*adults only* (GIGGLE)

pushylady

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You made a sex tape!!!
I think there's baby turtles in your near future...
 

janine&lily

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LOL Thats the funniest thing iv seen all week. Thanx for cheering me up!
 

bab-ush-niik

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I don't think they actually did anything there. Trust me, you would have known. He'll make all the guys here very jealous.
It's rather large.

He might have been just climbing up for basking. Do you actually have a male and a female? I couldn't see their front feet to tell. Given that the other turtle was pretty chill, I think that they were just basking. There was also no mating dance. And a female will frequently attack a male admirer. I think you've just got two buddies, and one wanted to stack for a better sunning position.

If you do get any eggs, please destroy any eggs, regardless of whether they were fertilized (turtles are like chickens, they'll lay regardless). There is a very serious turtle overpopulation problem, even worse than with cats and dogs. RES are extremely invasive and are destroying habitats. Pet RES are usually kept under terrible conditions due to pet stores (like Petco and Petsmart) giving completely wrong advise.

Also, if you have a female, keep an eye on her. If she needs to lay and can't find a place to dig in the dirt and make a nest, she'll become eggbound and die.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by bab-ush-niik

Also, if you have a female, keep an eye on her. If she needs to lay and can't find a place to dig in the dirt and make a nest, she'll become eggbound and die.
Exactly.
Read up on gravid turtle/breeding turtles so that you're prepared for future eggs.

How old are the turtles? RES and many other aquatic turtles reach sexual maturity around 4-6 years old.
I'm going to guess by size that they're only 2-3 years old (unless growth has been stunted). As for being 'buddies', turtles and other reptiles do not have friends, buddies, or companions. They have competition and potential mates. So what you're seeing could very well be aggression, with the mounting turtle attempting to bite the other turtle's head. Left alone the bullied turtle may stop eating or even end up injured.

There's only two solutions for this, separate them or provide them with a very large enclosure that allows them to both have separate basking spots and plenty of room to avoid each other if need be.


Also the video is rather dark. Do the turtles have proper UVB lighting? Without it they can get very sick. (If you turned the lights off for the night or to keep the glare out of the video, forgive me jumping to conclusions.)
 
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tink80

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

Exactly.
Read up on gravid turtle/breeding turtles so that you're prepared for future eggs.

How old are the turtles? RES and many other aquatic turtles reach sexual maturity around 4-6 years old.
I'm going to guess by size that they're only 2-3 years old (unless growth has been stunted). As for being 'buddies', turtles and other reptiles do not have friends, buddies, or companions. They have competition and potential mates. So what you're seeing could very well be aggression, with the mounting turtle attempting to bite the other turtle's head. Left alone the bullied turtle may stop eating or even end up injured.

There's only two solutions for this, separate them or provide them with a very large enclosure that allows them to both have separate basking spots and plenty of room to avoid each other if need be.


Also the video is rather dark. Do the turtles have proper UVB lighting? Without it they can get very sick. (If you turned the lights off for the night or to keep the glare out of the video, forgive me jumping to conclusions.)
Trust me, I'm home all day watching them...there's no aggression. I didn't show how they do the "mating dance" but they do do it. The camera is low quality which is why it is dark, plus it was the middle of the night and only one of their lights was on. They have a 150 gallon tank that they love. We rescued them from my aunt who didn't have a clue what to do with them resulting in their growth being severely stunted. They love each other and spend lots of time "kissing" and doing the arm wavey thing...LOL. Trust me, our turtles are fine..when me and my bf rescue animals we do our research about maintaining a good environment as close to the natural thing as possible. We would not be that irresponsible.
 
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tink80

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Originally Posted by bab-ush-niik

I don't think they actually did anything there. Trust me, you would have known. He'll make all the guys here very jealous.
It's rather large.

He might have been just climbing up for basking. Do you actually have a male and a female? I couldn't see their front feet to tell. Given that the other turtle was pretty chill, I think that they were just basking. There was also no mating dance. And a female will frequently attack a male admirer. I think you've just got two buddies, and one wanted to stack for a better sunning position.

If you do get any eggs, please destroy any eggs, regardless of whether they were fertilized (turtles are like chickens, they'll lay regardless). There is a very serious turtle overpopulation problem, even worse than with cats and dogs. RES are extremely invasive and are destroying habitats. Pet RES are usually kept under terrible conditions due to pet stores (like Petco and Petsmart) giving completely wrong advise.

Also, if you have a female, keep an eye on her. If she needs to lay and can't find a place to dig in the dirt and make a nest, she'll become eggbound and die.
Yeah, I didn't think they were doing it either but I just thought it would be an entertaining video. The male also has been uhm...I guess you could say "smelling her butt" (LOL) underwater. They do do the mating dance, I just didn't capture it on that few minutes. I wasn't trying to make a documentary. We would never give hatchlings to a pet store as I know about the horrors that lie there for turtles and I sure as heck wouldn't send them loose in the wild to dive into the city's sewer system. The female also has plenty of places to dig and I am home all day on disability and would know if something was up. Yes, I am someone who actually does my research.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Tink80

Yes, I am someone who actually does my research.
Sorry I bugged you a bit.
I'm the turtle person on another reptile forum too. Lately I've had to deal with the "oh, no. my turtle laid eggs" posts. All too often, even on a reptile forum, if the posters are lost on what to do about eggs they're missing a few important parts of turtle care elsewhere. So many always forget that turtles need uvb and supplements.
 
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tink80

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Yes, I will agree with you there. Many owners of turtles really don't take the time to research on their own. I love reptiles and amphibians too and learned early on to never trust a large pet store chain's employees about proper care. Usually people come home and then find out everything they were told was wrong...which is why I don't buy from pet stores anymore unless they specialize in reptiles and amphibians only and I can tell they are being treated properly. My aunt is not very educated on such things and bought the turtles in the vid from such type store. The poor things when we got them from her were in a tiny 10 gallon tank that was filled with SAND...no water!!!!! only a small "water dish" you might put out for a lizard...the poor things had little pellets she bought that are better for other species put out that they didn't even touch and they were so severely small I don't even know how they legally sold them to her...GRRRRRR!!!!! When we put them in a proper environment they took awhile to get the hang of swimming..they had the instinct but were so mistreated they were kinda clumsy and not good at going to the surface for air...it was heartbreaking. If you walk into any generic pet store, it is sad to see how they are treated and you are usually told by some 16 year old some lies to just make a sale. We have a 300 gallon cichlid fish tank and were at Petsmart to pick up some dog food and noticed the literature they provide (a small, wimpy packet) on cichlids was also incorrect on many levels. Good thing me and my bf are avid animal lovers and know what to look for. I'm curious as to what reptiles you own and if you have any pics? I LOVE frogs, and had some bearded dragons, toads, etc...and my bf had a wicked snake but it got so big it was dangerous to keep it with the dogs so he gave it to the zoo.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Tink80

I love reptiles and amphibians too and learned early on to never trust a large pet store chain's employees about proper care. Usually people come home and then find out everything they were told was wrong...which is why I don't buy from pet stores anymore unless they specialize in reptiles and amphibians only and I can tell they are being treated properly.
I've seen horrible treatment in several stores. From small stuff like improper food or food sizes for reptiles, dangerous substrate, to extremely overgrown claws and beak on a canary with a sore because of it. Often most people walking in do not know what care reptiles, birds, and even fish need, so they can not spot this and report these stores. Or as in the case in many states, there's no laws to protect these animals.

For petsmart and petco, one can ask for the manager and point out the problems then ask for the store number/district and other store info and report them by phone or email to the main corporate. Eventually, enough of these reports will make a change but it will take more than just a few reptile people to do so.
And as for their supposed "vet care" it doesn't really cover exotics or costs that will exceed that of the animal by certain amount.

Originally Posted by Tink80

... they were so severely small I don't even know how they legally sold them to her...GRRRRRR!!!!!
Selling undersized turtles (under 4") in the US is illegal, and probably one of the few things that would be checked on if reported to the state fish and game. However the store can just stick a sign on the tank saying "for educational sale only"


Originally Posted by Tink80

If you walk into any generic pet store, it is sad to see how they are treated and you are usually told by some 16 year old some lies to just make a sale.
Employees don't know any better
to them it's just a job, and a minimum wage one at that. It's up to the stores to provide training. And well, training takes time and money.


Originally Posted by Tink80

I'm curious as to what reptiles you own and if you have any pics? I LOVE frogs, and had some bearded dragons, toads, etc...and my bf had a wicked snake but it got so big it was dangerous to keep it with the dogs so he gave it to the zoo.
I have 9 ornate box turtles, 5 golden geckos, and 3 leopard geckos.
Pictures of some of them are in the pet pics.
What type of snake was it he had?

I've always loved herps of all kinds.
While I've never kept any frogs or toads as pets, when I was a kid I would collect tadpoles from large puddles/pools in a nearby field. Since the pools would dry up quickly I liked to help as many of them I could to change successfully into frogs and toads.
 
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tink80

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OMG!!! I STILL do that with the tadpoles. I go back in the yard and they are in these puddles that are drying up. I got a big tank last year and made a sign saying "Tadpole Rescue"...hehehe..this year I didn't find them in the same spot. We have a koi pond in the backyard and there is one raised area of it seperated from the fish that is a smaller pond (mainly for the aesthetic reason of it being a waterfall). Well, my bf was going to turn it on for the first time since it's gotten hot and he called me out quickly..My babies that I rescued and set free last year must have come back and laid many eggs in this area (well, I like to tell myself I had something to do with it after all that effort..LOL)...there are HUNDREDS of tadpoles swimming in that area now so we are opting to not turn the waterfall on this summer and set these little guys free to be koi food :-)
 

strange_wings

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Toads, frogs, and their tadpoles are nature's pest control. I want to help out anything that eats mosquitoes.
 
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tink80

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ooo i definitely agree! and PLUS...they are CUTE!!!!
 
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