General Care Discussion :: Should i give my RES a friend?

[mirkle]

Well, since i'm getting a new tank (35 gallons for my palm sized slider) and as well as the possibility of getting another turtle (alabama map turtle 2') i was thinking of wether i should put these two turtles together (i know there's no real advantage of putting them together but are they aggresive to each other?) *i know i'm short on the tank sizes

[marisa]

This question has been asked a number of times. If you do a search, you can read what people generally think about "friends" for turtles. And if you know you don't have sufficient tank space for them, I'm a little surprised you're asking this question...

[mirkle]

Well i do know that it's basically all down sides if your putting them together, but i kinda just want to see how it goes when i put them together, if it's good i guess i'd leave them together, basically i just want to know if they're aggresive to each other, also direct quote "Graptemys pulchra is a great turtle for a community habitat with Sliders, Cooters, other Map Turtles and Painted Turtles." - Austin's turtle page. I thought it'd be pretty cool to have these wicked looking turtle's together. I'm only around 10 gallons short though, i'm also planning to get an even bigger tank when i get enough money (likely an 80 gallon when i can afford it)

[sonyj]

RES are solitary creatures by nature. They may get along with other turtles but it's not guaranteed. I would advise not risking it. For one full grown RES you will need a 90-120 gallon tank/habitat. For more than one turtle this doubles. Plus, you might have to separate them into their own tanks should they become aggressive towards each other as they mature.

Also, you do know that before adding any new turtle into an existing habitat that it must be quarantined in it's own tank (full setup) for at least 90 days to insure that it does not spread any illness to your healthy turtle.

[mirkle]

the map turtle i'm getting is supposedly a male and around 5.5 inches so that'd be around 55 gallons, not too sure what my gender my res is, but i think it'd be happy in his tank for now. also the alabama map isn't wild or anything like that, i'm getting him off a friend, so i guess that counts as the quarantine

[steve]

Is your friend offering you a tank and supplies as well? Adding a second turtle with a RES means you need to increase your filtration and cleaning frequency. Since you would put them in small habitat, you are increasing potential aggression levels to the usual dominant personality of a RES.

[mirkle]

well right now it's only a bit short since they're both pretty small right now, yes he's offering me a filter and the essentials for the filter and i also have a spare 10 gallon tank (gonna be the nesting tank if one of them turns out to be female) to put one in case they start attacking each other until i get the larger tank in hopes they'll stop attacking eachother. but is being 10 gallons short for two turtles really going to make them aggresive to eachother? (35 gallon tank for about 2 inch map turtle and 2.5 inch res) after all i do have a turtle dock so there is a lot of space for them to roam

[missibsu]

I like to look at it like this...You may have a spacious bedroom, but would you like to be confined to it all the time? Including your restroom necessities? A little small for a short period of time isn't going to hurt anything, but at this age they are going to grow fast. As long as you recognize what you are getting into, and the demands that raising the two are going to have, then go ahead. The best thing you can do for aggression and just keep and eye out for it to happen. It could be more likely to happen at feeding time, so changes may need to be made in regards to how you feed. Maybe a separate container, or feeding at opposite ends of the tank. Just be prepared for them to be separated if it doesn't work.

[mirkle]

Well that was basically the plan, check to see if they try and kill each other, i'm prepared to take the risk (ready to call vet when needed too), and also i don't feed them in the aquarium they roam in, i heard that sometimes if the food gets spewed out (like little bits flying out of they're mouth when the food goes soggy) it stinks

[missibsu]

I feed in the tank and it's messy. I don't have the energy to fill a second container each day to feed in. It's not a mess that my filter can't handle, so I can deal with it too, lol.

[KellyP]

Your RES is palm sized? So that would be around like 4 inches in shell length. So that means that 35 gallons is already too small for her alone. With another turtle in such a small place they will most definetely fight as there isnt that much room for them to get away from each other. Don't risk it. Spend the extra money on a bigger tank for the turtle you already have.

[mirkle]

nah i just mesured it it's only like 2.8 inches but it fits in my palm, that's why i said palm sized