General Care Discussion :: Biting Feet

[chrisinva]

Petsmart sells tank deviders for larger tanks....but you will need 2 basking areas and 4 lights

[actorial]

if turtle yawn...what does it mean? sorry to hi jack but i saw Daniel3507 said that and mayb it help for bradmeisel too? what does it mean when they yawn?

[bradmeisel]

what is egg crate?

[bradmeisel]

Animals "yawn" when they are tired

[untsmurf]

egg crate is another word for light difuser. If you look on the ATBA sticky, you'll see it all over the place. It's cheap and can be used for tons of stuff. You can get it at your local hardware store and it costs like ten bucks.

[Daniel3507]

for turtles frequent yawning can be a sign of a respiratory infection

[bradmeisel]

they don't yawn excessively. they only yawn before they take a nap.

[Arisu]

Feet nibbling is pretty serious. No way in hell can that be a courting method. I would never go for a male turtle that nibbles on my feet, personally.

I was in the same situation you were- I have a bigger male that harasses the smaller female. They were first in a 10 gallon and I discovered the male stalking/biting the females neck. I thought getting a bigger tank would work and moved them into a 50-55 gal. 2 weeks later, little turtle gets an eye injury


I know the room situation sucks. But seriously, either move them into a bigger tank, get a sheet of egg crate or some other divider, or separate them for good. Maybe put the big one in 55 and little one in 20? Though 20 gallon is really cramped, they'll both be happier and have a better life without facing each other 24/7.

As other mentioned, you can get plastic/storage containers. There are 55 gallon containers for less than $20.


Good luck!

[marisa]

The metal screen is in the water? Make sure it's not going to rust. Something non-metal would be better to use as a divider (see above).

[bradmeisel]

Now the female is bigger then the male and when she's awake or not sneaked up on she stares him down and they get along. it is only when the male sneaks up on her and bites her feet that there is trouble.
It is really the female that seems to like company. I think the male could care less. For now they're separated in a 20 gallon until I can get the 55 gallon. I like the idea of a on top basking area to give them more water. That's a good idea I never would have thought of.