General Care Discussion :: More than one sounds like fun, but could be trouble.

[packfan1]

I sure wish I would have found this site first. Anyhow, my topic is on multiple turtles. Yes that sounds so cute when you go to buy them at the pet store or elsewhere, but one thing many people do not know is that turtles are basically loners. They can live to together peacefully in the right enviroment, but anything short of that may and probably will lead to aggression. This means that one, more likely if you have at least one female, will start to attack the other(s). Look at tails, nails and around the neck area for signs of bite marks, or missing parts. Once this starts it will not stop and can/could lead to a turtle death. If you desire more than one turtle in a single tank, that tank needs to be big enough 100+ gallons and have enough enviroment to break up the constant viewing of each other. I am dealing with this issue whe we bought three turtles several months ago and I think I may have the right combination of them seperated(crossing my fingers). Otherwise I will have to give one away.
If I recall reading correctly females are typically more aggressive than males and grow to be bigger. THINK ABOUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN BEFORE YOU BUY OR GET MORE THAN ONE.

[jenaero]

This is a topic that comes up quite often. I think it's important for people to be reminded. The trouble with that is, that most people don't find this site until they've already brought their turtle(s) home. Good luck with yours

[meltedspork]

I would say that this problem is the second biggest problem new turtle owners face, next to not having a proper-sized tank for their turtle(s). I wish more people would research turtles BEFORE they get them. Good luck with your 3, I hope it works out.