Turtles may not be as agile as a monkey, yet they tend to fight against each other too. With that being said, I bet you have wondered about the reasons behind a fight between your pet turtles. I have previously wondered the same too.
Based on my experience and doing some research online, there are a few common reasons behind a turtles’ fight.
Most of the time, turtles tend to fight to assert dominance towards other turtles. On top of that, they may also end up in fights when they’re interested in a mate or when their daily necessities aren’t sufficient. However, you can easily prevent your turtles from fighting if you just give them what they need.
You shouldn’t be too worried though, it’s rather normal for turtles to be involved in fights as long as serious injuries do not take place. However, it’d be beneficial for you to have a deeper understanding of why turtles happen to be in fights.
Reasons for Your Pet Turtles to Fight
Turtles may fight because of several reasons. Let me share with you some of the most common reasons behind turtles’ fighting.
The Turtles Are Asserting Dominance
As reptiles, turtles aren’t social animals. They tend to value their personal space a lot. Thus, they often do not like it when they’re placed in a tank or enclosure together with other turtles.
When more than one turtle is forced to live in the same tank or enclosure, they’d likely develop territorial behaviors. With that being said, the turtles would begin to show aggression towards each other to assert dominance which would eventually lead to fights.
You shouldn’t blame your pet turtles though. As solitary animals, it’s completely normal for your pet turtles to do so. They’re merely acting by their feral instinct.
However, if any of your turtles happen to be injured, consult your local vet immediately before serious infections occur.
The Turtles Are Fighting Over Mates
Turtles do have their sexual needs too. When more than one male turtle is placed into the same tank or enclosure along with other female turtles, fights will take place.
This would definitely occur if male turtles are the majority in the tank or enclosure. Sounds pretty familiar, huh? Isn’t this similar to movie scenes where two main actors would fight over the main actress? Well, it’s pretty much the same when it comes to turtles too.
The Turtles Are Rejecting to Mate
Just like any other species of animal in the world, mating is part of a turtle’s life. With that being said, male turtles would eventually develop a strong urge to mate when they grow up.
They would then approach female turtles that are in the same tank or enclosure for mating purposes. However, female turtles may not be happy when male turtles come to approach to mate.
Female turtles would firstly reject the offer by walking away when they’re not in the mood to mate but male turtles can be rather aggressive. They wouldn’t give up easily. Thus, they would often try to force themselves on the female turtles.
This often leads the female turtle to bite the male as an obvious sign of rejection. The male turtle would be frustrated and would continue to develop more aggressive behaviors towards the female.
Because of that, a fight would likely occur between them. I guess… male turtles didn’t really pick the sign as a definite no, huh?
The Turtles Are Competing for Necessities
As mentioned above, turtles are typically solitary animals. They don’t like it when they have to share their daily necessities with other turtles, especially when it’s already insufficient.
Thus, turtles are known to fight with other turtles to compete for their daily necessities such as food, space, and basking area. Don’t judge them yet… aren’t we humans just the same?
We would also do anything that we could just to survive right? It’s the same thing when it comes to turtles. They’re merely trying to survive too!
What Happens If Your Pet Turtles End Up In Fights?
Frequent disagreements may occur between your pet turtles. The situation would most probably deteriorate over time.
The dominant turtle would eventually be more and more aggressive towards the less dominant turtle if you do not take necessary actions in time.
With that being said, the dominant turtle would cause serious injuries to the less dominant turtle. In extreme cases, death might even take place.
You don’t want this to happen… right? So, pay extra attention to your pet turtles. Separate them immediately once one of your turtles has started to develop aggressive behaviors towards the other. If your pet turtle is already injured, remember to rush it to the local vet immediately.
How to Reduce The Chances of Your Turtles Fighting?
Chances are your pet turtles might be doing well together now. However, the harmony between them may not last forever. So, what can you do to reduce the chances of them fighting against each other?
Let me share with you a few tips on how you could help reduce the possibility of them being involved in fights.
Maintain a Good Ratio of Male to Female Turtles
If you’d like to have multiple pet turtles of both genders, always maintain a good ratio of male to female turtles. Remember to always keep female turtles as the majority.
With that being said, if there are two male turtles in the same tank, you should add in another four female turtles. This helps to prevent fighting among male turtles as they tend to fight over mates.
Utilize Visual Barriers
A more aggressive turtle may be annoyed with the presence of another turtle. Eventually, it will start to chase the other turtle away. The best way to avoid this would be by adding visual barriers such as rocks and plants into their tanks.
These visual barriers would act as a good hiding place for the less aggressive ones. Aye, you can’t be annoyed over something you don’t see!
Having a Larger or Separated Basking Area
Basking is essential to turtles as it aids in their growth. Thus, providing a basking area for your turtles is a must. However, you should always ensure that the basking area is big enough to accommodate all of your pet turtles.
You could try to install separated basking lamps so there will be more than one basking area in the tank. This prevents your pet turtles from competing over the same basking area.
Ensure That the Water Quality is Good
The water quality in the tank would highly affect your pet turtles’ health biologically and psychologically. Having said that, dirty water would definitely cause stress to your turtles.
Just like us, turtles would eventually be more aggressive towards one another when they’re stressed out. Therefore, you should always ensure that the water quality in the tank is good.
Here is a tip for you to keep the water in the tank clean. Try installing a suitable water filter in the tank and change the water frequently. Your pet turtles would be more than happy to live in clean waters.
Supply Enough Food
A starving turtle would definitely not be in a good mood. With that being said, a grumpy turtle would probably end up fighting the other turtles for food.
So, the best way to avoid this would be by supplying your pet turtles with sufficient food. Don’t be surprised to see any of your pet turtles competing for food if you do not supply them with enough in the first place.
Consider Different Pairings
You might have already been doing everything correctly. However, some turtles would never be fine with another turtle. If this happens, there’s nothing else you could do.
Instead, you’d just have to accept that some pairings may not work even with time. They would always end up in fights. If that’s the case, don’t force any further interactions among your pet turtles. As solitary animals, it’s pretty normal for this to happen.
However, you could always try pairing your turtles up with different turtles and see how they get along. Just remember to be ready to separate them when necessary if you’re doing so.
Conclusion
Turtles fight for several reasons. The reasons can range from asserting dominance to simply fighting for daily necessities such as food.
If you don’t separate your pet turtles when one of them starts being aggressive towards the other, the less dominant one might be seriously injured. When this happens, bring your injured turtle to the vet immediately.
It’s completely normal for your pet turtles to fight against one another. Just remember to take necessary actions in time and separate them when one of your pet turtles starts to demonstrate aggressive behaviors towards the other. Better safe than sorry!
