Two Red Eared Sliders and one is growing faster than the other!?

Question

I bought two red eared sliders and one is growing faster than the other. The little one is half the size as the other one and both were the same size when I bought them. Both are very healthy and the little one eats more than the bigger one. I feed them in a separate tank and I put the little one in to feed a couple minutes before the other, so that he is getting enough food. The little one will even fight for food and he usually wins! :) I bought them less than two inches long so they are not old enough for me to tell their sex. Is it normal for one turtle to grow at such a rapid rate compared to the other?

Answer 1

I would say that the larger is a female and the smaller is a male. Even at around two inches, the males claws should be noticeably, (if not obviously) longer than a larger female of the same age. Many species of male sliders tickle the females around the chin and neck during courtship. I have seen this with small captive sliders many times. I once saw a wild male RES with about a three inch carapace (upper shell) court a female with about a six inch carapace.

Answer 2

often when turtles (and other animals) are put together, one will dominate and therefore eat more food than the other/s.
this is normal behavious that happens in the wild too...the strongest get the food...often leading to some starving to death...but of course in captivity, we have the power to stop some animals from starving, somtimes its as simple as separating at feeding time, or if aggression is being shown separate into two tanks for the majority of the time..
when young, it isnt usually aggression that drives one to eat more, but simply the instincts...if a turtle sees food itll go for it, and some are simply more outgoing or somtimes faster, so they get more food...more food=faster growing rate...most reptiles can actually slow down the starvation by stunting their own growth, so by eating less the turtle is just growing slower...if it gets more food it should catch up..so there isnt too much of a problem here unless you notice the turtle becoming unhealthily thing...which can be hard to tell with the shell and all...if you are concerned, i suggest separating at din din time lol good luck...h it is also possible that they are different sex, and one is smaller than the other, although half the size is quite a difference so some of it is likely to be to do with food amount.

Answer 3

If they are fighting over food, I suggest seapparating them into different containers durring meal time to ensure that they are both getting equal ammounts of food. Just like children, turtles grow at different rates than others. One of yours is just the tall kid in class =) There is nothing to worry about, but if your smallest one starts showing signs of illness; latargy, not eating, sleeping at the bottom a lot, not basking, soft shell etc. then take it to the vet ASAP. But just feed them in sepparate containers and you should be fine =)

Answer 4

He may have parasites--have a reptile vet check. Also, females grow larger than males, so you may have a pair. Make sure all your conditions are correct--can the little one get out and bask ok?
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

Answer 5

its perfectly normal. Like us human, some of us mature faster, some of us grow taller faster... .. Larger is female,smaller is male.
Don't worry about it.