Habitat - Indoor :: Smaller T biting Bigger T

[SliderGirl]

I have three RES. One is about 9 months old and the other two are 8 months old. Recently one of the smaller ones started biting the bigger one -- first the shell, then the leg. I tap on the glass and try verbal scolding but it doesn't work. I'm certain the biter is a male. (However I think the bigger one is male too.) According to other posts I should separate them,right? Just curious though..I don't understand why the older turtle puts up with that. He acts like he doesn't feel anything at all. He is a baskaholic though, so maybe the biting is driving him "out of the tank". Any thoughts/comments? We have a 30 gal tank with 6 gal water. The Ts are about 3 inches. Thanks!

[steve]

Sorry to hear about it. Some turtles can just be aggressive (I won't use the term "jerks") and some will tolerate it to an extent. Once they get older, they could seriously hurt each other so it is advisable to separate them.

Also, you can add far more water in that tank (assuming that it is an aquarium).

[SliderGirl]

Thank you, Steve. Yes, it's too bad we'll have to separate them because sometimes they all play well together - dancing, swimming and sliding over each other and basking together, and the flirting/tickling with their hands - but alas it's not worth risking injury when the biter is in a mood. Is it ever possible to train turtles not to bite? If I take Coco out of the aquarium (not a good name for a macho turtle I know!) each time he bites, will he eventually "get it"?
We've thought about adding more water but we aren't sure how to provide hiding and rest areas in addition to the two basking platforms we have. We'll look at the example set-ups you provide in this forum. Thanks again!
Lisa

[SpotsMama]

Someone on here tried to train his turtles not to bite each other but it didn't work. When one would bite, he'd take it out of the tank and make it spend some time alone ("time out"). However, the turtles just kept on biting each other.

I think you're doing right to spearate them. They can really hurt each other very badly very quickly once they get started.

[marisa]

A much bigger tank or separate set-ups if that doesn't work. Males are more apt to show aggression to each other than females.