Help with Aquatic turtles?

Question

I have 2 male sliders, and I know they have long nails because they are male, but should I cut their nails? They are probably 1/2 an inch long (the nails). They dont seem to wear down much on their own. Also if I should cut them can I do it myself or should I take them to a vet?

Do you think 2 males can live happily together, they are adult and often do the tickling face thing, obviously they want a female, any thoughts on this?

Answer 1

No, leave their nails alone.  There is no reason to cut them.  Unless you have a very, very large tank, I would not even think about getting a female to add to the tank.  While I have a male and a female, my sister has 2 males in her tank, and they get along just fine.

Answer 2

OH don't cut the nails..they are used in caressing the females face. Yes they can live together..as long as you have plenty of food and room to swim.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29035692@N0...

The bigger the environment the bigger the healthier the turtle. Remember 10 gallons for every inch of turtle. I have used kiddy pools and plastic pond liners from most nurseries and worked great.

Did you know that they need to bask under a reptile light UVA/UVB for 8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D that they need to grow. So that means getting a turtle dock also.

Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always.

Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they p**p allot.

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max. Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer front nails and are used in mating. And are considered mature at about 5 yrs old. You can’t start sexing till about  3” across.

You need a good filter system! Gravel larger than they can swallow.

You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium daily drop 20 or so in the tanks and watch them disappear in a few days!

This way when they swim for their dinner they get exercise also!

They sleep at the bottom of rivers, streams. lakes or ponds or your tank to avoid predators like coyotes,  foxes, owls, hawks, possums, raccoons and even some wide mouth bass.

TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

They can have garden worms, meal worms, crickets, flies, crayfish small frogs, dragon flies and  anything that moves only as a treat.

They need leafy greens Romaine, Butter lettuce. (Iceberg and cabbage are bad for them, any other leafy greens will do) for vitamin A that they need at least 3 to 4 times a week.

You probably already know that they get sick easily, shell rot, respiratory sickness, lopsided swimming, coughing, blowing bubbles from their nose.

**Swollen cloudy eyes means lacking in Vitamin A. Which we all need for good eyes. Google ‘vegetables with Vitamin A.

Contact the “www.anapsid.org/societies, for a turtle vet /  rescue in your city and state.

I wish you luck.

Answer 3

Don't cut their nails at all. How would you like it if someone cut off your own secondary sexual characteristics? Besides, there is no need to do so.

They do not necessarily want a female; the face-stroking bit is also used to stake a claim of dominance, especially when done to another male. Think of them the way you think of the boys in your school and you won't be too far off. Oh, wait, that would mean that they want a female; they just wouldn't know what to do with her.