General Care Discussion :: Another Turtle?

[jsp2933]

Hello everyone. I havent been on in a while, but a had a question for you all. Unfortunately yesterday, one of our 2 turtles (Trigger) ended up passing away. We noticed he was not doing well and made an appt for the vet which was suppose to be today, which was the earliest we could get him seen, but he did not make it through last night. The other turtle (Bonzai) is perfectly healthy. But since Trigger died, Bonzai has done nothing but hide from us, wont eat, and when we stand back and watch him he just pokes his head up out of the water and looks like he is looking for Trigger.

My question is, since he is still young, would it be a good idea for us to get another turtle? We have the room for another one. Just not sure if it would be better to keep Bonzai by himself or if it would be good to get another one.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks for your time . Have a great day.

-Jon

[mikee]

Anytime you add a new turtle to an existing tank, it is a carp shoot. More likely than not they will not get along. If you do add one and they don't get along you will have to get another set up for one of them or take it back or what ever.

[hdaisog]

There was a chance that you would have had to eventually seperate your turtles anyway. I would suggest waiting a while to see if the living turtle gets over it. Maybe try adding some new toys or something and a few more treats than normal.

[megcornell]

I'm sorry to hear Trigger didn't make it.
I honestly don't think he misses the other turtle. Turtles are very solitary creatures, and more times than not, having two turtles means having two set ups because of aggression issues. Give Bonzai some time, I'm sure he'll be back to his old self soon.

Also, you will want to do a thorough cleaning of the tank so that any illness that Trigger has is wiped out and can't infect Bonzai.

[scripta_elegans]

As Meg said, cleaning the tank out thouroghly would be a good idea. i have 2 turtles that I am in the process of seperating. If your turtles do always get along, which is unlikely, you will need a 150 gallon tank as a bare minimum for 2 males. 2 females would need a 240 gallon tank. If you have 2 that don't get along, you could have 2 120 gallon tanks, or 1 125, and 1 80 gallon stock tank like me. If I could give any one piece of advice to new turtle owners who understand the basic needs of their pet, it would be ONLY GET ONE!

[jsp2933]

Thanks for the replies. I fully cleaned everything in the tank today. Bonzai is still acting different, but he did eat a little bit which makes me a little happier. I guess we can wait and see what happens. Thanks for all of the feedback .

[SpotsMama]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I know it's hard.

I second what the others have said about getting another turtle. There have been many stories on here from people who are forced to separate their turtles. There are also some stories about serious injuries if they aren't separated in time. Best to focus your affection on little Bonzai.

If Bonzai doesn't bounce right back, you should get him to the vet in case whatever Trigger had was contageous. Hopefully he'll be fine but it's better to get him treated early if he's coming down with something.

[hdaisog]

I really agree with scripta_elegans. I had one and everything was great. Then some bimbo dropped off another at the local shelter (left over night on a night that was 30 degrees) and my husband brought it home. Then some dude went to prison and my husband brought home another one. If I can find a responsible person that knows what they are getting themselves into. I would definately give one away. You might regret getting another one later. Even if there isn't any aggressions, the mear size of their habitat, cleaning, and costs seem to increase every year. Remember how long they live too!!!

[industrial_girl_2000]

Sorry to hear about Trigger!

[amsude]

I am very sorry to hear about Trigger. I can't imagine.
I was thinking about getting another i know a family the daughter has two doesn't take care of them so they saw my tank and asked if I wan't them. I was thinking about it over the weekend. I was thinking of saying yes just because i feel Speedy is lonely but after reading all this he has 100 gal all to himself.

[SpotsMama]

I feel you're doing the right thing. A 100 gallon tank is perfect for one full grown turtle, so he's now set for life.

I hope the two turtles that aren't being cared for wind up with good homes. Do they have a nice setup and would the setup go with them?

[amsude]

I am sure I am doing the right thing I just want to feel like my turtle likes the tank. He is so tiny I feel like he is lost in there. They have an OK setup but not a for life set up. I am sure it would go with them