Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My turtle Myrtle is 3in. I would like to get him a companion. The one that I would be buying is about 1in or so and is not from a pet store. I have been aprehensive about putting two together, because I have had dreams of turtles eating each other. LOL!!! Would they be ok? Also, I am worried about diseases. How can I be sure that my new RES will not give Myrtle a disease? I would really like to get another RES; For me and also for Myrtle.

Your advice would be greatly appreciated,
Dana

Turtles don't need friends, they see them as competition for food and space. If you got one that small, your guy may attack it, or the little one might be too afraid of the larger one to eat. The only way to be sure the new one doesn't have a disease is to quarentine it in its own tank for several months. In any case, you would need separate tanks just in case you needed to separate them.
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Hey,

Agreeing with the last post, turtles aren't known to be social animals that require companionship. The aquatic ones only get together to bask or mate and if you don't anthropomorphize (sic?), they should feel less stressed being housed alone. Not to mention less chance of disease transmission. If you do get another turtle and want to house them together, make sure the space is big enough and there are spaces for them to hide. Some turtles get grumpy with territory. A big aquarium with lotsa colorful aquatics, however, does look pretty if maintained correctly. With effort, you can emulate a pond community along with plants, fish, nesting areas, etc.

Johnny