Other Turtle Discussion :: One turtle or two?

[redforman]

I have one baby red ear slider turtle and I was wondering, is it better to have more than one turtle in the tank? I was just wanting One, but I notice on a lot of searches I have done.. people have multiple turtles. I know it is best to have turtles the same in size, but is it really better or will my turtle be just fine being by himself. I'm afraid to get another turtle.. afraid of one being sick and getting mine sick or being bigger or mean. Just curious..

[Love of Animals]

You can have two. But that means one huge aquarium when they grow up, 125 plus gallons. Or be prepared to have two setups if they don't get along. Sometimes turtles will get along for a long time and then change their minds. Your turtle is fine by himself. If you want more activity in your tank maybe add fish. The turtle will have fun chasing them. Just remember at any given time the fish can become food.

[sflemin2]

You are better off with one. For one, you can't tell the sex of the turtles until they are older and males tend to be aggressive. If you have a lot of money and space in your house then you can try two but like Love of Animals said, be prepared to get another set up in case they don't get along. Keep in mind that depending on the sex of your turtle, you might need two very large tanks. I have a 9 in turtle and a 10 in turtle... 10 gallons of water per inch of shell..thats two big tanks if they got that big and didn't get along!

[vear]

one

[xMidxPaintedx]

i have two 8 yr old female painted turtles together and they get along fine. and a baby painted with a baby yellow belly in another tank and they get along. youd think by having one, it'd get bored.

[kriminologie]

Most reptiles prefer solitary conditions. We tend to anthropomorphize so we think they want buddies but they're fine by themselves.

[rsour24]

one

+1

[sflemin2]

I wish I had one (I was 13 when I got them..no idea what I was getting myself into!) . Every time one starts laying eggs.. the whole tank gets stressful. Last night they were fighting . Raina bit Sylvie's tail off about 9 years ago too. And thats two females.. imagine if one turned out to be an aggressive male. Not to mention I had to get a 150 gallon tank.. I would much rather have a 75 gallon.

They are better off alone..and if you think they are bored, give him some fishies to eat..that will keep him busy!

[redforman]

I think one turtle is just right for me.. what fish do you guys feed yours?

[sflemin2]

I have never fed mine fish.. I feel sorry for the fishies haha

[redforman]

lol I do too but I figured if I'm gonna only have one RES then he needs some sort of action in his tank Lol!

[sflemin2]

I hear the turtles love it! Theres a ton a threads on it. You could do a search and see whats best. I think goldfish are bad

[theartbook35]

Feeder fish aren't necessary to the diet, but, turtles do love them. Just note that if want to feed them to your turtle, you'll need to feed in a separate container of water, not the turtle's regular enclosure, since, turtles tend to dismember fish rather than eat them whole. Feeder fish also carry bacteria, and you don't want that in the tank.

[xMidxPaintedx]

also redforman, watch your miniature dachshund, i have one and i had my 3 baby turtles out in a kiddie pool, came back later and the weiner took all the turtles out and i had to find them. one turtle wasnt able to move his back legs because of the bite, and ended up dying.

[Spike 7.62]

ONE turtle! I've had up to 7 at one time, and I will always recommend one turtle unless you are willing to spend a lot of coin on multiple set ups.

I've used feeder fish. Guppies are eaten the easiest because while they can dart around quickly, they take a little bit to get accustomed to the new tank, and in that time your turtle will devour them. You can lengthen their life span by adding hiding places, but sooner or later, they will be eaten. I've also put neons, rosies and other small/inexpensive fish who have lasted longer than the guppies, but all met the same fate. I introduced four good sized gold fish, one was eaten immediately, one was eaten later on, and the other two I gave to someone with a pond. My turtles have eaten every single thing to be put in their tank with the exceptions of each other, one large pleco (they ate the smaller one though) and the two goldfish I removed.

Rule of thumb, think of your turtle tank like it's the thunder dome, and your turtle is the defending world champion.