General Care Discussion :: Read ->

[Joel]

I am about to buy a 8 year old RES female turtle..i am going to put her in with two 3 year old boys?

I have a pond for them in the summer and for colder temps i will keep them in the 1.2m long Tank..
Is there anything i should be aware of or something i should do before i Put her in with the boys..
Please leave a message regarding your opinion thanks
Joel,Junior And Sponge-bob.

[threshold]

im abit of a noob my self but i believe that the tank will be to small...and im guessing you will have to prepare for eggs..being male/female...im sure more knowledgeable people will give you better advice

[octpusgirl8]

Agression is always a concern with multiple RES, especially with male/female combinations. The males will frequently harass the lady until she gets frustrated and bites them. Also, to keep them all in one tank (if they do get along) you would need a reeeeally big tank. You'd want at least 10 gallons per inch of turtle (but probably more to avoid agression) so that would be around a 260 gallon tank. If you have your heart set on getting this new turtle, i'd suggest providing her with her own tank. As far as eggs go, females will lay regardless, so even if you don't keep them together you'll still have to make accomodations for her to lay occasionally. More info on egg laying can be found on the main page.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Also, remember the 90 day quarantine anyways! Doesn't matter if you know exactly where she's coming from, I'd keep her separate for at least that long.

[megcornell]

An 8 year old female can cause a lot of damage to two pesky smaller males.
I wouldn't mix them, it's a recipe for a dead turtle.
The males won't know any better than to continually try to mate with her, and she'll get fed up with them very quickly... especially in a tank that small.
I really can't stress enough what a poor idea it is.

[RES4ever]

Okay. I have some experience in this area. My female is about 2 years older than my two males. I didnt have any problems until about a couple months ago and i've had them together for 8 months. It isnt the male against female problem. Its the males fighting for her attention. My smaller boy has gotten bit on the back of the neck a few times. He will go to live with my 4th turtle once i aquire a second large tank. Go ahead and try putting them together, just be prepared to get another tank.

Now on eggs...
My girl since her first clutch while being with my boys has laid 5 eggs a month. She laid them right in the grass of my backyard. Be Prepared for multiple eggs and FERTILE eggs.

Good luck