General Care Discussion :: To separate or not to separate .......

[bradmeisel]

To separate or not to separate ....... that is the question.

A tale of two turtles...... Once upon a time,
I separated my two little guys. It was the best thing I could have done. My male started stalking my female and nipping at her feet. He took two nails from one foot and one from the other.

They had always been together and I really did not want to separate them. For a month I split a 20 gallon tank and they barely had room to move. Also I had to change the water or tank every 3-5 days.

I finally got a 75 gallon for 129.99 and I separate them with an eggcrate. Her foot is completely healed as well as she is noticeably less stressed.

She used to swim around with her back feet pulled in for fear he would bite them. Now she hangs her feet all the time and looks at him through the egg crate as if to make sure he is still on that side.

I really did not want to separate them at first but I am so happy I did because if anything happened to either of them because I didn't separate them I would have a tough time.

And Chimpy and Chompy my two favorite red ear sliders lived happily ever after.

[Daniel3507]

good call on separating them

[BullDog]

I agree! Very good thing you separated them! Once aggression like that starts, it will very likely never end.

That's great that you could get them both in one tank for now (only one tank to maintain)

[bradmeisel]

Yeah I got a big filter and I've never seen the tank stay so crystal clear. Should I change the water once a month even if it doesn't look like it needs it.

[Simba]

Oh that is so sad at first, hiding her feet How cute. Glad they are all good now

[bradmeisel]

It was soo cute ... she would even keep them tucked in when she slept. But he would nip at her pulled in feet. I really should have separated them sooner and am happy that there wasn't more serious injuries.

[Daniel3507]

its best to do regular water changes even if it doesnt look like it needs it. it will help keep your water quality in check. when you do change water dont change it all at once. i usually do a 20%-25% water change about once a month but i usually have to add about a bucket of water a week due to evaporation.

[bradmeisel]

I have been changing about 75% about once a month or more. The water is staying clear but I have noticed alot of green algae growth recently. At lest the fish like to eat it.

[gwhageman]

You have fish with Chimpy and Chompy?

[bradmeisel]

yeah I put minnows and fast stripey fish (orange and one was black). It's hilarious watching them chase them around. Two of them seem to have alluded them for good but we will have to see.

You can feed them minnows once a month. A good rule is to feed them as many minnows as they are in inches. So my 5 inch turtle can have 5 fish a month as a rule.

[KevinG]

I have a question. We have two turtles, same age and about 2.5" shell length. I've seen the bigger one take a nip at the smaller ones foot sometimes when we put minnows in the tank and the turtles are scurrying around to grab the minnows. It almost appears as if Chris is just reacting to the motion and thinks T's foot is a minnow. When there are no minnows in the tank, I have never seen either of them do anything like this. Should we be worried?

Right now they are in a tank too small for them; a 10 gallon tank. But we already have a 75 gallon tank here and are just in the process of getting it setup properly for them. I hope when they go in the big tank I won't see this happening anymore or drastically reduced. Thanks for any advice.

[SpotsMama]

You should worry if you see one nipping the other. That's the way the bad things start. Chris may very well be simply reacting to the motion but that won't help poor T unless he stays still as a stone all the time.

The bigger tank may help and buy you some time. Sometimes it does, sometimes not. Just keep a very close eye on things...and hang on to the 10 gallon tank in case you suddenly decide you need a second turtle home.

[theartbook35]

In the wild, nipping is normal, because they have plenty of room to get away from each other. They can't do that in a tank, no matter how big the tank is. You made a very good call, you turtle parent you.

I am a firm believer that certain turtles with the right personalities can live together, and get along, regardless of being opposite gender, but with RES, their species characteristics make that very rare. There is the security of their environment to consider, the more enriching the tank is, the calmer they are. Calm turtles have little to nothing to fight over, and an interesting environment keeps their minds on other things. Air stones, tunnels, plants they can crawl under, river rocks, sand, things they can dive off of, things to climb up, and actual turtle toys keep them very occupied. Their tastes change over time too, I've only had my turtles for about nine months, and the way they act now and what they enjoy is totally different from what they liked when we first brought them home.

[bradmeisel]

Calm turtles have little to nothing to fight over, and an interesting environment keeps their minds on other things. Air stones, tunnels, plants they can crawl under, river rocks, sand, things they can dive off of, things to climb up, and actual turtle toys keep them very occupied. Their tastes change over time too, I've only had my turtles for about nine months, and the way they act now and what they enjoy is totally different from what they liked when we first brought them home.

i totally agree