General Care Discussion :: I need some help. please.

[gilbertdean27]

Just yesterday i received a red ear slider from a friend who was moving, and as an animal lover i instantly said of course! so he gave me his whole set up, which was ok.. but im going to upgrade to a bigger tank on friday. The thing is i want to have a second turtle. i dont know where to get one! I used to have two turtles a RES and a yellow belly but my parents gave them away because i was young and we were moving. So here i am now 18 years old researching and doing everything i can to make my turtle happy. I remember how cool it was when my two turtles would play together. so i need some advice on introducing another turtle, where to get one, and if i could get a baby one or should i get a juvenile.

[bover907]

I'd wait and see first. The one may be a handful enough. Look around while you just have the one, but concentrate on making him happy. You can take ur time to find the right turtle.

[blackforces get you]

i dont think you would want another turtle. they can be aggressive and can cause problems. then you have to separate them and thats extra work so stick with one

i was lucky. i got a 5 inch turtle with a 2 inch turtle and i was lucky they worent aggressive to each other. but i didn't know so i found out when i got on this site. to be safe, stick with one

[wiccabrat]

How big is the RES? Do you know is it's a boy or girl? How big of a tank are you planning on getting? Do you have the means to give them separate tanks if needed?

[bigG]

I would wait until the RES has settled in to his/her new home. Just like wiccabrat says the tank size and turtle size are the keys to adding a new turtle.

[gilbertdean27]

alright im pretty sure the turtle is a girl 90 percent positive. im actually thinking about getting this turtle off of craigslist. i feel really bad for it it has like no swim space and no basking area plus the tank has gravel in it. 50 dollars for the whole thing.
http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/for/1317363814.html

[theartbook35]

First of all, how large is your current RES? Do you know how large the RES on craigslist is? If you want to keep two turtles together, than you need to make sure they are the same size. It might be easier for you to house them separately, though, in the future.

Before introducing the two turtles, the new should be quarantined for 90 days (3 months). The new turtle could be sick or carrying something else you don't want your current turtle to catch.

When you introduce them, let them meet each other in a storage bin, without water. I have noticed that a turtle's aggression seems to be higher in they are in water. If all goes well, then try seeing how they react when in water together. If they are too aggressive as in biting and chasing, then they should not live together.

[mike hill]

g-dean-27 There is a good chance that they will not get along. Putting two turtles together is a real crap shoot in that regard. If you do this make sure you have a second tank handy if they begin to fight.