Urgent Care :: Turtle ate a pleco!

[kachua-love]

So I had gone on vacation leaving my turtle, Spartacus in my grandmum's care... When I came back yesterday, she told me that the pleco in the tank was missing, I looked everywhere but couldn't even find a hint of it ever even being there! My conclusion is that Spartacus has eaten it, the tank has a lid and a mesh where the basking spot is, so it couldn't have jumped out. It was the same length as him and its armored, right? So is it possible that he's eaten it? Is this bad for him in any way? Anything I should look out for, some signs of sickness? Any info would be helpful! Thanks guys...

[vear]

Hello - yes, Spartacus had himself a nice meal! lol. Pleco's get eaten by our little monsters all the time.

[kachua-love]

Oh, ok. I did not know that! The guy I bought the pleco from gave me the impression that it was indestructible against turtles, guess not . I'm relieved its normal though, thanks

[vear]

I honestly don't think anything is indestructible against turtles. Plecos have a tougher exterior so they're supposed to be more protected, but if your turtle wants it, he'll eat it!

[kachua-love]

Haha! How monstrous! Poor pleco.... Now I'm contemplating getting another, I wouldn't want one missing again but they clean up that algae so well! Do you think a bigger size pleco would deter him from eating it?

[steve]

Yes, but it's not guarantee it won't. After I saw how boney my pleco, I decided to keep him away from the turtles.

[vear]

How big is your turtle? You'd be better off giving the pleco hiding places where Spartacus can't get to. You can try getting another, but just know that he still might be a meal at some point. :\

[kachua-love]

Spartacus is about 3 inches from one end of his shell to the other. The hiding places idea is good but I still don't see the poor thing surviving, I guess I'll have to think about whether I should get another...

[kellycraig125]

I had a pleco that was as long, if not slightly longer, than my RES. While Squirt didn't eat him, he did bite him hard enough that he ended up dying a few hours later. So even though the pleco may be as large or larger than Spartacus, there is still a chance he'll bite him and kill him. And I did have hiding places for mine, BUT at some point, Squirt ended up getting hold of him.

[kachua-love]

I had a pleco that was as long, if not slightly longer, than my RES. While Squirt didn't eat him, he did bite him hard enough that he ended up dying a few hours later. So even though the pleco may be as large or larger than Spartacus, there is still a chance he'll bite him and kill him. And I did have hiding places for mine, BUT at some point, Squirt ended up getting hold of him.

That is so sad that the poor thing suffered! I don't think I'm going to get another one for a while now, not at least till I get a huge tank so that there is a lesser instance of something like this happening..