Teenage Turtle Tumult!

Hey folks! As promised, I am going to post some turtle pics. In my introductory post I mentioned that all three of my turtles are rescues- & I have had them for fourteen years. I am a major animal lover, and in addition to the dogs and cats I have loved over the years, I have always had turtles. I don’t profess to be a turtle expert by any stretch, but I have gradually acquired information about them over time. Years ago I joined the Museum of Natural History’s Turtle and Tortoise Society in NYC, and had the opportunity to network with other turtle owners as well as experts in the field. More recently, I had occasion to contact the Southampton Turtle Rescue organization with questions regarding one of my turtle’s suddenly aggressive behavior. The experts with whom I consulted at the Southampton rescue organization offered the following explanation for the tumult that was erupting in my 90 gallon tank: this turtle (after 14 years of living peacefully with a female red-ear slider & a male diamondback terrapin), had reached puberty! Apparently, he began competing with the diamondback for the female’s attention, and he became very aggressive toward the diamondback. I learned that the red-ear sliders are inherently more aggressive than the diamondbacks, and if not separated, the slider would kill the diamondback. I was instructed to remove him from the tank in order to prevent him from hurting the diamondback. He now resides alone in his own 50 Fallon tank. Although I felt sorry to isolate him, I’ve been told by experts in the field that turtles are content with solitude. I did explore the option of releasing my turtles back into nature, but was told they would not survive after spending their whole lives in captivity. Below is a pic of my challenging teenage turtle!