General Care Discussion :: Turtle Died. :(

[Captain Rotundo]

I got two turtles that were about an inch or an inch and a half long a few months ago. Over that time one of them has been active and growing, eating anything you put in front of it. The other died today. It never ate much, had to have food put directly in front of him, and would maybe bite off half a pellet at a time. He never grew, and was the same size today as when I got them. He was always shy and hiding from anyone who approached the tank. I always made a great effort to make sure he had food separate from the larger one, but he never ate much anyway. Two days ago he looked different, slower to react, etc. I raised the water temp from about 78 to 82-84. And Yesterday morning I noticed that he had stayed "sleeping" half in and out of the water all night, without moving even when I approached the tank. I picked him up and put him on the dry basking spot, he was moving but very languid. I came home for lunch and noticed he had stayed in the same spot the entire time and was withdrawn into his shell. At this point I feared the worst. I put him in the water he swam around a bit and finally rested on a lettuce leaf (as he has been prone to do since we got the turtles). I tried feeding him chicken, and pellets but he would eat nothing. Today he was dead on the floor of the tank under water.

I am inclined to think he was sick, but there was clearly something wrong even when he didn't behave strangely, since he never grew any bigger while the second turtle is 2-3 times the size they were when I brought them home.

Recently the tank has started to grow algea, is this possibly related?

I explained that the turtle died to my son (he's four and they are 'his' turtles) and we buried him in the garden. My son naturally thinks we should get another turtle because the one left needs a friend (and as a side note pointed out that the minnows can't count as friends since the turtle etas them, and people don't eat their friends!). So basically I would like to know if companionship matters to turtles, and if it would be beneficial to get a second turtle again at this point. Obviously I will wait a bit and see if there are any changes in the current turtle for illness, and completely clean out the tank / change the water etc.

[megcornell]

Aww, sorry for your loss. I'm always so afraid of these little turtles and how delicate they are.
It's great that you're being proactive and cleaning the tank for the health of your other little turtle friend. The fact that the other turtle is growing and eating well is a good sign that he is probably still healthy.
Algae, as far as I know, doesn't have any relation to disease, It's just unpleasant and can make the tank very dirty very quick. You'll want to start battling it because once it starts to grow (as it did on my turtle dock) it keeps growing and fast... warm and moist seem to be prime conditions for algae and turtles.. haha an unfortunate coincidence.
As far as getting tank mates, the general opinion I have come across on here is that one turtle is plenty. Turtles don't need or neccessarily enjoy company, especially as their enclosures are much smaller than nature anyways. In fact, some, if not most turtles, end up needing to be separated due to hostility and territorial issues which leads to an expensive second set-up and twice the cleaning etc. I only have one turtle so I don't have personal experience, but seeing how his behavior has changed as he's grown (he's much more territorial and aggressive) I can imagine he wouldn't like a 'friend' very much. I'd do a search on multiple turtle tanks to see some of the stories other people have on housing turtles together, the cost and possible complications are definitely things to weigh out before buying a new turtle...

[SpotsMama]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss! The turtles are so adorable that when something goes wrong it's very painful.

I've seen many posts on here about problems with two turtles sharing a tank -they will fight and bite and compete for food. They require a whole lot of space (10 gallons per inch x 9" per turtle x 2 turtles = 180 gallon tank!) Other people have more than one turtle in a tank and they seem to get along fine. It's risky though. If you have two and they don't get along it seems the only remedy is to separate them....and then maintain two separate habitats.

My guy is an "only" turtle and I think he's happy as can be. He's active and curious. He knows my husband and me and isn't a bit afraid of us.

[the_orphaned]

If ever you do decide to get another one, best quarantine the new turt for 90 days as was posted on the care sheets. Just to make sure that the other, healthier turt wont get any diseases if the new one has 'em.

[missibsu]

Sorry for your loss! Be sure to do a complete cleaning of your tank and filter. If your turtle was sick, he could pass it on to the other turtle. Also, there is no need to replace the turtle who passed. RES is solitary creatures, and one will be easier to deal with.

[Captain Rotundo]

Thank you for the advice and support. I will work hard to make the healthy turtle the happiest he can be.

I will be doing a complete water replacement and tank scrub down today or tomorrow, as currently I have a stack of flat rock for a basking platform and yesterday I went and bought some 1/2" PVC and lexan to make a platform that leaves more swim area (also to raise the water several more inches, now I'm at 8-10 i would say, you can only stack rock so high).

Any advice on what I should use over the lexan as a surface for the platform? I figure Ill attach it with aquarium silicon.

[CountryGirl68]

Sorry for the loss of your turtle. Unfortunately, hatchlings (small turtles) can be sick when you get them and symptoms don't always show up right away.

If you can, you should consider taking the surviving turtle to a vet, just to make sure he is okay.

[grey goose]

I'm working on a new basking ramp and "resting area" design for my new 90 gal. also utilizing Lexan as a base. I haven't decided on the substrate yet, it's down to ether terra cotta tiles or "solid preformed tiles" I have used sucessfully in the past. Whatever you decide to use, don't go with tiles that have that white backing. I've been told that if kept in water over time, they will fail. I guess that means they will break down. I'm moving away from terra cotta (the kind that are used in commercial flooring) because they can absorb odors. I'll post some pic's as soon as I get my camera.
Algea, tho unsightly, (to you and me) is harmless to turtles. One way to minimize it, assuming your tank is out of direct sunlight, is to try to focus the UVB light directly on the basking area.
Sorry you lost one, but sometimes no matter how hard you try, they just don't make it. But like Missibsu said, they are solitary creatures, no need for a companion. I have a 7 year old who has been alone all his life, and he's perfectly happy.....

[zuse]

The same thing happened to me. I got two small turtles the same day. One was very active, eating right away. I tried to get the other turtle to eat (I'd read here that there might be bullying) but he just didn't seem as healthy as the other. After a couple of weeks I could see how the healthy one was growing and the other one wasn't. His shell got a bit soft (and I made sure he got to go outside for sun), and he didn't eat very much. I even walked in and he was floating upside down at the top. I thought he was dead, but he wasn't so I put him on the basking dock. Within a few more days he was dead. It's been over 3 months and the other guy is still doing great. I know they weren't from a healthy environment. The one that's doing good had a little "zit" like thing on the back of his neck and beside his eye. I got the little "seed" like thing out, and his eye and neck have healed and been wonderful ever since. I will admit I had them in the bowl things they sell for the last few weeks of college, but over the summer they got moved to a 10 gallon aquarium I have at home with a place to bask and everything. Granted, that's too small but it was an improvement. Considering one has thrived in the conditions and the other didn't I just figure it was one of the harsh realities of nature... all individuals aren't as fit. The turtles were the same size and seemed to enjoy being together (climbing on each other's shells to bask).

[Sparkydoodle]

Hey dude sorry you turtle died. However the algy is not a problem as algy grows onley with water and sunlight. That makes algy harmless. Go to a pet store and by ( Reptocal) made by tetrafauna. Give your turtle a sprinkle of powder on a peace of greens weekly, or put a little in his food. Hint, the powder is very messy, so use a paper towel under tho reptocal when you use it. That should keep your turtle happy and healthy. Again, sorry dude.