General Care Discussion :: Male Won't Leave Female Alone

[Ambynightshadow]

Hi everyone! I have already introduced myself in another topic, but I'll just put down all the information again really quick.

I just recently got 3 RES from someone who owned them 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), basking station, underwater heater, etc. The woman who owned them before us couldn't have them any more but said they all get along and have lived in the same tank their whole lives.

Well, the first day I noticed that the 7 year old male kept (for lack of a better term) "pawing" at the 10 year old female's face (in picture), 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. Now it is two days later and things have gotten worse. Wrex (male) has been on Kahlan (10yr female) and in her face so much today that they snapped onto each others shells and were trying to bite each other (Shown in another picture, not very well). Neither of them bother Amelia (14yr female) and she actually tries to separate them. I let it go the first time, then it happened again, so I tried to research a little, not finding much, then by the 4th time, (all today and only today its gotten this bad) I took Wrex out of the tank and put him in the tub we feed them in. When he is normally in there for feeding, he stays in one spot and doesn't move much, but right now it looks like he is freaking out going from one end to the other and I think trying to climb out (its tall so he can't). Kahlan never bothers him in the tank, I don't know why he is picking on her so much. Should I leave them be? Should I separate them? I don't want anyone to get hurt, but it breaks my heart to see them being mean.

[HelperTurtle123]

It could either be courting or agression, maybe you should separate them.

[HelperTurtle123]

On the base of the tank, is that gravel? If it is, it might be best to remove it. The turtles might swallow it.

[RENEGADE]

Get rid of gravel.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12532

[Ambynightshadow]

They are large pond rocks that the older owner had in there the whole time they owned them.

[HelperTurtle123]

Ok. You might want to separate them because they might be courting or it might be aggression . It has happened to me before and it wasn't pretty when the big one bit the smaller ones head

[steve]

Yes, I agree with HelperTurtle123... you have to separate him. It will only escalate and end in injuries or worse.

[Ambynightshadow]

I actually did contact the previous owner and she told me hes done that once before, he is trying to mate with her and she wants nothing to do with him and that he will give up in a couple days. They were fine the rest of the day and so far fine today. I will separate them if it happens again though. Thanks everyone for your input!

[Tampa Bay Turtle Fan]

I have mixed feelings after seeing the photos. I lean more towards aggression based on not only the animals behavior overall, but the size of the enclosure itself though you have not specified how big the enclosure is . If you don't mind me asking, how big is this tank? This thought pattern I have on aggression is about 70 %

Now the other thirty percent of my thought pattern is as you pointed out, he is trying to mate with signs of courtship. The reason I specify this is yes, the turtles are sexually mature and from what friends of mine who has activity bred turtles for over twenty years, during courtship or attempted courtship, the larger the area and overall depth of the water , the less aggressive attempts or behaviors are observed. For example the waterland tubs, though my outlook on the rule of thumb everyone seems to go by on every inch of shell equals to ten gallons of water or enclosure, I do not feel but maybe wrong, the waterland tubs in general for a breeding group, the manufacturers do not go by this. But on the other hand, their tubs get the job done and they very well know what they created and doing. Waterland tubs have the deep wells though which is outstanding.

With less areas in depth of the water, the males from what I was informed do get more display more aggressive approaches during courtship . So to possibly resolve the matter as steve pointed out and you informing that his behavior is becoming more and more aggressive, I would go on and separate them regardless. If you intend to breed them later, I would recommend getting a much bigger tank/ pond/enclosure that has a fairly deep area that you would see less aggressive behavior or any for that matter.

Steve has way more knowledge than I do in turtles and though I have very advanced skills in reptiles as a whole, what ever Steve states in turtles, I would take his word as gold sort of speak. I still learn from his post daily and enjoy doing so.

[Ambynightshadow]

Tampa Bay Turtle Fan,

Thank you for the reply! I did specify that my tank is a 65gal tank filled halfway. They are still in the same tank and I believe he has given up. They have been pretty calm all day, except when I go to the tank to say hi, then they get excited, which is too cute. I don't plan on breeding them, but if that does happen, I will definitely accommodate.

[Tampa Bay Turtle Fan]

Tampa Bay Turtle Fan,

Thank you for the reply! I did specify that my tank is a 65gal tank filled halfway. They are still in the same tank and I believe he has given up. They have been pretty calm all day, except when I go to the tank to say hi, then they get excited, which is too cute. I don't plan on breeding them, but if that does happen, I will definitely accommodate.

You are more than welcome. Sorry for overlooking where you mentioned the 65 gallon tank. lol Yes it is totally adorable when they get excited. My albino red ear sliders do this as well. As they grow and or get used to they tend to know feeding times as well as their owners with outstanding personalities. I have seen red ear sliders as well outside their enclosures and tanks follow their owners around the house even. I thought that was so cute too ! Kinda like puppies lol. My hybino has not established this yet but it will over time. The female hypo adult that I am getting tomorrow, I just have no clue yet what her personality is yet, but hopefully displays these traits and hopefully non aggressive. Have a wonderful day !

Here is a adorable youtube video with a red ear slider following its owner with a can with some food rattling around why the owner goes through a room and bathroom. Very cute overall video . Like any other pet, cat, dog ect..... It knows its food container and owner lol. So cute !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1fc7Vg6pak

[Ambynightshadow]

That's ok, haha. I've seen that! It's awesome. I completely love these babies XD

[theartbook35]

So... I have two females sharing a tank, and they went through a lot of issues last summer after we moved to a new apartment. Basically, to make the aquarium work with our living room, we rearranged the their typical tank setup, and gave them a new basking dock. That's when the fighting started. My mother and I were pulling Hurricane off of Typhoon almost every day for a month. Then, overnight, Hurricane decided that she didn't need to bother Typhoon anymore, and they've been fine ever since. Most folks on this forum have had continuous issues with keeping their turtles together. This is the first, and only time in 8 years that mine have been aggressive.

But, you'll never know the horror of a turtle injury until you go through it. Hurricane took a chunk out of Typhoon's chin, and given that I was unemployed at the time, I could not afford a vet visit, so I had to treat it at home by cleaning it and drying docking her for an hour twice a day. It took a very long time for her wound to heal, and she has a subtle scar there.

Despite how well Hurricane and Typhoon have been around each other (because I never rearrange their tank stuff unless I have to), I could never house them with my other turtle, Sadie. Sadie WILL try to kill them, and given how large she is, it would not be hard for her to succeed in that. It's always best practice not to house males and females together, because they will try to breed, or successfully breed. A gravid female is a pain in the rear (I speak from experience with Sadie being gravid), and can have health problems from being gravid. Then you have to factor in any injuries the female might cause the male because she doesn't want to be courted all the time. And imagine if she lays fertile eggs. If you keep them you'll have a lot of turtle babies. Something to think about.

[Tampa Bay Turtle Fan]

So... I have two females sharing a tank, and they went through a lot of issues last summer after we moved to a new apartment. Basically, to make the aquarium work with our living room, we rearranged the their typical tank setup, and gave them a new basking dock. That's when the fighting started. My mother and I were pulling Hurricane off of Typhoon almost every day for a month. Then, overnight, Hurricane decided that she didn't need to bother Typhoon anymore, and they've been fine ever since. Most folks on this forum have had continuous issues with keeping their turtles together. This is the first, and only time in 8 years that mine have been aggressive.

But, you'll never know the horror of a turtle injury until you go through it. Hurricane took a chunk out of Typhoon's chin, and given that I was unemployed at the time, I could not afford a vet visit, so I had to treat it at home by cleaning it and drying docking her for an hour twice a day. It took a very long time for her wound to heal, and she has a subtle scar there.

Despite how well Hurricane and Typhoon have been around each other (because I never rearrange their tank stuff unless I have to), I could never house them with my other turtle, Sadie. Sadie WILL try to kill them, and given how large she is, it would not be hard for her to succeed in that. It's always best practice not to house males and females together, because they will try to breed, or successfully breed. A gravid female is a pain in the rear (I speak from experience with Sadie being gravid), and can have health problems from being gravid. Then you have to factor in any injuries the female might cause the male because she doesn't want to be courted all the time. And imagine if she lays fertile eggs. If you keep them you'll have a lot of turtle babies. Something to think about.

Very true, the stress the turtles go by in relocation has slipped my mind in the thread. Great valid point you have here. She did mention the previous owner. Great observation in reading. The sad thing is that the previous owner wants nothing to do with them or even a update it seems. I am sorry but if I raised a pet that I just had to get rid of, number 1, I would want it going to a loving and caring home that could provide for its needs. The previous owner did do that. Then I would want photos and of course updates on their well being if all possible. If nothing more, at least the turtles are is great hands.

[theartbook35]

Very true, the stress the turtles go by in relocation has slipped my mind in the thread. Great valid point you have here. She did mention the previous owner. Great observation in reading. The sad thing is that the previous owner wants nothing to do with them or even a update it seems. I am sorry but if I raised a pet that I just had to get rid of, number 1, I would want it going to a loving and caring home that could provide for its needs. The previous owner did do that. Then I would want photos and of course updates on their well being if all possible. If nothing more, at least the turtles are is great hands.

Thank you. I always put things back where they were after tank cleanings, or any time we have had to move the tank. This was the first time we had to rearrange stuff. And the night before the move, and for most of moving day, they had been inside a cardboard pet carrier together. They have to travel together, otherwise Typhoon gets really nervous if she doesn't have Hurricane with her. But going through the move, and going through their house being rearranged, was a lot for them to take in. They were both under a lot of stress. Typhoon seemed to be okay with everything faster, but Hurricane is really hyperactive, so she kept trying to put everything back the way it was, but obviously couldn't, so that's when the nightmare began.

We've had Hurricane and Typhoon since they were little babies. Sadie however, was taken out of the wild here in Connecticut, by her previous owner. I've figured this out from her behavior. He had her in a pretty crappy setup, and just wanted to get rid of her, so he didn't care where she ended up. My mom happened upon the ad on Craigslist, and this previous owner had a FRIEND OF HIS bring Sadie to us. He didn't even have the courtesy to do it himself. Sadie had really bad conjunctivitis, which we successfully treated at home. Her age is an approximation, she could be older or younger than 20 years. Our vet's best estimate, when we brought her in for the first time (she had to be induced cause she was gravid), was that she was at least 15 years old. He based this on her coloration and size, he didn't do that silly scute counting thing. I just wanted to share that story, because Sadie's previous owner wanted nothing to do with her after we took her in. Basic out of sight, out of mind.

Taking her out of the wild is fine because RES are invasive in CT. She has a 50 gallon tank to herself, and she's quite comfortable. She's pretty close to my cat, Spike, and the two of them walk around the apartment together. She's super aggressive toward humans though, so we CANNOT under any circumstances put our hands in her tank. This is NOT a domestic turtle.