General Care Discussion :: Fighting Females?

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 2:06 pm   Fighting Females?

Hey guys, I have a problem. I believe I have two female turtles. I didn't expect them to fight, but the larger one (5 inches) is picking on the smaller one (4.5 inches). I will see the larger one go up behind the smaller one now and then. I've seen her bite the tale, and just today (after being out of town a few days) I noticed the smaller one has what looks like bites on her thighs. I don't know if you can see from the pics, but the bites are white spots on either side of the tail. The smaller one doesn't seem too scared, she's not huddling in a corner, and the larger doesn't attack her all the time, just once in a while. But the little one keeps an eye on where the larger one is, and when she's close the little one will tuck up her tail and try to keep herself facing the larger one. The larger will also chase the smaller off the basking platform once in a while.

My local pet supply store guy, (they sell turtles) told me that spring is in the air and maybe the larger one is a little more territorial than she would be at other times. The problem is that I don't want the smaller one to be picked on all the time. I could wait it out and see if this behavior stops soon. I'm also concerned that the smaller one could get an infection from the bite wounds.

Should I be treating the bites with something? Please take a look at the pics, I know it's hard to see, but maybe someone can give me some input.

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sdellin
 
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Joined: May 13, 2012
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 12:33 am   Re: Fighting Females?

firstly a couple of questions.

#1 what size tank are they in
#2 what is your feedin schedule/what do you feed?
#3 are you 100% positive they are both femals?
2 Res: Athena & Zelda
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CactusJohn5
 
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Gender: Male

Post Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 12:42 am   Re: Fighting Females?

Doesn't matter what genders you have, you need to separate that aggressive one. For minor injuries, a little swab of diluted betadine or Hibiclens is a good idea, following an application of Neosporin (while dry docked). I can't tell the severity of the injuries from the pictures, but it's possible she will need to be checked out by a vet.
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steve
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