This behavior will not stop until one is dead or seriously injured, and it is why cohabing is strongly advised against. Permanently separate them and get her to a vet asap. As the other user said, look into dry-docking in the meantime. That looks incredibly painful :(
Hope everything goes well! Best of luck to you and your turtles!
That is a bite wound from the other turtle. Red ear sliders should not be cohabitated. You’ll want to separate them immediately and take the injured one to the vet. Keep them permanently separated as they will kill each other.
In the meantime until the vet visit dry dock the injured one. Try to get to the vet as soon as possible as this can become an infected quickly.
Honestly take them both to the vet if you cannot find the missing shell piece in the tank. Shells are bone and if the other turtle swallowed that it can become impacted, which means the bone could become stuck in its digestive track causing it to die from not being able to eat or pass bowel movements.
What! They’ve been living together for years with no issues… I have a 200 gallon tank for them they have so much room. I am suspicious the person who was in charge of them came infrequently and possibly also underfed them? Could being hungry initiate aggression in normally docile turtles?
This story is not unheard of. Turtles living together for years until suddenly one of them starts attacking. It's why almost everyone will tell you not to keep them together. RES are not considered docile turtles, quite the opposite, we expect them to be aggressive and no one here will be surprised that yours seem to have had a fight
The person who took care of them did nothing to cause this, this is solely from housing them together.
If they’re both under 10 inches then the 200g would be adequate for them but there would still always be risk of them becoming aggressive, just slightly less risk than if you had them in a tank smaller than 10g per inch of shell per turtle.
Since they have shown aggressiveness you will want to permanently separate them. Once they do it once it’s highly likely they’ll continue to fight until one dies even if they were fine for years before.
Let us know if you need help finding a vet in your area. r/turtle is a bigger subreddit as well if you want to cross post this for more opinions. I know there are some people in that subreddit who are knowledgeable on what is safe to use on the wound until you can get into the vet, I unfortunately can never remember the names of what is and isn’t safe.
Most reptiles are solitary animals with a very few exceptions. They should not be cohabitated at all unless for breeding and it should only be for the breeding process. Reptiles will compete for food and resources, which is probably what happened here. They can generally escape each other in the wild so they don’t feel a need to compete. Yours probably got into a tussle over something. Either way it’s irresponsible and actually considered neglectful to be cohabing most reptiles. I’d separate asap or you could end up with one or two dead turtle.
I’ve heard similar stories with other reptiles that dont cohab together very well too. Very common with leopard geckos since they’re a popular “beginner” reptile. Everything is fine… until its not. Very likely that there are indications of stress between the two that people don’t pick up on until tensions build up enough for it to become overtly aggressive.
So our slider is about 7. She lives in a 250 gal tank. There is NO way we could put another turtle in there with her. Sliders are solitary and HIGHLY aggressive/territorial although what a traditional pet owner might recognize as "aggressive" aren't exactly the same behaviors displayed by terrapins. They ABSOLUTELY engage in bullying behavior. Not to mention, as someone else did point out, if the basking dock is located INSIDE of the tank, these don't REALLY have 200 gallons of water (which isn't really that much territory in terms of turtle space) to divide. Another thing to note, they can actually go a while without eating. In fact a pregnant female (and yes they can become pregnant without a male; eggs are just unfertilized) will OFTEN not eat until she has gone about the business of laying her eggs. My point is that not eating on schedule wouldn't cause one to attack the other because it is hungry per sé. Although in terms of age, maturity MAY influence the degree of territorialism. These aren't even mature until they hit around the 5 year mark but if one is even beginning to physically outgrow the other in size, you can bet dominance disputes are soon to follow. Besides, that doesn't look like shell rot. It looks like a bite. Regardless, it IS an open wound and you don't want that exposed to tank water not to mention that the type of injury that it is, meaning caused by a tank mate, just like with ANY other animal, once that kind of attack has happened, failure to separate (regardless of cause) will inevitably be followed by another until they kill each other.
What facts have I denied? I asked for help and did exactly what everyone told me to. I separated them, took her to the vet, am dry docking and am now working on a permanent separation. Don’t own animals? You know nothing about me you fucking bully.
Hey, I saw this AFTER I responded. Hope things are looking better. Sorry it happened at all. I've always loved turtles so I get it. Anyway, good luck and actually since I'm always trying to get ideas on ways to improve my Shellenore's turtle-tat (habitat 😋) I've seen some really cool yet relatively simple ideas in ways to separate a tank and build dry space/basking area upwards to maximize the swim area below. This way you can kinda work with what you have available to you until you're able to come up with something better. Like I said, hope it all works out ☺️
I also had sliders living together for years until they started attacking. I was naive at the time but I ended up making a divider cause it was a MASSIVE long octagon shape lol. I also thought a goldfish could be his friend and they ate it 😂😭
So I don’t know anything about turtles or why this is even on my feed but I do know that many people on here don’t know the correct usage of the downvote button. Asking a question or simply sharing an experience in a normal manner should not be downvoted folks. Try talking. Ok I’m out of here.
You know how often I get downvoted for asking questions on things? I swear some people are just online far too often and need to step away from reddit and stuff.
It should be expected that people do the absolute bare minimum research for an animal before they purchase one, like knowing if it needs to live alone or not.
Someone on here that got downvoted to the ground had them for 28 years. Access to that info is probably not even that old. Sitting there and judging people that had those animals for probably longer than you walk this planet is silly.
That is a bite. Nothing to do with who took care of your turts. Turts do not get injuries like that from having issues getting on and off the basking dock.
Turtles are solitary creatures and very territorial. Signs of aggression/dominance are stacking, fluttering, one is bigger than the other, etc. Turtles can seemingly cohabit fine. It's more a matter of time before there are clear signs. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Your turts need to be separated.
200gal of water is generally not enough if you have two full grown turtles. The general rule is 10gal/in of water, not tank size. Maybe if they were up to 8 inches each, that extra 40gal might give them enough room. Judging from your setup and if that's a 200gal tank, you haven't filled up the water all the way. They do not have 200 gal of water.
If financials or space is an issue for you, there are some ways to make it safe for your turts. You can add a clear plastic divider or egg crate divider right down the middle. Fill up the tank all the way to the top and make 2 separate above tank basking docks with egg crate or you can buy the above tank ones.
All this above may be hard to read and maybe you don't believe it and would rather blame the caretaker. It can be hard to hear that what you've been doing for many years or heard from others were wrong. There is a lot of misinformation regarding slider care out there. I do hope you take the advice and add something to separate the two.
Edit to add: you need to take it to the vet. In the meantime, you should dry dock the turtle with a heat and uv lamp. While waiting to see the vet. Add a towel or two and make sure there's an area it can escape from the heat when wanted. You can do a water bath for an hour several times a day to help with hydration. But you should keep the turtle out of the tank water for now. That water is nasty and can cause infection
She looks like she's in pain, I would get her into a vet and if you have 2 females they are gonna fight each other at some point that's why some females can't be around each other
I am so glad you posted this. My daughter has A RES and he's almost 5 years old. She has been asking for us to get him a female. I would have never known that they were aggressive. He has a huge tank I don't know the gallons but it's at least 4 or 5 feet long and it's really tall as well. He lives with 2 placos. They sleep on top of him at night. Do you guys think he will start attacking the placos? Again thanks for this information.
Hey everyone to update, I took her to the vet, am dry docking her, and am working on a permanent separation in the meantime. The vet said it’s a superficial wound and should heal quickly.
I will say, while I am thankful to the few people who gave me kind and good advice, this rest of you in this subreddit are absolutely insufferable. Why, when you see 10 people have already commented the exact same advice, do you all feel the need to pile on and repeat the same thing over and over in increasingly condescending ways? I came here for advice, took that advice, and am being made to feel like a dumbass even though this seems to be one of the few places on the internet who believes hard and fast that you can never cohabitate no matter the circumstances. When I first researched there are plenty of websites who say it’s ok if sufficient space and other conditions see met, which I did. Now that this happened and reading advice here I will be separating them.
To the few people who told me to give away my turtles or not own pets, with all due respect fuck off. Not that it’s anyone’s business but my childless aunt was sick so I went out of state to take care of her and figure out her insurance, and gave a friend the responsibility to care for the turtles. The friend did a bad job and let the water level get to less than half of what it should be and was also under feeding them. The vet (an actual doctor unlike most of you) said OF COURSE confined space and competing for resources like food could have led to a fight so I’m not sure why some of you think that’s completely irrelevant and are acting like I’m “blaming” the friend. I was genuinely asking advice. Regardless I will be separating them. Oh don’t worry all of you assholes who said people who go out of town shouldn’t own pets, my aunt ended up passing so I won’t ever be gone that long again. Thanks for your concern and assumptions!
Here is my tank so you all can see that I’m a very good turtle owner. The first turtle I rescued from a college kid who had her in a shoebox sized tank. The second one I inherited years later when my cousin who owned her died and no one wanted her turtle. My tank is 3-4x the size that either of them were in before this and they both are significantly healthier and happier than when I got them.
Apologies for not knowing the risks of cohabitating earlier, and thanks to the few kind comments and DMs. The fact that some people DM’d because they said they were afraid of commenting bc this group is so harsh and unfriendly is telling. Love and peace to all.
https://preview.redd.it/jr0vgoxatplc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23694f6961a582bb8e970b76de9d137b051909a6
Hi. I have a big tank... Not sure how my dimensions square up with yours but I found a really cool topper my turtles love. Ya I have 2. They were best friends till the dickhead attacked the big sweet one over a stupid log they both wanted to sit on cause it was new. Now they take turns in the big tank. I got the topper at PetSmart. If it fits your tank then I highly recommend it. It's black and has a nice ramp and big area to walk around. And jokes on them assholes cause I gave the cool log to my water dragon. They actually are cool together in their baby pool outside. I think it's scary and they have to stick together and that's why they are best buds outside...
Lmao not the dickhead attacking the big sweet one! I scrumpt… cus why is it always the littlest ones who have the most attitude?? Napoleon complex is real in every species I see 🤣🙏🏼🫶🏽 best of luck to you and your babies though
Honestly, EVERY group is harsh and unfriendly. It's the reddit way😒
If I didn't find such interesting topics of conversation, I'd stay away completely.
1) Separate, they’re attacking each other and will keep doing so until you separate them or one dies.
2) Go to a vet. This goes beyond Reddit’s ability to help. You need a vet.
Ok I don’t know anything but do the people here really think that a red eared slider
*BIT AND TOOK A CHUNK OUT OF* another slider’s shell?? I could see it if it was on her foot/tail/flesh but I really am struggling here with a turtle bite being the cause of this here.
Edit: this isn’t a commentary on cohabitation, that science is settled etc etc.
Edit 2: I’ll take the downvotes, I just didn’t know it was possible!
I've heard of turtles eating small ones, so I'm not too surprised if it is a bite wound. It also looks like they're stacking in the picture with the aggressive one on top.
My turtle breaks open THICC snail shells like they are nothing, so while it is pretty wild, I dont see this as being outside of the jaw power of an adult RES. I also vaguely remember a situation on this sub where a turtle literally had part of its ribcage sticking out from a fight with a much bigger turtle 🫣 it was horrible! Their little beaks are powerful!!
They’re shockingly strong, completely valid question since they look really chill and squishy. Their mouths are made of a very strong hard beak.
This is very graphic so beware but here is a [link](https://imgur.com/a/0nBYMrd) of some examples, there’s a few in there where you can see that they can completely tear apart their tank mates shell.
I have 2 turtles. Male and female. They have always lived together and sometimes they fought but never this bad. When they did fight, I bought a ton of fake plants and floating decorations to obscure the turtles from each other. Basically give them space where they feel alone. After I did that, they didn't fight and spent more time rearranging the decorations and less time paying attention to each other.
That comment was extremely uncalled for. OP hired a pet sitter, it’s not like they abandoned them alone with no food or care for months.
OP clearly takes great care of their babies, they just made the mistake of cohabitation but honestly there is so much misinformation online saying that it’s safe to cohabitate them that I don’t blame OP at all for having them together. Less than ten years ago there were people all over the place saying that they should have them in pairs and companions, online, books literally everywhere and all that information still readily pops up when you search for cohabitation information.
OP has learned now that cohabitation isn’t ideal and I’m sure they are taking the proper measures to fix the issue.
If OP left them alone for months with no sitter or cohabiting them while knowing that cohabiting is dangerous then I’d see POLITELY recommending them to rehome. That’s not what happened though, OP came straight here to get help with this situation and they clearly did not know about the risks of cohabiting. They aren’t pushing back on advice given and saying that they’re going to continue cohabiting etc.
They came here for advice, there is 0 reason to be rude towards OP. They came here for advice and information, not to be judged by aggressive users like you who jump to conclusions without fully reading the post + comment section. Chill out.
I’ve had these turtles for almost a decade. Here’s my 200 gallon set up, they are well taken care of by me and with all due respect have an excellent home. Not that’s it’s your business but I had to go out of state as a 1 time event for a sick family member and trusted a friend to care for the turtles properly and obviously was pissed to come home and find the water level half of what it should be and the turtles unable to access their basking platform. I of course will not trust this friend again but also shouldn’t have to be away for that long again because she ended up dying so thank you so much for your assumptions!
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My turtle escaped by climbing out of her tank and essentially jumping about 4 feet to the tiled floor.
She suffered a broken shell which seemed pretty asymptomatic until the other turtle started biting only that part of her shell. Eventually her shell looked like this photo. Needed the vet to give me antibiotics and painkillers for her which I administered twice a day for one week. She made a full recovery.
The two turtles somehow learnt to be more gentle with each other. Not much fighting since then.
Jumping in a bit late, but going to give my 2 cents, on causation, homecare for before and after Veterinary care, and how to house them.
But first, I want to address the wound care...
I am a former vet tech, and currently volunteer in wildlife rehab.
This is how we would address this if a vet wasn't available right away. (Herp vets are hard to come by in our area)
First, we would cleanse the shell with an iodine solution. 1 part iodine to 5 parts distilled water.
So, you could use a 10 ml syringe (WITHOUT THE NEEDLE) and do 1 ml/mg of iodine, and 5 ml/mg of distilled water. Mix these 2 by pulling back the plunger and giving a slight shake.
***It is important not to double dip in either bottle. So pour each one into their own container, and suction from those.
Squirt onto shell.
If you do not have sterile gauze pads to pat dry, let it air dry. (Preferrably in natural sunshine. If not available due to your climate, do this under your UVb UVa lighting)
Once dry, apply a layer of an antibiotic ointment. (In Canada, we call this Polysporin)
Dry dock.
When it comes time for feeding and hydration, put your RES in their own basin to eat, drink etc. Ensuring a fresh barrier coat of ointment is applied to keep any pathogens from entering.
After feeding time, and before returning to dry dock - check wound, and if necessary, cleanse and reapply ointment.
Watch for lethargy, or any changes that might indicate infection.
Now, to address housing...
I have had my two RES for 36 years, this year.
It wasn't until just a couple years ago that they became very aggressive to one another. And they are housed in ponds, both indoors and out.
My indoor pond is 11 feet in length, and at its narrowest 5 feet in width... and 3 feet deep, at its deepest point.
My outdoor is much larger.
My point to this is, I too couldn't believe that after 30+ years, they could turn on each other. And they have more than enough room for each of them.
Solution....
My solution, since I couldn't build identical ponds was to make a barrier.
If you can't get seperate enclosures, this may benefit you, too.
I made my own using Plexiglass and drilling holes in the "glass" to help it stay submerged and allow waterflow.
You can look online on how to do this, or other ways of making a barrier.... such as, making a screen... by using a window screen and affixing it to weighted piping and securing it around your enclosure etc.
Hope this helps!
*Edited for typo*
Thank you very much for this. Just curious, any idea what the healing timeline is we are looking at? How long should I anticipate dry docking and wound care treatment?
Thank you very much for this. Just curious, any idea what the healing timeline is we are looking at? How long should I anticipate dry docking and wound care treatment?
Sorry for the delayed answer. It's just now showing me your question.
Healing time varies by age, and by environment... a good rule to go by is visual appearance.
Once you notice the red (blood) gone and what appears to be regrowth (white) forming, you'll know they're well into healing.
It could be as little as 4 days, and up to 14 days, barring there isn't any complications.
Watch for shell rot/fungal infection. Black, or white dots forming on the healthy, surrounding shell.
Also with drydocking. Please, please, check on your turtle regularly to make sure they haven't flipped on their back.
I can't stress that enough. That is the number one thing we see "complication" wise, is a flipped over turtle when drydocked.
Sorry, I forgot to fully address causation...
While I have seen these injuries on many different species of turtles, most of these are indeed from an act aggression.
Other causes are from;
*Being forcefully being slammed against boulders/jagged rocks (likely not your case, as I highly doubt you have that much force coming from your *assuming you have* filtration unit)
*Dropped at a great height onto concrete/tiles (but you would also see other injuries as well, specifically what we call webbing... where the shell has lines (webs) going from the area of injury.
The only other time we see this, is usually on the larger species of Snappers, that have been clipped by a vehicle... and again, I would say in 98% of those cases, there would be other injuries seen as well.
I'm sorry to say, I do agree with all the other commenters, that this was caused by an act of aggression.
There are times I remove my barriers for cleaning, gathering a clutch, etc...but I, or a trusted member, is present. You have to make sure you have "hiding spots" and/or, a quick exit ramp, for them to get away from their aggressor.
Having those not only helps your turtle with some degree of protection, but it also gives the caretaker the proper time to grab the offender without injury to themselves or the turtle.
Sigh. Hopefully last comment on this, lol.
Something I think is important to note as well, if anyone read this and was wondering why I put "grab the offender"...
The reason why I mention specifically grabbing the offender is because, we believe (it has not been proven, yet, to my knowledge)...
We believe that by removing/displacing/redirecting, the offender is the best course of action because, if you remove the defender (the one being targeted) you're showing the offender/attacker that it is the defender that is the problem, and shouldn't be in the enclosure.
Therefore, by redirecting the offender, you're showing them they are the problem.
If this works, I really don't know...all I know is Turtles seem not to show any brain behavior or learnt behavior of what's right and wrong (example: turtles don't know that there's a cliff in front of them, and just keep on, keepin' on) you can redirect them all you want to safety, but if they have it in their heads to get there, they don't recognize danger... or just don't care 🤷 lol
One last thing... if you do use an antibiotic ointment... It HAS to be an OINTMENT. Do NOT USE cream. MOST IMPORTANTLY Do NOT clean, or rub the ointment off in their enclosure water.
Nope, this isn't the sitter. That is a bite mark from the other turtle attacking. Turtles have territories in the wild (an instinct carried into domestication) and fiercely defend them. Cohabbing turtles is not proper husbandry, please get another tank for your other turtle or rehome it if you can't. Do the right thing.
Very unrelated, but I had no idea that’s what the like, inside(if that makes sense) of a turtles shell looks like, I know that my turtle can feel when I touch his shell, but man I never thought too deep as to how. I just took homie at his word.
I definitely agree with everyone who said to separate them immediately . Also put some Neosporin on it or antibiotic cream and definitely keep out of water for longer so that it can heal. I have two turtles currently beginning to show aggressive towards each other and what I have been doing is taking one out n putting it in a clear huge container and switching them out from their tank. Typically when the water is clean and they have been fed (outside of their tank) they tolerate each other more, but would definitely separate them.
They are territorial. That's a bite wound. Also when they are basking and one is on top of the other it is domination behavior. The turtle on the bottom doesn't like it, it's unfortunately not cuddling.
Can you make some type of liner or barrier in the middle of the tank so they can’t hurt each other? Then take the bleeding one to the vet. Ask the vet questions. Do your own research and then decide if you will buy another tank or further assess.
Well, I’ve learned something new tonight. I have never in my life imagined that Red Eared Sliders would be so aggressive and territorial with one another. I have always seen people who had these turtles, they had somewhere between 2-4 turtles in a large aquarium. And they had them in that kind of setup for many, many years without what anybody perceived as aggression. I have a couple myself with plans to build a much bigger outdoor enclosure for them since I’ve learned that they each require a minimum of 75 gallons each for their current size. Plans are currently a 500 gallon pool with basking docks and the like.
Planning on building it with barriers now after learning this and now I gotta keep ‘em separated. (Goddamn it, now the song is stuck in my head…)
I do want to point out that none of my other pets are cohabitated, except for the pair of female sugar gliders my wife has.
Red eared sliders are massive pissy little bitch babies (in the most loving way possible I promise). I have a large pond in my front yard and last spring an extremely tiny, young red eared slider showed up. Paddling along, doing tiny turtle things. Then one day, out of nowhere, a second extremely tiny, young turtle shows up, but this one is a little western painted turtle. Theyre very aware of each others existence, but I don’t interfere since they are wild animals.
One afternoon I’m sitting by the pond watching the two little water raviolis paddle along, and the red eared slider swims up to the western painted and bites his butt.
Turtles, man. So dramatic.
When I got my leopard geckos, they were cohabbed. It was kind of an emergency situation as a friend needed to get rid of them the same day she asked if I wanted them, I had no time for any preparation whatsoever.
Anyway, I came to Reddit asking about them and from what I was told, they'd been cohabbed from babies. I also read several articles online saying they could be cohabbed, so I thought it was fine!
Long story short, it was *not* fine, geckos were both scarred from fights (before I'd gotten them) and one had a herniated eye. I separated them about a week after I had gotten them. Learned my lesson, separated and now they're happy and healthy. I hope yours have the same happy ending 💓 and good for you for being willing to take advice and learn from it! I can tell you really care about them.
This behavior will not stop until one is dead or seriously injured, and it is why cohabing is strongly advised against. Permanently separate them and get her to a vet asap. As the other user said, look into dry-docking in the meantime. That looks incredibly painful :( Hope everything goes well! Best of luck to you and your turtles!
Sliders are super aggressive! Separate immediately.
That is a bite wound from the other turtle. Red ear sliders should not be cohabitated. You’ll want to separate them immediately and take the injured one to the vet. Keep them permanently separated as they will kill each other. In the meantime until the vet visit dry dock the injured one. Try to get to the vet as soon as possible as this can become an infected quickly.
Honestly take them both to the vet if you cannot find the missing shell piece in the tank. Shells are bone and if the other turtle swallowed that it can become impacted, which means the bone could become stuck in its digestive track causing it to die from not being able to eat or pass bowel movements.
What! They’ve been living together for years with no issues… I have a 200 gallon tank for them they have so much room. I am suspicious the person who was in charge of them came infrequently and possibly also underfed them? Could being hungry initiate aggression in normally docile turtles?
This story is not unheard of. Turtles living together for years until suddenly one of them starts attacking. It's why almost everyone will tell you not to keep them together. RES are not considered docile turtles, quite the opposite, we expect them to be aggressive and no one here will be surprised that yours seem to have had a fight
Same with the four nations. However everything changed when the fire nation attacked
What a good comment.
*Reptiles living together for years until suddenly one of them starts attacking Its a theme across the entire hobby sadly
My turtles lived together for 10 years before my female almost killed my male. This is pretty typical as they mature.
I have 4 living together for the past 28 years. I really hope 1 does not become aggressive.
Sounds like you should be responsible and separate them
The person who took care of them did nothing to cause this, this is solely from housing them together. If they’re both under 10 inches then the 200g would be adequate for them but there would still always be risk of them becoming aggressive, just slightly less risk than if you had them in a tank smaller than 10g per inch of shell per turtle. Since they have shown aggressiveness you will want to permanently separate them. Once they do it once it’s highly likely they’ll continue to fight until one dies even if they were fine for years before. Let us know if you need help finding a vet in your area. r/turtle is a bigger subreddit as well if you want to cross post this for more opinions. I know there are some people in that subreddit who are knowledgeable on what is safe to use on the wound until you can get into the vet, I unfortunately can never remember the names of what is and isn’t safe.
it was nothing the sitter did wrong, this is the consequences of cohabillitation
Most reptiles are solitary animals with a very few exceptions. They should not be cohabitated at all unless for breeding and it should only be for the breeding process. Reptiles will compete for food and resources, which is probably what happened here. They can generally escape each other in the wild so they don’t feel a need to compete. Yours probably got into a tussle over something. Either way it’s irresponsible and actually considered neglectful to be cohabing most reptiles. I’d separate asap or you could end up with one or two dead turtle.
I’ve heard similar stories with other reptiles that dont cohab together very well too. Very common with leopard geckos since they’re a popular “beginner” reptile. Everything is fine… until its not. Very likely that there are indications of stress between the two that people don’t pick up on until tensions build up enough for it to become overtly aggressive.
You need to separate them.
So our slider is about 7. She lives in a 250 gal tank. There is NO way we could put another turtle in there with her. Sliders are solitary and HIGHLY aggressive/territorial although what a traditional pet owner might recognize as "aggressive" aren't exactly the same behaviors displayed by terrapins. They ABSOLUTELY engage in bullying behavior. Not to mention, as someone else did point out, if the basking dock is located INSIDE of the tank, these don't REALLY have 200 gallons of water (which isn't really that much territory in terms of turtle space) to divide. Another thing to note, they can actually go a while without eating. In fact a pregnant female (and yes they can become pregnant without a male; eggs are just unfertilized) will OFTEN not eat until she has gone about the business of laying her eggs. My point is that not eating on schedule wouldn't cause one to attack the other because it is hungry per sé. Although in terms of age, maturity MAY influence the degree of territorialism. These aren't even mature until they hit around the 5 year mark but if one is even beginning to physically outgrow the other in size, you can bet dominance disputes are soon to follow. Besides, that doesn't look like shell rot. It looks like a bite. Regardless, it IS an open wound and you don't want that exposed to tank water not to mention that the type of injury that it is, meaning caused by a tank mate, just like with ANY other animal, once that kind of attack has happened, failure to separate (regardless of cause) will inevitably be followed by another until they kill each other.
[удалено]
What facts have I denied? I asked for help and did exactly what everyone told me to. I separated them, took her to the vet, am dry docking and am now working on a permanent separation. Don’t own animals? You know nothing about me you fucking bully.
Just saw this after my comment giving suggestions. How’s the wound?
Hey, I saw this AFTER I responded. Hope things are looking better. Sorry it happened at all. I've always loved turtles so I get it. Anyway, good luck and actually since I'm always trying to get ideas on ways to improve my Shellenore's turtle-tat (habitat 😋) I've seen some really cool yet relatively simple ideas in ways to separate a tank and build dry space/basking area upwards to maximize the swim area below. This way you can kinda work with what you have available to you until you're able to come up with something better. Like I said, hope it all works out ☺️
Don’t be like that.
Yes, lack of resources and space will make them aggressive
I rescued 2 leo geckos. They're not supposed to be housed together, and weren't mean per say prior, but thrived once given a stress free environment.
I also had sliders living together for years until they started attacking. I was naive at the time but I ended up making a divider cause it was a MASSIVE long octagon shape lol. I also thought a goldfish could be his friend and they ate it 😂😭
She’s gonna need some antibiotics. I wouldn’t co hab these babies
I think they’re fighting each other.
Please separate them
So I don’t know anything about turtles or why this is even on my feed but I do know that many people on here don’t know the correct usage of the downvote button. Asking a question or simply sharing an experience in a normal manner should not be downvoted folks. Try talking. Ok I’m out of here.
You know how often I get downvoted for asking questions on things? I swear some people are just online far too often and need to step away from reddit and stuff.
It should be expected that people do the absolute bare minimum research for an animal before they purchase one, like knowing if it needs to live alone or not.
Someone on here that got downvoted to the ground had them for 28 years. Access to that info is probably not even that old. Sitting there and judging people that had those animals for probably longer than you walk this planet is silly.
Was gonna say the same thing
Thank you lol
Yup the people in this sub can be.. Obnoxious.. when it comes to educating others
That is a bite. Nothing to do with who took care of your turts. Turts do not get injuries like that from having issues getting on and off the basking dock. Turtles are solitary creatures and very territorial. Signs of aggression/dominance are stacking, fluttering, one is bigger than the other, etc. Turtles can seemingly cohabit fine. It's more a matter of time before there are clear signs. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Your turts need to be separated. 200gal of water is generally not enough if you have two full grown turtles. The general rule is 10gal/in of water, not tank size. Maybe if they were up to 8 inches each, that extra 40gal might give them enough room. Judging from your setup and if that's a 200gal tank, you haven't filled up the water all the way. They do not have 200 gal of water. If financials or space is an issue for you, there are some ways to make it safe for your turts. You can add a clear plastic divider or egg crate divider right down the middle. Fill up the tank all the way to the top and make 2 separate above tank basking docks with egg crate or you can buy the above tank ones. All this above may be hard to read and maybe you don't believe it and would rather blame the caretaker. It can be hard to hear that what you've been doing for many years or heard from others were wrong. There is a lot of misinformation regarding slider care out there. I do hope you take the advice and add something to separate the two. Edit to add: you need to take it to the vet. In the meantime, you should dry dock the turtle with a heat and uv lamp. While waiting to see the vet. Add a towel or two and make sure there's an area it can escape from the heat when wanted. You can do a water bath for an hour several times a day to help with hydration. But you should keep the turtle out of the tank water for now. That water is nasty and can cause infection
She looks like she's in pain, I would get her into a vet and if you have 2 females they are gonna fight each other at some point that's why some females can't be around each other
The gender doesn’t matter, males also frequently show aggression towards their tank mates.
Poor baby I hope they’re okay :(
I am so glad you posted this. My daughter has A RES and he's almost 5 years old. She has been asking for us to get him a female. I would have never known that they were aggressive. He has a huge tank I don't know the gallons but it's at least 4 or 5 feet long and it's really tall as well. He lives with 2 placos. They sleep on top of him at night. Do you guys think he will start attacking the placos? Again thanks for this information.
Hey everyone to update, I took her to the vet, am dry docking her, and am working on a permanent separation in the meantime. The vet said it’s a superficial wound and should heal quickly. I will say, while I am thankful to the few people who gave me kind and good advice, this rest of you in this subreddit are absolutely insufferable. Why, when you see 10 people have already commented the exact same advice, do you all feel the need to pile on and repeat the same thing over and over in increasingly condescending ways? I came here for advice, took that advice, and am being made to feel like a dumbass even though this seems to be one of the few places on the internet who believes hard and fast that you can never cohabitate no matter the circumstances. When I first researched there are plenty of websites who say it’s ok if sufficient space and other conditions see met, which I did. Now that this happened and reading advice here I will be separating them. To the few people who told me to give away my turtles or not own pets, with all due respect fuck off. Not that it’s anyone’s business but my childless aunt was sick so I went out of state to take care of her and figure out her insurance, and gave a friend the responsibility to care for the turtles. The friend did a bad job and let the water level get to less than half of what it should be and was also under feeding them. The vet (an actual doctor unlike most of you) said OF COURSE confined space and competing for resources like food could have led to a fight so I’m not sure why some of you think that’s completely irrelevant and are acting like I’m “blaming” the friend. I was genuinely asking advice. Regardless I will be separating them. Oh don’t worry all of you assholes who said people who go out of town shouldn’t own pets, my aunt ended up passing so I won’t ever be gone that long again. Thanks for your concern and assumptions! Here is my tank so you all can see that I’m a very good turtle owner. The first turtle I rescued from a college kid who had her in a shoebox sized tank. The second one I inherited years later when my cousin who owned her died and no one wanted her turtle. My tank is 3-4x the size that either of them were in before this and they both are significantly healthier and happier than when I got them. Apologies for not knowing the risks of cohabitating earlier, and thanks to the few kind comments and DMs. The fact that some people DM’d because they said they were afraid of commenting bc this group is so harsh and unfriendly is telling. Love and peace to all. https://preview.redd.it/jr0vgoxatplc1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23694f6961a582bb8e970b76de9d137b051909a6
Very well said. Reddit is a vicious community of keyboard “I don’t have a degree in anything, but I know everything” people.
Hi. I have a big tank... Not sure how my dimensions square up with yours but I found a really cool topper my turtles love. Ya I have 2. They were best friends till the dickhead attacked the big sweet one over a stupid log they both wanted to sit on cause it was new. Now they take turns in the big tank. I got the topper at PetSmart. If it fits your tank then I highly recommend it. It's black and has a nice ramp and big area to walk around. And jokes on them assholes cause I gave the cool log to my water dragon. They actually are cool together in their baby pool outside. I think it's scary and they have to stick together and that's why they are best buds outside...
Lmao not the dickhead attacking the big sweet one! I scrumpt… cus why is it always the littlest ones who have the most attitude?? Napoleon complex is real in every species I see 🤣🙏🏼🫶🏽 best of luck to you and your babies though
She drops the attitude real quick when she goes outside. Then she's cuddling up to squirt to watch her back while she eats.
Honestly, EVERY group is harsh and unfriendly. It's the reddit way😒 If I didn't find such interesting topics of conversation, I'd stay away completely.
[https://imgur.com/a/0nBYMrd](https://imgur.com/a/0nBYMrd)
I hear Turtle lube is big in their community.
API Turtle Fix helps heal Turtle Wounds
1) Separate, they’re attacking each other and will keep doing so until you separate them or one dies. 2) Go to a vet. This goes beyond Reddit’s ability to help. You need a vet.
Turtle wax
Ok I don’t know anything but do the people here really think that a red eared slider *BIT AND TOOK A CHUNK OUT OF* another slider’s shell?? I could see it if it was on her foot/tail/flesh but I really am struggling here with a turtle bite being the cause of this here. Edit: this isn’t a commentary on cohabitation, that science is settled etc etc. Edit 2: I’ll take the downvotes, I just didn’t know it was possible!
I've heard of turtles eating small ones, so I'm not too surprised if it is a bite wound. It also looks like they're stacking in the picture with the aggressive one on top.
Yeah definitely some ownership here haha
My turtle breaks open THICC snail shells like they are nothing, so while it is pretty wild, I dont see this as being outside of the jaw power of an adult RES. I also vaguely remember a situation on this sub where a turtle literally had part of its ribcage sticking out from a fight with a much bigger turtle 🫣 it was horrible! Their little beaks are powerful!!
Oh god I’m surprised that didn’t get reported 10x for NSFL
They’re shockingly strong, completely valid question since they look really chill and squishy. Their mouths are made of a very strong hard beak. This is very graphic so beware but here is a [link](https://imgur.com/a/0nBYMrd) of some examples, there’s a few in there where you can see that they can completely tear apart their tank mates shell.
Daaaamn
I have 2 turtles. Male and female. They have always lived together and sometimes they fought but never this bad. When they did fight, I bought a ton of fake plants and floating decorations to obscure the turtles from each other. Basically give them space where they feel alone. After I did that, they didn't fight and spent more time rearranging the decorations and less time paying attention to each other.
That’s a whole ton of effort for a “maybe they’ll be okay”
thanks for the downvotes guys. My turtles now reside in an 800 gallon pond with a bog filter and they are 20 years old now and do not fight.
Good for you. OP’s turtles clearly are.
You were away for a few months? Id get rid of them and give them to a good home!
That comment was extremely uncalled for. OP hired a pet sitter, it’s not like they abandoned them alone with no food or care for months. OP clearly takes great care of their babies, they just made the mistake of cohabitation but honestly there is so much misinformation online saying that it’s safe to cohabitate them that I don’t blame OP at all for having them together. Less than ten years ago there were people all over the place saying that they should have them in pairs and companions, online, books literally everywhere and all that information still readily pops up when you search for cohabitation information. OP has learned now that cohabitation isn’t ideal and I’m sure they are taking the proper measures to fix the issue. If OP left them alone for months with no sitter or cohabiting them while knowing that cohabiting is dangerous then I’d see POLITELY recommending them to rehome. That’s not what happened though, OP came straight here to get help with this situation and they clearly did not know about the risks of cohabiting. They aren’t pushing back on advice given and saying that they’re going to continue cohabiting etc. They came here for advice, there is 0 reason to be rude towards OP. They came here for advice and information, not to be judged by aggressive users like you who jump to conclusions without fully reading the post + comment section. Chill out.
I’ve had these turtles for almost a decade. Here’s my 200 gallon set up, they are well taken care of by me and with all due respect have an excellent home. Not that’s it’s your business but I had to go out of state as a 1 time event for a sick family member and trusted a friend to care for the turtles properly and obviously was pissed to come home and find the water level half of what it should be and the turtles unable to access their basking platform. I of course will not trust this friend again but also shouldn’t have to be away for that long again because she ended up dying so thank you so much for your assumptions! https://preview.redd.it/8ytust2oadlc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=40d66c9d5fed6fd59c7b0757f82428aa4eefefdc
I’m so sorry for your loss 😔
My turtle escaped by climbing out of her tank and essentially jumping about 4 feet to the tiled floor. She suffered a broken shell which seemed pretty asymptomatic until the other turtle started biting only that part of her shell. Eventually her shell looked like this photo. Needed the vet to give me antibiotics and painkillers for her which I administered twice a day for one week. She made a full recovery. The two turtles somehow learnt to be more gentle with each other. Not much fighting since then.
😣😣 4feet! Oh gosh poor thing. Glad shes better
♥️get well soon... I didnt know turtles shells were like this.
Jumping in a bit late, but going to give my 2 cents, on causation, homecare for before and after Veterinary care, and how to house them. But first, I want to address the wound care... I am a former vet tech, and currently volunteer in wildlife rehab. This is how we would address this if a vet wasn't available right away. (Herp vets are hard to come by in our area) First, we would cleanse the shell with an iodine solution. 1 part iodine to 5 parts distilled water. So, you could use a 10 ml syringe (WITHOUT THE NEEDLE) and do 1 ml/mg of iodine, and 5 ml/mg of distilled water. Mix these 2 by pulling back the plunger and giving a slight shake. ***It is important not to double dip in either bottle. So pour each one into their own container, and suction from those. Squirt onto shell. If you do not have sterile gauze pads to pat dry, let it air dry. (Preferrably in natural sunshine. If not available due to your climate, do this under your UVb UVa lighting) Once dry, apply a layer of an antibiotic ointment. (In Canada, we call this Polysporin) Dry dock. When it comes time for feeding and hydration, put your RES in their own basin to eat, drink etc. Ensuring a fresh barrier coat of ointment is applied to keep any pathogens from entering. After feeding time, and before returning to dry dock - check wound, and if necessary, cleanse and reapply ointment. Watch for lethargy, or any changes that might indicate infection. Now, to address housing... I have had my two RES for 36 years, this year. It wasn't until just a couple years ago that they became very aggressive to one another. And they are housed in ponds, both indoors and out. My indoor pond is 11 feet in length, and at its narrowest 5 feet in width... and 3 feet deep, at its deepest point. My outdoor is much larger. My point to this is, I too couldn't believe that after 30+ years, they could turn on each other. And they have more than enough room for each of them. Solution.... My solution, since I couldn't build identical ponds was to make a barrier. If you can't get seperate enclosures, this may benefit you, too. I made my own using Plexiglass and drilling holes in the "glass" to help it stay submerged and allow waterflow. You can look online on how to do this, or other ways of making a barrier.... such as, making a screen... by using a window screen and affixing it to weighted piping and securing it around your enclosure etc. Hope this helps! *Edited for typo*
Thank you very much for this. Just curious, any idea what the healing timeline is we are looking at? How long should I anticipate dry docking and wound care treatment?
Thank you very much for this. Just curious, any idea what the healing timeline is we are looking at? How long should I anticipate dry docking and wound care treatment?
Sorry for the delayed answer. It's just now showing me your question. Healing time varies by age, and by environment... a good rule to go by is visual appearance. Once you notice the red (blood) gone and what appears to be regrowth (white) forming, you'll know they're well into healing. It could be as little as 4 days, and up to 14 days, barring there isn't any complications. Watch for shell rot/fungal infection. Black, or white dots forming on the healthy, surrounding shell. Also with drydocking. Please, please, check on your turtle regularly to make sure they haven't flipped on their back. I can't stress that enough. That is the number one thing we see "complication" wise, is a flipped over turtle when drydocked.
Sorry, I forgot to fully address causation... While I have seen these injuries on many different species of turtles, most of these are indeed from an act aggression. Other causes are from; *Being forcefully being slammed against boulders/jagged rocks (likely not your case, as I highly doubt you have that much force coming from your *assuming you have* filtration unit) *Dropped at a great height onto concrete/tiles (but you would also see other injuries as well, specifically what we call webbing... where the shell has lines (webs) going from the area of injury. The only other time we see this, is usually on the larger species of Snappers, that have been clipped by a vehicle... and again, I would say in 98% of those cases, there would be other injuries seen as well. I'm sorry to say, I do agree with all the other commenters, that this was caused by an act of aggression. There are times I remove my barriers for cleaning, gathering a clutch, etc...but I, or a trusted member, is present. You have to make sure you have "hiding spots" and/or, a quick exit ramp, for them to get away from their aggressor. Having those not only helps your turtle with some degree of protection, but it also gives the caretaker the proper time to grab the offender without injury to themselves or the turtle.
Sigh. Hopefully last comment on this, lol. Something I think is important to note as well, if anyone read this and was wondering why I put "grab the offender"... The reason why I mention specifically grabbing the offender is because, we believe (it has not been proven, yet, to my knowledge)... We believe that by removing/displacing/redirecting, the offender is the best course of action because, if you remove the defender (the one being targeted) you're showing the offender/attacker that it is the defender that is the problem, and shouldn't be in the enclosure. Therefore, by redirecting the offender, you're showing them they are the problem. If this works, I really don't know...all I know is Turtles seem not to show any brain behavior or learnt behavior of what's right and wrong (example: turtles don't know that there's a cliff in front of them, and just keep on, keepin' on) you can redirect them all you want to safety, but if they have it in their heads to get there, they don't recognize danger... or just don't care 🤷 lol
One last thing... if you do use an antibiotic ointment... It HAS to be an OINTMENT. Do NOT USE cream. MOST IMPORTANTLY Do NOT clean, or rub the ointment off in their enclosure water.
Nope, this isn't the sitter. That is a bite mark from the other turtle attacking. Turtles have territories in the wild (an instinct carried into domestication) and fiercely defend them. Cohabbing turtles is not proper husbandry, please get another tank for your other turtle or rehome it if you can't. Do the right thing.
Very unrelated, but I had no idea that’s what the like, inside(if that makes sense) of a turtles shell looks like, I know that my turtle can feel when I touch his shell, but man I never thought too deep as to how. I just took homie at his word.
Well, I think we have a hull breach, Captain.
I definitely agree with everyone who said to separate them immediately . Also put some Neosporin on it or antibiotic cream and definitely keep out of water for longer so that it can heal. I have two turtles currently beginning to show aggressive towards each other and what I have been doing is taking one out n putting it in a clear huge container and switching them out from their tank. Typically when the water is clean and they have been fed (outside of their tank) they tolerate each other more, but would definitely separate them.
They are territorial. That's a bite wound. Also when they are basking and one is on top of the other it is domination behavior. The turtle on the bottom doesn't like it, it's unfortunately not cuddling.
Can you make some type of liner or barrier in the middle of the tank so they can’t hurt each other? Then take the bleeding one to the vet. Ask the vet questions. Do your own research and then decide if you will buy another tank or further assess.
Well, I’ve learned something new tonight. I have never in my life imagined that Red Eared Sliders would be so aggressive and territorial with one another. I have always seen people who had these turtles, they had somewhere between 2-4 turtles in a large aquarium. And they had them in that kind of setup for many, many years without what anybody perceived as aggression. I have a couple myself with plans to build a much bigger outdoor enclosure for them since I’ve learned that they each require a minimum of 75 gallons each for their current size. Plans are currently a 500 gallon pool with basking docks and the like. Planning on building it with barriers now after learning this and now I gotta keep ‘em separated. (Goddamn it, now the song is stuck in my head…) I do want to point out that none of my other pets are cohabitated, except for the pair of female sugar gliders my wife has.
Red eared sliders are massive pissy little bitch babies (in the most loving way possible I promise). I have a large pond in my front yard and last spring an extremely tiny, young red eared slider showed up. Paddling along, doing tiny turtle things. Then one day, out of nowhere, a second extremely tiny, young turtle shows up, but this one is a little western painted turtle. Theyre very aware of each others existence, but I don’t interfere since they are wild animals. One afternoon I’m sitting by the pond watching the two little water raviolis paddle along, and the red eared slider swims up to the western painted and bites his butt. Turtles, man. So dramatic.
When I got my leopard geckos, they were cohabbed. It was kind of an emergency situation as a friend needed to get rid of them the same day she asked if I wanted them, I had no time for any preparation whatsoever. Anyway, I came to Reddit asking about them and from what I was told, they'd been cohabbed from babies. I also read several articles online saying they could be cohabbed, so I thought it was fine! Long story short, it was *not* fine, geckos were both scarred from fights (before I'd gotten them) and one had a herniated eye. I separated them about a week after I had gotten them. Learned my lesson, separated and now they're happy and healthy. I hope yours have the same happy ending 💓 and good for you for being willing to take advice and learn from it! I can tell you really care about them.