teriffic place to find information.

i strongly agree with bigct! but the biteing i dont know about

Thank you all for all your help and advice.