General Care Discussion :: tank mates?

[pumpkinsherbet]

would it be okay if i kept my four turtles in the 55 gallon just for a couple of weeks? (stats in my sig).

whole story:
really big algae bloom, so had to do a full water change. drained the water out but forgot to turn off the water heater. blew out, had to go to walmart to pick up another one and don't even have the funds! payday's tomorrow, but i don't want to keep slip and slide dry for too long, or stick them in the cold water. if i put them in the 55g then take them back to the 20g, that's just cruel. a friend is picking them up in about two weeks, if she can't we're already at the understanding they'll be going to turtle adoption. when i got my stand a few weeks ago i put john, aeryn, slip and slide in the landing spot together (for 3-4 hrs) and there was no aggression.

would it be okay?

[RunninWideOpen]

I had gotten Spike and Donny from some friends and they had been together their whole life....after having them for a while Spike all of a sudden started getting really aggressive.

If you try it, just keep an eye on them.

[pumpkinsherbet]

i always keep an eye out! lol i've heard stories thank you muchly.

ETA i forgot to mention that they've been in quarantine 86 days. no sign of sickness, but want to stay safe!

[RunninWideOpen]

Sounds like you're on the ball!

[pumpkinsherbet]

oh good you are too awesome thank you very muchly.

[DavidY]

Sorry to hear about your misshap! Yea, I would think that they would be okay especially since they're all still kind of young. I think they get grouchier as they get bigger.

[pumpkinsherbet]

well it was a bit touch and go at first. three of them got along just fine, but slip decided he wanted to go around fluttering and getting all territorial, the jerk. i knocked on the glass whenever i saw him do that, and threatened to put him in the small tank with the cold water (wouldn't, but i was desperate).

i wonder if he understood me, cuz he's been getting on with everyone just fine since.

[RunninWideOpen]

I tried similar tactics to try and break Spike from his territorial fluttering and biting. I did put him in a small container with just a little water whenever I saw him start to do it. Sometimes I would put him in a dry box.

....it seemed to work for a week or so, then it got much worst.....that's when Donny started losing toes

[laturcotte]

I have to ask. I have 2 RES G is about 9 inches, Moose approx 7 inches. They were in a 70 gal area never fought, then 700 gal pond and G started chasing Moose around with opened mouth. We quickly removed Moose before any injuries. Now the new pond is done approx. 1,000 gal with 4 different depth areas (1 ft, 3 ft, 4 ft and 5.5 ft). We plan on wintering them this year. Anyway, Moose is in there now, my thought is if she can get to know the area and "claim" it as hers then when I put G in the pond G won't be so aggressive in Mooses territory. I guess my question is will they kill each other. I am not sure why they fight. Right now there are plenty of places to hide including dry land but come the cold days the plants are going to all die. Also, the reason for the pond was because I can't keep them in the house any longer they are just to large, thats why we built the pond. These are both rescues.

Any thoughts

[steve]

Are they both females? I've seen my male RES go at it with the open mouth, it's pretty menacing. Is the chasing constant or it just randomly occurs?

[laturcotte]

They are both females. Seems constant so much that Moose would dock herself on a rock and pull in her head and legs. I was just hoping that by putting Moose in the big pond for a week or so then letting G in the territorial dispute will stop.

[DavidY]

Wow, you would think 1000 gallons would be big enough for the 2 to coexist. But you'll never know until you try. That sounds like a really cool pond! 5.5 ft deep! They should be able to hibernate nicely in there. You should let the bottom of the deep end collect some sediment and leaf litter for them to bury themselves during the winter.

[laturcotte]

I read somewhere that around end of September to drop a deep pan (small holes drilled in it), like a storage tupperware container filled with kitty liter, clay type at the bottom of the pond. They will borrow down in the clay. Then when the weather warm lift it out of the pond. My boss lives on a lake and has offered to take G and put her in the lake. My worry, of course is she will starve. She inquired about that with a reptile expert she knows and was told that as long as there is food it is impossible for them to "starve". They do not have to hunt for their food and will eat virtually all the plants that live in the lake. She will hybernate the winter and will start life again happy in the lake. I just have to get over the fact of setting her free. I have only had her a few months but you know when you rescue them they become part of your family. I am going to put them in together this weekend when I can watch them. We will see. I just know I have to make a decision soon because the weather will soon be cold and I want her to become familar with her lake surroundings if I decide to go that route. How hard is this, she comes when called!!!

[sillyleisl]

I've read about filling a pan with sand, not kitty litter. Seems like there's be too many additives in kitty litter. Also, I'm not sure how that would work because kitty litter is usually clay based, which would get water logged and become a mushy mess in the water. Doesn't seem safe for turtles to ingest.

I hope G doesn't fight with Moose, but it's worth a shot to let Moose stake her claim before setting G free. It seems like you have a very large habitat though. Can you not divide it into two separate enclosures? And then maybe you could have supervised play time together.

[laturcotte]

Guess I'll try the sand, sounds better. I'll see about the splitting in half.