I have 2 red eared sliders (RES) for about 2 months now and in that time 1 of them have nearly doubled his/her size while the other won;t grow. Is there something wrong with it? Also when my turtles meet face to face in the water they look at each other then put their hands by their heads, move their heads closer (as if they were about to kiss), then go about their business. Is this odd or is this just the way RES behave???
2006-08-11 14:57:26 · 9 answers · asked by ahmcnab 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Normal... Sounds like a dominance thing. Watch out for aggression, and if one is growing and not the other, make sure both are getting enough food... And if the size difference gets too extreme it'd be best to separate them.
2006-08-11 15:08:47 · answer #1 · answered by snake_girl85 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The stroking is a courtship behavior. Don't worry about it.
The size issue is more troubling. The main possibilities are:
1. Male RES are always smaller than females, but it should not be a big difference if still pretty young.
2. Too small of a tank will stress turtles, and the dominant one will grow while the lesser one will not. It is recommended that there be AT LEAST 10 gallons of swimming water per inch of turtle. In part, this much space helps reduce stress and encourages proper growth.
3. Diet can impact size. A mediocre diet does not support growth, and a dominant turtle will hog the food.
It is really common for people ot have mistaken ideas about how to raise RES, but this site has a lot of good ideas for you to review:
2006-08-12 21:10:14 · answer #2 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is normal. But don't count on the smaller one growin. Its not sick and will live a full length life, but it might not grow. It is possible for turtles to exibit dwarfisms and be "midgets" I had a bunch of red eared sliders and one never grew it stayed tiny while all my other turtles grew.
2006-08-12 16:41:16 · answer #3 · answered by Han Solo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i had two. when i got them they were both the same size about as big around as a coke can. we i gave them away they were as big as around as a dinner plate but one was alway just a little smaller as they grew. but yes they used to act like this and they would make this croaking sound too.
2006-08-11 22:08:39 · answer #4 · answered by Go! 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's a mating thing. These people know nothing about turtles.
2006-08-11 22:55:17 · answer #5 · answered by elbowsmash5 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
females are always larger than males (sometimes twice as big)
when they are courting the male usually swims up to the female
puts his hands together and shakes his toenails (males have longer toenails than females)
2006-08-12 05:47:32 · answer #6 · answered by Loollea 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
i think it's normal. i had the same kind of turtles. Ya of course it's normall.
2006-08-11 22:03:52 · answer #7 · answered by Larisa 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
this is normal turtle behavior....The smaller one will catch up and probably surpass the other one.
2006-08-11 22:06:23 · answer #8 · answered by curious_john 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it's normal. maybe one is male and the other is female.I have the same situation
2006-08-14 01:44:19 · answer #9 · answered by Cf Precious 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋