Other Turtle Discussion :: umm how do turtles mate?

[portsporting06]

i wanna know cuz my turtle like bites my other turtle on its shell then gets on top of it. and moves its tail. are they mating?

[ElectricTurtle]

Slowly.

EDIT: Kidding. Have they been doing anything like this by chance? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I47YXmNCRhM

[steve]

Is anything coming out of the tail?

[portsporting06]

nope nothing has. it bites like my turtles shell then goes 2 the back side and trys 2 get on top of the other turtle.

[portsporting06]

my turtle bites the other turtle on his side of his shell. and the one getting bitten like doesnt care he just hides on one side were its getting bitten from/ idk if its playing but i had these turtles not a year yet but idk

[portsporting06]

yea electricturtle they do that.

[ElectricTurtle]

Hmm, well, fluttering (That cute dance) could also be a sign of aggression. I have no idea when turtles begin to mate. How big are your turts?

[portsporting06]

almost 4inches

[portsporting06]

electricturtle um one turtles does that dance but the other one just swims away. like it ignors the other one doing that dance

[ElectricTurtle]

Is the one dancing also doing the mounting?

I'm not an expert on the matter, but from what I've read apparently the male tries to impress the female by fluttering and waiting for a response. This is from the site...
"During the courtship, a male will attempt to get the female's attention by swimming backwards in front of her (in a face to face position) with his front legs extended outwards. His long nails would then vibrate or shake (flutter) very quickly in her face. If she is willing, the male will be allowed to mount her and position his tail under hers. He will release his front legs and stabilize in a vertical position."

Regardless, just keep an eye on them. If he gets too rough they might need to be separated.

[portsporting06]

yea the one dancing is trying 2 mount. but they bask together. and he only bites her on the side of her shell.