General Care Discussion :: Do females bask more than males?

[Ambynightshadow]

Hello, I just recently got 3 RES from someone who owned them for all their lives. They are 7 (male), 10 (female) and 14 (female). They have always been in the same tank together (65 gal tank filled halfway) We have the basking station set up and I've been watching them all day. The 10 year old seems to be wanting to bask a lot more than the other two, but I have seen the other female get up there too. I haven't seen the male try to get up there at all. Their water is the right temperature and everything, but I'm just curious if maybe females like to bask more?

Also, yesterday I noticed that the male kept (for lack of a better term) "pawing" at the 10 year old's face, not aggressively or anything, but looked like he was annoying her. He also kept climbing on her and getting in her face and all that. They didn't get aggressive at all, but I'm also curious if he's just playing or if it is something else.

Thank you in advance!

[steve]

Hi, it sounds like he's getting frustrated. You really might want to consider separation down the line, and I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been any previous issues.

To answer your question, I don't think females bask more. They all like to bask, be sometimes their personalities get in the way (like being a bit skittish) but in most cases, they are aggressive baskers.

[Ambynightshadow]

Hi, it sounds like he's getting frustrated. You really might want to consider separation down the line, and I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been any previous issues.

To answer your question, I don't think females bask more. They all like to bask, be sometimes their personalities get in the way (like being a bit skittish) but in most cases, they are aggressive baskers.

Thank you for your reply! Yeah, the previous owner told us they are always fine together. The females keep to themselves but the boy keeps going over to them. It looks like he is trying to caress their faces, haha so its not like he's trying to claw at them. It was very odd haha

[steve]

They are almost always fine as hatchlings. But when they develop, they can be especially aggressive. The more she rejects him (they always do lol), the more aggressive he will be and you will have to separate them.