Which turtle makes a better community turtle?

[SoftshellSean]

Hello my name is SoftshellSean some things to know about me are I am a reptile hobbyist so far my collection mostly consists of amphibians like frogs,toads and salamanders I may not have turtles now but I used help take care of them at my cousins house he had red ear sliders and african sidenecked turtles together in a pretty large aquarium it was between 300-400 gallons with custom filtration he sold the turtles though a while back to someone with a large turtle pond so they are happy now. Also I used to help clean out the aquarium and feed the turtles so I do have some experience. So what turtle do you think would make a better community turtle to keep with red ear sliders and african side necked turtles in general the pink side neck turtle/emydura subglobosa or the new guinea snapping turtle/elseya novaeguineae which one would be a better choice and how aggressive are each one on a scale of 1 to 10?

 

[SoftshellSean]

Anyone?

 

[Tom]

This is mostly a tortoise forum. Most of us have limited turtle experience. You will probably need to go to the "Turtles" sub forum, read a bit to decide who the most knowledgable people there are and then send a private message to them. Or do a forum post and use the @ symbol in front of their user name to bring your question to their attention.

Wish I could be more help.

Ask me anything you want to know about sulcatas, leopards, russians, pancakes, stars, desert tortoises...

 

[ascott]

Hello my name is SoftshellSean some things to know about me are I am a reptile hobbyist so far my collection mostly consists of amphibians like frogs,toads and salamanders I may not have turtles now but I used help take care of them at my cousins house he had red ear sliders and african sidenecked turtles together in a pretty large aquarium it was between 300-400 gallons with custom filtration he sold the turtles though a while back to someone with a large turtle pond so they are happy now. Also I used to help clean out the aquarium and feed the turtles so I do have some experience. So what turtle do you think would make a better community turtle to keep with red ear sliders and african side necked turtles in general the pink side neck turtle/emydura subglobosa or the new guinea snapping turtle/elseya novaeguineae which one would be a better choice and how aggressive are each one on a scale of 1 to 10?

I would also be aware of male to female populations within the community you set up...red ears are readily available and do fair in a community..but mixing males and females will guarantee you lots of little turtles...snappers, from memory are a little less social ..beyond those two species I have very limited first hand knowledge....there are lots of folks here that house both turtle and tortoise..and frogs..and bugs...and little furry critters..so sit tight and wait for them to pop in..

 

[tglazie]

When it comes to community accomodations, you want to think three things. Are the animals sympatric (do they occur in the same environment)? Are the animals compatible (will they do harm to one another)? And will it be possible to separate them? If you can definitively answer yes to these, then things should be fine. In my experience, it is best to keep water turtles (and tortoises, for that matter) in single species groups, preferably singly. Some can coexist, and many do coexist in wild settings. The various sliders, for instance, exist in the same environment as many cooters, mud turtles, softshells, and snapping turtles. However, in the wild, these animals often prey upon one another and compete for the same resources, and competition isn't pretty. With painted turtles in particular, I've had some that are just jerks who nip at the toes and tails of their tank mates, necessitating separation.

Every old world turtle I've ever seen was aggressive. Chinese golden thread turtles (Ocadia sinensis) are incredibly aggressive, as are Reeve's turtles (Chinemys reevesi). European pond turtles are also rather nasty.

Ultimately, I would say that keeping a single turtle is best. I have seen setups work with the various sliders where keeping multiple animals in a large enclosure can work. However, like I said before, keep in mind that separation may very well be necessary. To me, this is an unnecessary pain, and I learned a long time ago that a single turtle in a single tank is just as awesome as many turtles, minus the heart ache. Now, there's nothing wrong with multiple tanks.

T.G.

 

[Yellow Turtle]

Hi there, if you can get this species, pangshura tecta is a really peaceful turtle. So far I never see they become aggressive toward other species.
My friend who is breeder of this species also has same opinion.

 

[Berkeley]

Neither of your choices would go well with redears or African sidenecks, Sean.

If you want to mix something in with either of those two species, I would go with another slider (like a yellowbelly) or other African sidenecks. I have found that the pinkbellies and the NG snappers tend to bite tails and feet, and will also bite off the marginal scutes on each other's shells. They are very physically aggressive with each other/other turtles, whereas the redears and the African sidenecks just step all over each other at feeding time.

Hope that helps.
--Berkeley