General Care Discussion :: Recent fighting

[mst]

Hi, I have had two male red eared sliders for about 5 years and keep them in a 40 gallon tank. Once/year, I take them to see a vet for a checkup....Do all of the things I'm supposed to do (UVB light, ceramic heater, clean water, etc etc)...In the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that Mikey (slightly larger than Bunny) has begun to chase Bunny. Most of the times, Bunny just appears to ignore Mikey. However, Mikey is persistent and can be after him and not leave him along for quite awhile. He seems to be aggressive toward Bunny for 10 minutes or so, then may go off and do something else, then returns. Most of the time Bunny ignores Mikey, but there have been a few times when he "zooms" around the tank(presumably scared of Mikey). In his aggressive moods, Mikey does try to bite Bunny. Bunny sometimes hides in a hollow log (which Mikey can't fit into). What should I do ???

[powerofvoodoo]

They probably need to be separated. Once they start getting aggressive, it won't stop. Also, a 40 gallon tank for 2 five year old turtles sounds much too small. How big are they?

[SpotsMama]

I agree with powerofvoodoo. Those guys need to be separated or one of them is going to get seriously hurt. Also, one 40 gallon tank for two 5 year old turtles would be a very tight squeeze. The rule of thumb is 10 gallons of tank for every inch of turtle shell length. If one of the turtles is only 4 or 5 inches long then he could live in the 40 gallon tank until he outgrows it. For the second setup, if it were me I'd go as large as possible. A full grown RES needs a 70 gallon container or larger. If you're not in a position to buy an expensive aquarium right now, why don't you look at a rubbermaid container. They are very inexpensive and make great turtle habitats.