General Care Discussion :: 2 TURTLES 1 DILEMMA!

[Daniel3507]

i dropped about $400 getting all my stuff. there really is no way to avoid it. all the stuff you are getting is a necessity.

[meltedspork]

With two turtles, you have always have to be prepared to separate them for one reason or another (usually aggression). In this case, neither of your turtles is getting what they need to be healthy. If you have given them time to adjust to their tank and they still maintain this behavior, you NEED to put them in separate tanks. A healthy turtle needs to swim AND bask in proper temperatures in order to thermoregulate their body.

This will tell you why you need to get your bigger turtle to bask:
http://www.redearslider.com/index_lighting_basking.html

And this will show you what to look for in your smaller turtle who doesn't swim (second section):
http://www.redearslider.com/unusual_behavior.html

I hope you do realize that in the future you will need to spend a lot more money on your turtles. They will each need a minimum of 90 gallons when they are adults, assuming they are both males. $105.00 is a drop in the bucket, as the expression goes.

[untsmurf]

You can get the cheaper heater and the cheaper filter, you'll probably just have to clean the tub more often.

Look on craigslist or ebay to see if you can get anything cheaper. You can also go to places like bigalsonline.com and that drforsterandsmith one or whatever it's called.

[firstimeturtlelover]

I just got a pretty good deal at walmart. It was like a kit. It had a filter, heater light bulbs (not the right kind), and a 38 gallon tank for about $150.

[meltedspork]

I just got a pretty good deal at walmart. It was like a kit. It had a filter, heater light bulbs (not the right kind), and a 38 gallon tank for about $150.

Cool, good job! Now you can find just the right temps for each of your turtles.

[firstimeturtlelover]

Yeah I was freakin out a bit about how expensive it is but i think its worth.

[Bascomb]

First-time-TL- Your turtle need both water and basking. They like the difference in the water temp and the basking temp. The water needs to be about 78 and the basking needs to be around 91 to 92 degrees with uvb rays.
The general rule for us turtle lovers is at least 10 gallons per inch ot turtle. They get along better with more room and the filtration process is easier. The filter should pump at least 5 times the water volume that is in the tank. Turtles need a lot more water circulation than fish. Good Luck

[megcornell]

$105 is a lot of money. But, when I buy turtle things I know that they need to be of high quality because it's much cheaper in the long run to buy a long-lasting heater and filter than to buy crappy ones and have them break all the time and need to be replaced.

[firstimeturtlelover]

oK well now I have another dilemma i was trying to see at what temp squishy aka Michelangelo would get out of the water and bask so the temp is like somewhere between 79 &75 and now Leonardo is in the water with squishy and they both won't come out of the water.

[firstimeturtlelover]

ok I figured out why they weren't basking. I got a new bulb the other day and it wasn't heating up the basking area enough but I but another one there and now they're swimming and basking together.

[packfan1]

Turtles need both water and basking. Water is needed as they are aquatic creatures by nature and also that is where they must eat. They do not produce saliva like humans do to make food go down, thus they use water to help wash food down with. They also must bask for health and growth. Basking is important to absorb and use vit d3 and is good for shell health. As for your situation as to why one loves the water more than basking and then the opposite. I have three turtles two in one tank and one in another. The single turtle basks 4x more than the other two together. SHE LOVES THE SUPERMAN POSE! Now I will warn you on a serious issue that may occur with multiple turtles and that is aggression. With size difference and possible sex difference it may or may not happen, but once it does, it most likely will not stop. I was uneducated and purchase three turtles and this is why I have two together and one seperate. It almost come to the point of giving one away, but I so far I have been lucky that there is no more aggression going on at all. I am still looking for any signs though. Just to give you a heads up on this possible issue. It can lead to injury and death so please watch for signs, biting typically is toes and tails, mine liked the necks of the others. It may not be there today or tomorrow, but it can strike at any time!
You do have very cute turtles and I wish you and them lots of luck together!

[firstimeturtlelover]

Thanks I hope they don't fight. It seems to me that they seem to get along in fact my little one seems less skittish then my bigger one.