General Care Discussion :: weired actions

[Dee_Dee]

hey i recently moved out and i have noticed that my turtles turn to one another and they put their hands up to their faces and shake their hands at one another like looks like hey are having convoltions and im concerned theyr are still babies so mating signs wouldnt be a cause of this my boyfriend says they may be figting or tryin to fend one another off im not sure wut that means r they sick are they figting someone help!!!!!!!

thanx....

[industrial_girl_2000]

What size tank do you have them in? Exactly how big are the turtles (shell length only from head to tail)? How long have you had them?

What they are doing is "fluttering" and it doesn't mean they are mating. It can also be a sign of aggression ("get out of my space!"). Turtles are very territorial & want their own space. If the tank is too small (you should have them in 10 gallons per inch of turtle) it can cause some aggressive behavior. For example: two 2-inch long turtles should be in a *minimum* of 40-gallon tank (each 2-inch turtle has 20 gallons).

[Dee_Dee]

hey umm im not sure but they are in a 10gall tank and i recently got a 60 gall tank they are i would say about 3 inches well on and the other is a lil smaller so hes like 2.5 inches i jus moved so i havent had enuff time to stitch them into the bigger tank but ill get on that tonight i jus wanted to kno what .....they hell they were doing....

thanx xo xo

[industrial_girl_2000]

60 gallon tank would be good for them. Hopefully once they have their own space, they will stop getting in each other's face! LOL

Post a pic of the new tank when you get it set up!

[FLhaven4strays]

Sounds like the beginning of aggressive behavior. Even after you upgrade I'd keep a close eye on them & move them apart if it keeps up.

[Dee_Dee]

hey thanx for all ur help guys i deff appreciate it ...yea ill post up pics for sure....

xo xo

[DocShay]

My turtles do that occasionally, not often but still.

I started off with one turtle, once he got about 6-7 months old I got a second one. They faught quite often, i'd shoo them apart whenever I saw it.

Now ive had them for over a year now, and maybe once a month they do this. Pretty normal thing i'd say.

[marisa]

DocShay, how big are they (shell length's without the curve)? Do you have them in a larger tank now? If not, they should be. How big is the tank they're in?

If they're still fighting, even once a month (and how do you know it's only once a month?), and you choose not to separate them, they should at least have a tank with enough space for them to get away from each other. Objects in the tank to help break up their sight lines so that they're not always looking at each other and also give them privacy from each other would also be good.