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I know this may sound like a silly question but do turtles get lonely by themselves or do they need a buddy? My turtle is in a 40gal breeder tank.

They do fine alone. Most people with multiple RES (especially one that is a male) usually have to separate later on. 2 females will have a better chance of doing better together but there are no guarantees since RES can become territorial and viscous.

jy - In a word "No" In fact, turtles get up set when you put another turtle in "his" home. You will find that one will try and dominate the other and if "he" does not succeed they will more than likely fight. Those who have multiple turtles and have no problem are lucky.

I don't think turtles get lonely, but they do get bored. When Charlotte starts to destroy everything in her tank I know it't time to change things up. I usually rearrange her tank setup or add something new so she has things to explore.