Hi I have some baby red ear sliders and was wondering if they could be put in a large tank with other red ear sliders or if they need to be in a small tank with only a little water to start? they seem to be fine right now they can get on the basking log and are getting along great with my other turtles but I am not sure if at this young age they need more readily access to air and basking
2007-01-21 15:12:28 · 4 answers · asked by susan 3 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
You could go either way with this.
If you have the space, you can mix them in- but you would need a nice big tank or outdoor pond with varied water levels, plenty of cover and room to hide, lots of basking options, etc.
If you cannot offer this, they should be seperated roughly by size. most keepers run hatchlings in one tank, young turtles (about 3-4 or 5") in another, then adults in the last.
It is not that they need lots of different cares- babies are pretty good swimmers, but bigger turtles will steal food, be aggressive, etc.
By the way- the babies still need the basic '10 gallons of water per inch of turtle' guidelines.
2007-01-22 04:59:26 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They should be fine with your other turtles. But they definately need access to a nice basking surface. You may want to consider feeding them in a separate tank than the larger turtles. (Just so they do not lose out when competing for food). Its a good idea anyway, to feed all the turtles in a tank thats separate from the one they live in because it keeps the main tank cleaner, longer.
2007-01-22 12:39:32 · answer #2 · answered by zaytox0724 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For food competition reasons I would recommend that younger turtles be kept separate from adults.
With adult turtles there is more food aggression as well as sexual aggression that is being displayed and you end up with a higher possibility that a younger turtle will be hurt. Things may look fine now, but it might not stay that way.
2007-01-22 11:43:41 · answer #3 · answered by Celok 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I wouldnt put them in with larger red ear sliders. Keep them with their own size, or they will be picked on. Make sure the babies have enough water to swim in, and also a place to be able to walk out of the water. (not something to have to climb up onto, until they are stronger)
2007-01-21 23:23:46 · answer #4 · answered by enyates2002 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋