General Care Discussion :: a love-hate relationship (but mostly love)

[bubblestheturtle]

so my two little boys/girls like to bask next to eachother and rest thier heads on eachother and generally get along quite fine.

however yesterday shemp dicided to try and bite at bubbles' head but did not succeed. bubbles deserved it because she pushed shemp off the floating dock. and then they were getting along just fine. i think its because they like to claim spots in the tank and when one is in the way the other gets mad.

(and shemp was mad because i had just clipped his peeling scutes off with fingernail clippers to avoid any buildup of bacteria under them)

a bigger tank is my solution. i plan on getting a 75G.

but in the mean time, what kinds of things would you guys reccomend to keep your turtles distraced during the day? i have tried snails and that worked for a while they liek to poke ant them and i also tried a big PVC pipe for them to hide in.

i am thinking maybe plants?

they just get sick of eachother somethimes

also...do turtles have playful fighting behavior like cats, dogs, bear cubs.. ect when they are little?

[camee1991]

I would REALLY keep an eye on those two! (They can really hurt each other) Could be that you need to seperate them until you can get the bigger tank.. I personally dont have two turts, but many people here do. They can give you TONS of options!

Also, (in my opinion) I wouldnt recommend clipping off the turts scutes. They will come off when they are ready. If you touch them and gently tug (gently) and they come off then thats fine, but otherwise you risk pulling or clipping off something that may not be ready to come off.

Hope someone with 2 babies comes SOON to help you with the information you need before someone gets hurt! So Im booting this question for you!

Good LUCK!

Camee

[bubblestheturtle]

i wasnt clipping the shell i was clipping only the parts that were stick up off the shell and i did not lift any by prying them off.

i have been keepig an eye on them and i think that it wasnt biting at the head but biting at the snail next to its head? im keeping my eyes peeled tho!

they are sleeping next to eachother now

[camee1991]

Thats cool! (about the shell) And GREAT about the turts sleeping together! awwwww DO keep your eye out though! Just in case.....

Camee

[industrial_girl_2000]

If they start actively fighting or pushing each other around, you may need to separate them into their own tanks. When I had my Sheba together with a male RES & he was basking, Sheba would snap at his foot & pull him off the dock into the water so she could get up there! Talk about Bossy!!! Then in the water, he would flutter his nails at her & she snapped at him, clipping off one of his long nails. Once it gets to that point, you have to separate them. I gave the male away to one of my friends a long time ago & there has been peace in the house ever since.

[bubblestheturtle]

i hope mind dont so that!! i dont know what i am going to do with them when i go to college! i want to bring them with me lol. i think i will give them to my sister.

and yes, shemp dosent like to gave his "shell clipped" too much.