Urgent Care :: suddenly fighting turtles

[bms016]

I have 2 turtles that have stayed in the same habitat no matter what size tank ive put them in i orginally had a 10 gallon and now have a 30 that they live in. sorry i cannot afford more than that at the moment, unless i stick them each in one of my rubber maid things but thats maybe 20 gallons .


i have had them for over a year sine they were the size of a quarter.

today they suddnly started biting at each other and it worries me.

am i fretting over something natural, or do i need to hurry and do something to stop it

[TheComputerGremlin]

You need to separate them asap. They have realized that there is a lack of resources and have turned on one another to free up some resources. Once aggression starts, it rarely goes away. If given better circumstances (a tank that is at least 10 gallons per inch for both turtles, I'm guessing at this point around 100 gallons?), the aggression may go away. But if you cannot afford more than 30 gallons, there is virtually no chance it will stop. If you don't separate them now (like literally at this moment), you may be dealing with a severe injury or death soon.

Go to Walmart and purchase a large rubbermaid container, they are inexpensive. You can put one in there for the time being. You'll need at least another water heater, but you may be able to alternate the basking light and UVB bulb for a few weeks (try to give each one about 6-8 hours per day, you may just need to switch turtles in your main tank.

You need to start either finding a new home for one of them or setting up an additional habitat or get a larger tank. Check out Craigslist for used tanks.

[bms016]

okay i aready took them out and put them in thir own containers... thats sucks

thy were doing that weird thing where they both stick their hands in front of them and like flutter their hand at each others... i looked over and one was biting the other when doing that


an ive always fed them enough food for the both of them

[marisa]

It's not just a matter of having enough food. If the space isn't big enough for them and/or each is claiming what territory there is to be his, then they're going to get aggressive and fight. This is more true if they're both males, but can happen with either sex.

How big are they (shell lengths for each not including the curve of the shell)? Unless you have something like a pond for them, your options are either to keep them totally separated (two-set-ups) or a set-up that's large enough for them that can be divided in half.

[papoopeepoo]

Imagine living your whole life in a jail cell with another person, never going anywhere to stretch and relax...i can tell you that's how your turtles feel living in a 10 gallon tank. This is why they are getting aggressive.

Also, without feeding individually you can't be sure one turtle isn't bullying the other for both portions of food.

[ptcake]

I acquired my two turtles as hatchlings. They are housed together, but fed separately. I noticed mild agression twice and it was brief. I decided to keep the turtles together and there have been no problems. As they continue to grow, I know separation will be necessary. Maybe you can house your turtles together, but feed separately. Isn't it worth a try? Just keep a close eye on them.

[bradmeisel]

I wrote a post on this a bit ago. I think it might help you make the right decision.

Here's the link:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19691

Good Luck with your turtles.

[Spiritualjoy]

Hello! After 3 years of keeping my girls together from hatchlings (small as a quarter), they started fighting also. They were both in a 55 gal. together, and that wasn't big enough for them all of a sudden. They are both about 6 to 8 inches each. They were not going to stop fighting no matter what I did, so I had to separate them. It wasnt about the food, it was about the space and territory! I went on Craigs list and bought another 55 gallon and set it up. I put the two tanks near each other, so they can look at each other while basking and they are happy campers. Its unfortunate (for the owner) when you have to separate them, but they are MUCH happier now. It may seem hard to understand but they are under a lot less stress now that they are in separate tanks. I would advise you to find a way to separate them and know that they are thanking you for it!

[bradmeisel]

That is exactly my experience. I thought they would be lonely, but they love having their own dock and space. They still look at each other through the grating but they could care less if they hang otu with each other.

Actually the only thing Chimpy cares about is that he wants to bite Chompy's feet and tries to under the grating. I can tell they love having separate basking areas.

[bradmeisel]

Hello! After 3 years of keeping my girls together from hatchlings (small as a quarter), they started fighting also. They were both in a 55 gal. together, and that wasn't big enough for them all of a sudden. They are both about 6 to 8 inches each. They were not going to stop fighting no matter what I did, so I had to separate them. It wasnt about the food, it was about the space and territory! I went on Craigs list and bought another 55 gallon and set it up. I put the two tanks near each other, so they can look at each other while basking and they are happy campers. Its unfortunate (for the owner) when you have to separate them, but they are MUCH happier now. It may seem hard to understand but they are under a lot less stress now that they are in separate tanks. I would advise you to find a way to separate them and know that they are thanking you for it!

That is exactly my experience. I thought they would be lonely, but they love having their own dock and space. They still look at each other through the grating but they could care less if they hang otu with each other.

Actually the only thing Chimpy cares about is that he wants to bite Chompy's feet and tries to under the grating. I can tell they love having separate basking areas.