A lot of people are interested in keeping baby and adult turtles together.
As well as the obvious fact that they make a great pet, there is also a scientific reason for this.
Many species of turtle can lay their eggs in water bodies where hatchlings may struggle to survive without protection from predators and parasites.
Having another older turtle around as a companion can help protect these new hatchling through its experience.
This is not always practical however, especially when one or both turtles are very young.
In order to know whether you should introduce your turtles to each other before allowing them to interact you need to consider how they would react if they were introduced into each others’ territory.
If they don’t get on at all then obviously it isn’t going to work out, but what about if they do get along just fine?
If they do then happy days, you can keep them together
It’s important to remember to introduce them to each other gradually
Can you keep a baby turtle with an adult turtle?
These days many different kinds of freshwater turtles can be kept in captivity including some which are quite large.
They tend to be more tolerant than most reptiles and amphibians, so there is no reason why babies shouldn’t be able to live alongside adults.
However, it is important to remember that even though turtles are generally peaceful creatures, they still possess defensive instincts and should not be provoked.
It is best to supervise any interaction between turtles who might come across each other by using a suitable pond cover.
If you decide to try introducing your turtles to each other it is advisable to wait until they are old enough to handle meeting strangers.
Baby turtles will often hide under objects to avoid coming into contact with anything dangerous or unfamiliar.
Adult turtles are less likely to feel threatened by approaching something unknown, but it is still a good idea to keep them away from each other while they are learning to trust others.
Once they are comfortable with being approached by humans they will soon learn that other animals aren’t trying to harm them either!
Younger turtles can sometimes be aggressive towards larger ones.
Turtles are naturally territorial and therefore may become protective of their own space or food sources.
If you have several turtles living together in the same area and one starts to show signs of aggression towards another, you must take immediate action to prevent injury.
The turtles involved in the conflict should be separated immediately and placed in separate enclosures.
Most turtles won’t normally attack another unless severely injured themselves or scared by approaching danger.
Even then, turtle bites are rarely serious and usually only require anti-inflammatory medication to relieve pain.
As long as you follow the rules above (and watch over interactions), turtles should be safe to coexist with each other.
Do turtles eat small turtles?
No, turtles actually prefer to dine on dead fish and worms rather than live prey like smaller turtles.
Although they are carnivores, they mainly feed on invertebrates such as earthworms and leeches.
But the problem is with hatchlings
Some species of turtles do eat small mammals such as frogs, snakes, fish and even other smaller turtles
So it depends which turtle you have
Ideally, it’s best to wait till your baby turtle has grown up and then slowly introducing your turtles to each other and see how they respond with each other
What can live with baby turtles?
It’s best to keep baby turtles alone and not with any other aquatic animal
Baby turtles are vulnerable and you don’t want anything happening to them
If you have older turtles then wait for these baby turtles to grow up and then you can put them together
Can you have two turtles together?
Yes that should not be a problem
Turtles can share a tank and live together
But there are things you need to consider
For example you should make sure the species are the same so they can live peacefully together
You should make sure they are the same age and size
You see if you have one big turtle that is big in size and another turtle that is not too big in size
Chances are the small turtle can get bullied
Another factor to consider is the gender
Two male turtles in the same tank can lead to fights because they are more territotial and fight for dominance
Whereas two female turtles are less likely to fight
On the other hand, if you have a female and a male there’s a possibility of mating which means more turtles
I think that should be left for professional breeders!
