General Care Discussion :: A few Turtle releated questions

[carbontracer]

I recently just got a younger female RES to go along with my older current one for some company. The older one is about 3 or 4 and the younger is probably about 2ish (rough guesses on both). We have had the younger turtle for about two weeks and I have yet to see her eat. We've tried feeding her separate and using krill with the pellet foods to entice eating... no luck tho. They also will not eay any veggies like red leaf lettuce. any suggestions?


Another question I have is my older RES was pretty relaxed around me until the new turtle came into the picture and now it freaks out and shoots into the water whenever any activity happens near the tank... is the younger turtle making her nervous around us? We even put us tank background on three sides.



And lastly how long does the average RES take to lose get done their "shedding" process? Or is this something that happens all the time?



Thanks for answering my questions i'm eager to learn more about these amazing animals.

[megcornell]

How large is your tank and how large are the two turtles?

Any time a turtle's environment is changed it's stressful for them, so I can imagine that the stress of a new turtle has made the old turtle skittish. Likewise, the new girl is still adjusting and that may be why she's not eating. Have you tried feeding them separately to reduce competition and stress? I'd feed one in the tank while the other is out and vice versa.
RES are notoriously aggressive turtles, and they like their privacy and space, so you need to be prepared for the chance that the girls won't get along and will fight. When aggression occurs it's best to separate them as the fighting quickly escalates and turtles get seriously injured or killed.

Finally, as for shedding, the duration depends on a number of factors including diet and habitat. Do you have a good UVB light for the turtles and a UVA light to encourage basking? The more they bask the better they shed.
You can also give them vitamin E rich foods like sweet potato, turnip greens, blueberries, and apple skins.

[carbontracer]

I have a 75 gallon tank and my two girls are about 4.5 in and about 3.5 in. I took your advice and tried feeding the younger one alone in the tank and had no luck, i'll keep working at it tho, I also tried putting krill and the pellets at the same time to get some fish stink into the tank to make em hungry. The younger turtle was interested but didn't pursue eating.


And as for the lights we have good lighting in the tank and are actually working on making a second basking area / dry area for the turtles to enjoy. They spend a lot of time basking together, and well continue to sit and enjoy the heat after the lamp goes out. Is the shedding a seasonal thing or something that is happening all the time for them and at some points is worse than others?

[untsmurf]

Shedding is due to growth and will slow down as they get older.

Your tank is the minimum size for two turtles that size. You'll need a bigger one soon enough.

As for the feeding issue and the skittish behavior of the older turtle, I have to agree with Meg and say that it's due to the turtles adjusting to their new surroundings/tank mates. I would feed the older turtle in the tank and work on feeding the younger turtle in a separate enclosure. I would leave the new turtle alone for a few days and see if she takes food then.

[steve]

With captive RES, shedding is usually a constant process.