General Care Discussion :: This is urgent. Please read and give positive feedback!

[KelseyPaige]

Hi, I have two baby RES turtles. One of them is larger than the other. The larger one is kinda aggresive. He eats everything he sees. And the little turtle barely gets to eat at all. I started taking the big one out so the little one would be able to eat some. But then, the algea eater I had in there, the big turtle started ripping its tail apart and trying to eat him. I tried feeding him alittle more than I was. This morning I woke up to find my algea eater dead, and all of his fins shredded. I don't know what to do. Should I start feeding them guppies?? This really worries me. I don't want my babies to start having an aggresivve nature.

[missibsu]

Any fish that you put in a tank are likely to become a meal at some point. Anything that you wish to keep should be placed in a separate tank. That being said, feeder guppies are fine as a treat, but should not be a primary food source for your turt. Try adding some cuttlebone to chew on as well as veggies.

You mentioned that they are different sizes. How much difference is there in their sizes? Generally speaking you don't want to house turts of different sizes together. Aggression, once it starts, often doesn't go away. If you don't separate them you could likely end up with a dead turtle as well as the fish that you already lost. I wouldn't wait for it to happen again. Rubbermaid containers make great temporary homes and they are cheap.