Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've two female res's, both of good size, and one male slightly smaller. He's mated with the bigger female and is now attacking and biting the other. Can anyone explain this behavior?

I wonder what I should do. So far no injuries. The male had never done this before and I've had them all together for over a year. There's no way, too, that I can separate them at the moment, seeing I'm trying to hibernate them outside.

Next Spring I might take more drastic measures.

If the male is biting the female you need to separate
them. It is not fair to her to be bitten and harrassed.

I am surprised you are attempting to put them in hibernation.
This is risky so hopefully you have done this before.

Linda

I've separated them, so thanks for the tip. I'd just built an outside pond so they all could hibernate, and thought they having more space would be fine. They'd never fought before either, which means it must be a territorial thing.

I'm hibernating the turtles after seeking advice from others. Accordingly, if the temps don't get below freezing, the turtles will just go into a state of torpor but not burrow. I'm trusting this is the accurate way to hibernate them, and if not, please let me know.

The country I live in is Taiwan, which is sub-tropical. I'm working here for the year.

How many gallons is the tank/pond you are keeping them in?