General Care Discussion :: How to integrate 2 RES turles?...

[dtarver]

Hi

I have a female in a 140 gallon tank. I have had her for 5 years and she is 8" x 6". She had a brother but he did not grow and eventually died. A friend rescued a male that is 6"x4" (with long toe nails). I soaked him for an hour in sulfa dip and fed him some krill. Then I cleaned an old 12 gallon tank, put an heater and lamp (no filter on the smaller tank yet since I plan to clean the water manually every other day). I would like to integrate him in the 140 gallon tank. How long should I wait to integrate them? The sulfa dip box said soak the turtle for two sessions. How do I know he is healthy and ready to integrate? I was thinking of setting up a turtle cam using http://www.ustream.tv to watch them during the day to make sure the integration goes smoothly.

Please only reply with positive responses.

Thank you
Dora

[SINI5T3R]

When I got my other turtles I would just watch them for a day or two in a different tank and make sure they looked healthy. after i came to the conclusion that they were in fact healthy and clean, I just threw them in with my others and watched them for about 30 minutes. they did great together. Remember, the more room they have, the less chance they have to fight. I now have mine in a 600 gal pond and they don't touch each other at all. Just make sure to watch them for the first few days and make sure there are no fighting. if your really concerned with anything like that put up a see through bearer so they can interact but not fully touch each other.

[dtarver]

Thank you...I appreciate your reply
How would I create a see through bearer?
You must live in a warm climate to have a 600 gal pond. Do you have photos?

[SINI5T3R]

here is a few pictures. when i clean it it looks ALOT Better...i had this other set up that i got off craigslist for 100$ but it ended up gettin a good size hole in the side when i was cleaning it so that was a waist of cash. but like i said i have not cleaned this in about a week or so, there is no filter on it just a water fall. it does take quite a long time for it to get dirty but the sun does most the damage. also it has a leak so the water level is sorta low. i refill it every two days to where it needs to be which also keeps it a little cleaner. its home to about 60 fish, a few sun fish, goldfish and minnows, three cichlids, two white belly catfish, a HUGE Pleco and three crayfish along with my three RES.

The brown stuff on the bottom is mostly algae and fish poop lol..I Try to hose it out with a tank cleaner but that takes a while and it does not alwasy get everything...usually about once a month ill take everything out, clean it nice and good, scrub it down and refill it with fresh water and put the basking spots back in.

and yes i do live in a warm place....a very warm place...arizona has killer heat...the turtles LOVE it tho..bask alll day if they could...about 4 PM is when there sun gets taken away and shade from the house hits them but they still bask.





a pic of one of my turtles tryin to see what im doing...

[dtarver]

Thank you for sharing!

[steve]

New turtles require a quarantine period of up to 3 months. This can be used to check for parasites or other potential illnesses.

[dtarver]

Hi Steve

How do I check for parasites and other illnesses?

[SINI5T3R]

Hi Steve

How do I check for parasites and other illnesses?

Most likely a Vet? which can cost $$$$$$$$. I think most parasites are internal like worms and stuff like that but could be wrong.

[my.lovely.turtle.]

It cost me about $50 for a check up. I think it would be definitely worth it. You would not want to end up knowing that the new turtle is sick then it spreads it to the other turtle and they both die Turtles share illnesses really quick.

I think it's worth it to get a check up first before adding it in. Better safe than sorry!

[theartbook35]

Personally, I am all for turtles living together if they are relatively the same size and I have a good understanding of their personalities. Like, for example, Typhoon could live with just about any other turtle, she is super docile and tolerant. Hurricane can only live with Typhoon, since Hurricane is ultra picky and also very hyper-active. Sadie, needs to be alone, since she's a biter.

Most turtle related illnesses arise long before the 3 months is up, but, if you want a better understanding of the new male's personality and behaviors, wait a few months. Turtles have a variety of likes, dislikes, and personality traits. Typhoon and Hurricane's tank is suited specifically for them. If I put Sadie in their tank tomorrow by herself, I know she'd hate that tank, and they'd most likely hate her's.

My only concern is that, females tend to get aggressive when they are courted by a male. I'd hate to see your turtles injure each other. But, the choice is up to you, you live with them every day and you know them a lot better than I do.

[theartbook35]

Hi Steve

How do I check for parasites and other illnesses?

Most likely a Vet? which can cost $$$$$$$$. I think most parasites are internal like worms and stuff like that but could be wrong.

I don't think there are any parasites that could survive living on an aquatic turtle's body in an external manner. I know snakes and lizards and frogs can get external parasites, but I doubt it about aquatic turtles...

[marisa]

Larger internal parasites can be seen in the stool. To be absolutely certain, you need to take a stool sample to a vet to have it analyzed.