General Care Discussion :: Can I keep a red ear slider with these turtles species?

[steve]

Some people think there will be increased aggression when feeding as they compete with each other. So during that time, there might be some accidental or intentional biting and it might simply see the other turtles as competitors.

[SoftshellSean]

Hey steve sorry I haven't responded in a while I have been very busy lately but do you think it is possible to keep the blandings turtle with a red ear slider, african sidenecked turtle, siebenrocki snakenecked turtle, murray river turtle and european pond turtle together in a very large aquarium like 1000 plus gallons or a pond and feed them all together without moving them into separate tanks? Is that possible to do or would there most likely be problems feeding them all together?

[SoftshellSean]

I think I am going to try to feed all the turtles together and see how it works out if it works out well than great I will keep feeding them together until there is a problem like aggression during feeding depending on the level of aggression if it is light aggression and not really a problem I will let it go but if its problematic aggression that could cause harm or worse than I will move the aggressive turtle into a separate tank do you think that is a good idea steve?

[steve]

The murray river turtle and european pond turtle should be OK, the others I'm not sure.

As for feeding separate to reduce aggression, I think it can help short-term but if there is true aggression or bullying, the only way to stop it is to separate them.

[SoftshellSean]

Hey Steve I have one more question for now are you sure that gibba toad head turtles are an aggressive species because I was told by a breeder and keeper of gibba turtles and he told me they are a great non aggressive turtle and a reptile store I go to has kept red ear sliders with gibba turtles in the past and it has worked out fine from what I have heard. Also what I want to do is keep 3 turtles together to start with I want to keep a red ear slider, african side neck turtle, and a gibba turtle together in either a large aquarium or a large tub. Do you think I should try this out and do you think the people I talked to are wrong?

[steve]

I've only relayed what I've read/learned. Even the most gently and peaceful creature can be aggressive if they have the means. A lot of behavior will be based on instincts but also on the environment, so anything can happen. As for what a breeder would say, I don't think most of them care. I'd ask a lot more breeders to get their opinion as well.

[SoftshellSean]

Thanks Steve for the reply I agree with you I just think the breeder didn't care and was just trying to sell them. Also I talked to the owner of turtles and tortoises inc today and he gave me some great info he told me phrynops hilarri make great community turtle when they are young but when they hit breeding age it's a whole different story is what he told me he said that on a scale of 1-10 for aggressiveness he said a 6 or 7 for the phrynops hilarii turtles and that they could bite a tail of or take a chunk out of the other turtles shell so instead of a hilarii Instead he recommended to me a gibba turtle and a tuberculate toad head turtle/batrachemys tuberculatus he said they are mellower turtle species as adults and don't get as large as a hilarii turtle. So I think I finally figured out what im going to mix im going to go with a gibba turtle, red ear slider, tuberculate toad head turtle, and african side necked turtle turtle. Thanks again for all your help Steve I really appreciate it.

[steve]

Don't forget to ask them how they're keeping them as being outdoors and exposed to seasonal changes/brumation will likely alter some of their behavior. That's more of an educated guess since I've only kept RES indoors. Regardless, you'll have an amazingly diverse tank (and I want to see lots of pics )