General Care Discussion :: Getting a Pen Cooter With my 2 RES

[g124v17y]

Hi everyone,

My friend has a small Penn Cooter that she can no longer care for. It is about the size of my RES turtles, but I think it is a little older than them. My 2 RES turtles are in a 180 gallon tank. Can I adopt her Penn Cooter and put it in with my 2 RES turtles?

will everything be the same?

Thanks,
Sam

[zoologist]

I dont know how big your RES are, but chances are theyre not going to be too happy with another turtle in their territory.

[BullDog]

The 180 gallon is a perfect size for 2 RES. If you get a Penn cooter, you'll eventually need either a larger tank, or a separate tank for the cooter. I think Penn cooters get bigger than RES too.

Plus, like zoologist said, your two, established RES will see the new cooter as an intruder to their territory, and will likely bully the cooter.

If you do decide to take in the cooter, remember it's recommended you quarantine the new turtle for at least 90 days. Turtles are very good at hiding illness, an you don't want it making your existing turtles sick.