Mud turtle ?? keeps following my other mud around

[emery22]

Hi, i have recently got some turtles 4 in total 2 are yellow bellied sliders (i think) and the other 2 are mud turtles from what i have researched online they are the closest i have found to what mine look like. The reason i dont know what species they are is because i rescued them from this woman who didn't want them anymore where they were living in a bucket, so bought all the stuff im still a novice although i have read a lot about them.
Here is the tank that i am currently keeping them in :


The turtles are all quite small so i wasnt sure if the tank was too small.

The main problem is the two mud turtles keep following each other around - the turtles with the more domed shell follows the other one around a lot more and sometimes i have seen him/her bite the other turtle.i have also noticed that they both look like they are smelling each others bum areas and also the smaller turtle runs away from the other turtle, but i have seen the smaller turtle sniff at the other one. the thing is they dont bother the other sliders i have and im not sure if they are trying to mate or if its a dominance thing because surely if it was a dominance thing they would do it to the other sliders? was hoping to get some advice on here, i will show you the turtles:

bigger turtle:




smaller turtle:




Hope this helps any help would be appreciated!

Thanks

 

[Jacqui]

Could we see the tails? My first guess is the two muds are exhibiting sexual behaviors.

 

[wellington]

I don't know a lot about turtles. I have only had res, snapping, and map. However, the tank is to small for all of them and you should only keep the same species together. That may also solve your bullying. Good luck, Great Save on the turtles, and WELCOME

 

[emery22]

Could we see the tails? My first guess is the two muds are exhibiting sexual behaviors.

I have just looked at their tails and they seem to be the same size and there is a hole mid-way on both of them, not sure if this helps.

 

[cdmay]

Those are both common musk turtles, Sternotherus odoratus. They are great and easy to care for aquatic turtles that do not grow to be very large. In fact, from judging their size based on your hand, I would say they are young adults and will not get too much larger.
The yellow bellied sliders are very different and will get much larger and will require a lot more room.
The musk turtles are OK for now in that tank but will need more room down the road if you can provide it.

The behavior you described could be mating, aggression or just plain curiosity. Sometimes mating behavior involves biting but if you see some real bullying you will need to separate them. Two males will fight in a confined space so you will need to find out what you have.
If you could provide photos of their plastrons (bottom shells) and tails that would help.