General Care Discussion :: Sudden, unexplained aggression by female towards male

[Sarpedon]

I took the female out and put her in a rubbermaid tub to give the male time to recuperate in the water. I'm hoping it will go away, if not I guess I'll have to get rid of one.

[hdaisog]

I'm going to seperate my turtles now that I have heard all of this.

I started with just the male turtle. He was pretty inactive and didn't eat much. When I got the second turtle he livened up a lot and eats a whole lot more. For anyone who has experience in seperating their turtles, do you think he will be ok if I put their tanks by each other so he can see the other turtle? I don't want him to become lethargic again.

[marisa]

You could. But if either (or both) start spending a lot of time trying to swim to each other, I'd put a barrier between them.

[Sarpedon]

I changed the tank with cold water and she seems to have forgotten about it. Thanks to everyone for their help.

[megcornell]

Why did you change the tank water to cold water? Do you think a sudden change in temperature is beneficial to turtle health?
It's not.
That's a great way to get your turtles ill.

[SpotsMama]

If the turtles' tank water is now cold, it will slow them down and perhaps they won't be acting as aggressive. However, it also slows their immune system and leaves them wide open to all sorts of infections. They must have a certain amount of heat to remain healthy in an aquarium.

I'm afraid your options where aggressive turtles are concerned are limited - separation or divided tank. You may be able to buy some time by putting them in a much much larger enclosure with places for the one that's being harrassed to hide but even that is probably only a short time fix if the turtles have decided to fight.

[Sarpedon]

I've been doing it for 3 years with no problems at all. If I use warm tap water, I could get copper or heavy metals in the tank.

[hdaisog]

I've been doing it for 3 years with no problems at all. If I use warm tap water, I could get copper or heavy metals in the tank.

Is your hot water heater falling apart or something? Your turtle might not be getting sick, but since they are cold blooded animals I would think it would slow down their systems which can't be good for digestion or their immune system.

[marisa]

Why would you need to use warm tap water? A submersible water heater should be keeping the tank water at a constant temp.

[Sarpedon]

Heavy metals can often get into the water from the hot-water pipes. This is why you are supposed to boil cold water in cooking rather than hot water.

I don't have a heater, I keep them at room temperature (now about 68 degrees). Either way I would have to add the cold water initially for the heater to warm it up.

[megcornell]

68 degrees really isn't warm enough for turtles to thrive at. You need to get a water heater.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Heavy metals can often get into the water from the hot-water pipes. This is why you are supposed to boil cold water in cooking rather than hot water.

I don't have a heater, I keep them at room temperature (now about 68 degrees). Either way I would have to add the cold water initially for the heater to warm it up.

You need a submersible heater for your turtles' tanks. It's important for your turtles' health. Turtles have very poor circulation & the only way they can digest food & have a healthy immune system is if the water is kept between 76-80 degrees F (that helps circulate the blood around their body which delivers vital nutrients to their organs). There are some great submersible heaters out there that do an awesome job & honestly, it is a small price to pay considering how much benefit your turtles will get. Vet bills for Pneumonia from cold water can cost well over $100, whereas a cheap $20-$35 submersible heater can prevent you from EVER having to visit a vet. Think of a water heater as a kind of "health insurance."

And FYI - water sitting in pipes, even cold pipes overnight, can take on the copper & heavy metals you talked about. But keep in mind that this happens in the wild also (metals in the water from minerals in soils in streams/ponds/lakes). The important thing is to keep up with regular water changes to prevent metals from building up in the tank.