Urgent Care :: split personality turtle

[ahmose313]

I have a turtle that's gone psychopathic on me. One minute he is picking up food and taking it over to the other turtle, the next he's latched onto the neck of the other turtle and won't let go. I was wondering if the female refuses to mate, will the male attack the neck like that? Should I seperate them? Any help would be greatly appreciated

[ellman605]

Are they RES? some species of turtles, mainly land turtles, are known to bite eachothers neck during mating, but i dont think it is common for aquatic turtles.

[ahmose313]

yes they are red ear sliders thats why im so confused

[missibsu]

I don't know much about it, but if you have the space I would seperate them until someone comes along who knows more. Better safe than sorry.

[steve]

If the aggression/harassment does not stop then you must separate them. How big are they, and how big is your tank? Do you know their sex? How long have you had them?

Has the one you said was female suffered any injuries?

[marisa]

Males will nip at females' necks, especially if the female is unresponsive to their advances. How big are your turtles and how long has the one been exhibiting this behavior? A space that's too small for the both of them will also encourage bullying/agression. Assuming these are sexually mature turtles and they're a pair, I'd separate the aggressive one to give "him" a cooling off period. If the agression continues/intensifies, they should be kept in separate set-ups.

[ahmose313]

The female is about 7" and the male is about 5.5". They have an 80 gallon tank. The attacks started just a couple of days ago. Today they're back to they're normal routine, friendly, sharing, no biting; but the male is doing the batting thing with his feet. I'm thinking he was rejected...poor little guy.

[vieniebebe]

One minute I can be a total sweetheart to my friends,and the other,i'm a total jerk.Turtles might be the same way