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My boy Kepler [5in Male RES] has taken to biting his girl [5in Female RES] on the nape of the neck. It never has been hard enough to break skin or cause bleeding, and sometimes she just lays there like she could care less; however, she struggles to get away sometimes. I have never seen them mate, and I am wondering if Kepler is just frustrated or if he is really going to hurt her one day.

Anyone with older sliders please tell me what you think.

One more question, All the boys seem to leave the other girl alone and "harass" this one female. Is that normal and should she have some sort of "hide box"?
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Joshua M Guillemette

1.1.0 Children [Deven 10 & Hailey due June 1]
2.1.0 Cats [Micah, Judo, & Elizabeth]
1.0.0 Bunny [Bugs]
1.0.0 Red Belly Slider [Bernulli]
2.0.0 Yellow Belly Sliders [Maxwell & LaPlace]
0.0.2 Cumberlands [Pascal & Joule]
1.2.1 Red Ear Sliders [Kepler, Napier, Gauss, & Kelvin]

What is the ratio of males to females? If it was just the one boy biting her I would suggest you remove him for 24 hours and then place him back in the tank. Sometimes this stops that sort of behavior.

If more than one boy is harrassing this could cause stress problems eventually. They also can start to damage the neck if they keep biting it.

How large an enclosure do you have for your turtles?

The ratio is 4 boys to 2 girls; however one of the boys is still pretty small and could be a girl.

It is only the oldest boy that harasses her, but I do not observe this behavior everyday. It occurs maybe once or twice a week from what I can tell.

The turtles are in a 90 gallon tank w/ about 75 gallons of water and a large basking area. The basking area is suspended above the water so as to provide the maximum amount of room. My wife and I realize that the turtles are starting to get big for it, but they have not exhibited any territorial behaviors. We did see those behaviors when we kept two turtles in a 20 gallon tank for to long. Next summer I am going to build a pond with a kiddie pool and several large basking areas.
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Joshua M Guillemette

1.1.0 Children [Deven 10 & Hailey due June 1]
2.1.0 Cats [Micah, Judo, & Elizabeth]
1.0.0 Bunny [Bugs]
1.0.0 Red Belly Slider [Bernulli]
2.0.0 Yellow Belly Sliders [Maxwell & LaPlace]
0.0.2 Cumberlands [Pascal & Joule]
1.2.1 Red Ear Sliders [Kepler, Napier, Gauss, & Kelvin]

If the behavior is not a constant thing and only carried out by one animal then I would just keep an eye on things to see it does not escalate. I think this is just a case of boy not getting his way with a girl and being a little pissy about it.

Just watch out for him latching on to her neck and not letting go. I have seen males (painted turtles) drag females down with this type of aggressive biting and cause skin damage.

I don't think this is anything that seems to be going on in your case though.

Actually, the behavior you described is similar to what the male is displaying. He is biting the back of her neck and not letting go. He does not appear to be dragging her around, but she struggles to get free or just waits to be let go.
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Joshua M Guillemette

1.1.0 Children [Deven 10 & Hailey due June 1]
2.1.0 Cats [Micah, Judo, & Elizabeth]
1.0.0 Bunny [Bugs]
1.0.0 Red Belly Slider [Bernulli]
2.0.0 Yellow Belly Sliders [Maxwell & LaPlace]
0.0.2 Cumberlands [Pascal & Joule]
1.2.1 Red Ear Sliders [Kepler, Napier, Gauss, & Kelvin]

Again, I would just keep an eye on things and make sure that he is not constantly doing this. It will lead to some nasty sores on the neck.

If you see this behavior then remove the male and give him 24 hours away (as mentioned before) and then place him back in the tank again and observe what happens. If it continues keep the male out of the tank permanently. Once you have your indoor pond going re-introduce the male and see how he responses in the new environment. If his behavior remains the same then he will have to go or be kept individually.

Thank you for the help. I appreciate the time and experience you gave my problem.
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Joshua M Guillemette

1.1.0 Children [Deven 10 & Hailey due June 1]
2.1.0 Cats [Micah, Judo, & Elizabeth]
1.0.0 Bunny [Bugs]
1.0.0 Red Belly Slider [Bernulli]
2.0.0 Yellow Belly Sliders [Maxwell & LaPlace]
0.0.2 Cumberlands [Pascal & Joule]
1.2.1 Red Ear Sliders [Kepler, Napier, Gauss, & Kelvin]