Other Turtle Discussion :: turtles beginning to show aggression?

[phoenix211]

I have 2 small red ear sliders (about 2.5 inches each) that have been together in the same tank since they were born. recently i have noticed one of the turtles trying to scratch the other turtles face and keeps nipping at "him" (not sure of the sex since they are too small to tell yet). any ideas on why this is?

[sflemin2]

Turtles are kind of loners. How long have you had them? Have you gotten a new tank lately? How big is the tank? Keep an eye on them because one may bite the other and injure it (happened to my poor tail-less turtle). Males tend to be more of a problem with this than females but you wont know the sex until they are 4 inches. I noticed with my turtles that aggression flares up temporarily when I do tank upgrades and it is a new environment.

Also in my experience, when one of them is laying eggs she might get aggressive (In case you didn't know, any female can lay eggs without an egg but they are unfertilized. Its a pretty stressful thing so its hard to say how they will react). At that size, I am guess one is establishing dominance now that they are getting older. If it gets too serious, you may have to separate them...which is a pain since that means you will need ..at best case scenario (two males) two separate 75 gallon tanks instead of one 100+ gallon tank for both of them

[phoenix211]

I have had them for about 6 months now. I just recently did a full tank cleaning. Maybe that is effecting their mood? They have never reacted this way after a cleaning which is where I am confused. Right now they are in a 10 gallon tank, which I know is way too small but I will be upgrading soon. Just waiting on some money so I can get the biggest tank possible. From what I've read the scratching could be signs of mating, but I figured they would be too young for that. I really hope I don't have a female because I have no idea how to create a space for egg laying (as I've read they need special care, or could suffer from egg binding).

[sflemin2]

Its almost always aggression. My girls do it all the time but rarely fight anymore. Eggs are a hassle but if they are females, you are less likely to have aggression issues. Do you have a yard? If eggs come up, you can just take her outside. Nesting boxes rarely work unfortunately.

[phoenix211]

I do have a yard, but I also have 3 big dogs that would love to get ahold of the turtles. So I don't think that would work. How long does it take for them to lay the egg? Ironically it's the smaller of the two that's being aggressive so maybe he/she has a napoleon complex?

[steve]

Keep feedings separate too. Egg laying could take a couple of weeks but there are a lot of factors involved.

[phoenix211]

I always feed separately and in a separate tank