General Care Discussion :: Adding a second turtle...

[ruggles531]

I have been raising fish for a few years now, and that is where my experience lies.

My daughter has wanted a pet of her own for a while now so 3 months ago we adopted a RES from a local shelter. The turtle is a 2 year old male, roughly 4 inches in length, and in excellent condition. He currently resides in a 55 gallon tank on his own.

My daughter wants to add a second turtle to the tank but the shelter no longer has any available. The local fish store has some baby turtles (maybe 2" in length) but I'm unsure how the turtle we have will interact with a new one. When we picked him up he was in a 75 gallon tank with roughly 10 more turtles of a similar length. He is therefore used to other turtles, but not ones so small.

Are there concerns with adding a smaller turtle to his tank?

Your feedback would be appreciated...

[steve]

Hi, welcome to the site!

First issue is that turtles of greater size should be kept apart. This is truer for smaller turtles. The good news is that baby turtles grow pretty quickly, so the time apart might only be a few months.

Second issue is that before a turtle is introduced to another, it should be quarantined for 2-3 months. This is to see if illnesses, parasites, etc. pop up.

Third issue is that aggression can come at anytime for no apparent reason. Once it does occur, there is no remedy except for physical separation. This might require a larger tank plus a divider, a separate tank or rehoming one of the turtles.

[richieboy]

I think a fish might be a little better, though it will probably be eaten. That's what most others experiences are. My turtle has been coexisting with 3 goldfish for some time now. I also don't know how your daughter will take to her turtle eating her tank mates. Also, goldfish aren't too good for turtles to eat. I didn't know any better and that's what the petstore recommended. I bought them for feeder fish, but she never ate them.