General Care Discussion :: different shell patterns

[grem89]

I have two small RES. Mikey is the smaller one of the two and shelly is the bigger one (shelly is actually my g/f's and im watching her for a few weeks while shes home for break from college). Shelly is just over 2 inches and mikey is about 1.25 inches. Mikey cant be more than a month or two younger than shelly. My question is about their shells. Mikeys shell has a smoother design with larger patterns and shelly's shell has thinner designs as you can see from the pictures. I thought they were both regular RES. Also Shelly has a red spot between her eyes on her head. Are these normal and just different patterns on them or maybe a different type of RES?
Thanks
They always beg for foood (but i dont give in ha)

Shelly on the left and mikey on the right

Mikey's shell

Shelly's shell and her red spot on the middle of her head

[TheComputerGremlin]

Aww, so cute! RES have a variety of patterns, esp. if you have a RES that isn't exactly purebred. These patterns can change and fade over time as well. I like to think of the patterns like fingerprints or zebra patterns: no two are exactly alike!

How old are they? 1.25" and 2" would put them around 3-6 months if growing typically. If they are older than this, they may not be getting as many pellets as they need or may have internal parasites. Normally they should reach about 4" at 1 year old.

Also, be very careful putting foreign turtles in with your turtle. First, they can carry diseases that can spread to your turtle. It is recommended that you have at least 90 days of quarantine before integrating two turtles. Just because your girlfriend's turtle appears "okay" doesn't mean it is. Turtles are good at hiding illness. Second, RES are VERY aggressive and can and will turn on each other in an instant. More people that I can count have showed up here about missing tails/toes/limbs or fatally injured turtles because they put them together. It really only takes a second of time ...

[zoologist]

oh, i love how your girlfriend's turtle's scutes are totally outta whack.

Dr. Jax pretty much has your question covered. Go look at a tank of baby RES, you'll never see two alike! theyre kinda like snowflakes

[grem89]

yeah. I think they're about that age. I feed them plenty. I've been keeping a close eye on them to make sure they haven't showed any signs of aggression. My g/f has kept her turtle in great condition with a a good setup so i don't see why it would have any illnesses. Not to be negative or on the offense but i have sort of got the feeling that a lot of members on this site always assume the worst. I take great care of my turtle. Great water quality, basks plenty, etc. But they are both young turtles still. I feel like they aren't mature enough to show any aggression or territorial behavior. The bigger one is about 5 months old and the younger about 2-3 months old. They sleep everynight right next to each other and I've seen them basking together on multiple occasions so im not too worried about them getting aggressive.