[danfromtheseventies]

Hi all, first post! :help:


I have two aprox 9yo Red eared terrapins one Male (13cm shell), one Female (16cm) that has lived in the same aquarium (30cm x 120cm, 20'C) since hatchlings.

Recently the male has begun showing aggression toward the female, to the point he has now bitten the females tail causing a wound.

They are now in seperate tanks.

Is this common in male/female groups-are sexes best kept seperate? (although they have cohabbited for years with no probs!)


Any thoughts


Dan.:notworthy:

 

[ianwww]

welcome Dan to the forum

least you have split them up no doubt Graham or Jo will be along and help you out further

Ian

 

[Graham]

It's quite common when you have a 1:1 M/F ratio, they should really be kept in a minimum 1:2, preferably 1:3 ratio, otherwise the male can pester the female incessantly and she never gets a break. It's also common for turts to get along fine for years, especially when they were acquired as hatchlings, then suddenly things turn nasty for a variety of reasons.

Overcrowding is also a common cause of aggression, as they get bigger they need more space, and if they don't have it they get stressed and territorial disputes can result.

 

[danfromtheseventies]

thanks for the replies.

So......

Bigger tank?

Get two more terra's?

or

Keep them seperate?

 

[Graham]

Definitely a bigger tank as the one you have is quite small even for one of them, if you got two more females you'd need a massive tank, keeping them seperately in bigger tanks may be your best bet.

 

[danfromtheseventies]

Thankyou.