my FRTs

[Schmike]

a boy which i took over from a friend 2 years back:
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_09_3x1.5x1.5/IMG_2236.JPG

http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_14_PNTs/IMG_2431.JPG

an injured girl (i believe its a female) with bacterial infection which i adopted on 07/09/2008:
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_07_PNT/IMG_2165.JPG

today:
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_14_PNTs/IMG_2430.JPG

the girl's condition improved during the past week when i treated the wounds with salt and japanese yellow powder (anti-bacterial medication meant for fishes). brought her to a vet yesterday and the infected lump peeled off at the clinic. got some baytril jabs which the girl needs to be injected for 5 days. today is only the 2nd day of her treatment from the vet.

introduced her into my male's tank for around 30 minutes just now to let them interact and get used to each others presence while i pump up and treat the female:
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_14_PNTs/IMG_2419.JPG

anyone can confirm their sex?
the male:
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_07_PNTs_Tail/IMG_2178.JPG
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_14_PNTs/IMG_2422.JPG

female? (at least it is what i believe since the day i got it)
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_07_PNTs_Tail/IMG_2177.JPG
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_14_PNTs/IMG_2423.JPG


anyone successfully comm 2 FRTs without any issues? i understand that these turtles are very territorial species. and its not easy to have 2 of them in the same tank. anyone have any tips to share?

[edotero]

I can confirm the sex of the one that you think is male and it is a male, but the female you will have to wait until it is bigger.

[Schmike]

I can confirm the sex of the one that you think is male and it is a male, but the female you will have to wait until it is bigger.

thanks edotero. actually both of them are around the same size. just that the one that i think is a female is very thin now. if based on the size of the tail it should be a female. but once it is fatten up will the tail also look bigger?

from what i understand females also have a higher carapax. which this one looks like having one. but it is definitely under nourished now. which makes it look "flat".

anyone else can confirm if the female is indeed a female or otherwise?

[rook45]

A couple scratches here and there but still 2 beautiful FRT's.

[Schmike]

A couple scratches here and there but still 2 beautiful FRT's.

thanks. i was lucky to be able to keep them. but i definitely need a much bigger tank for them as they grow bigger. currently, the male is in a 3'x1.5'x15' :eek: which is actually way too small for it with the 4 red bellied pacus in there which i have to be ashamed of myself. but due to space constraint i can't have a bigger tank now. i will move them to my 4'x2'x2' after i upgrade the tank for my fishes and subsequently a 6'x2.5'x2.5' later on for this pair. and hopefully next time i can have them in a 10'x4'x4' or bigger if i can afford a big place. :D

[rook45]

How big are they now?

[Schmike]

How big are they now?
the FRTs are around 7" SCL. while the pacus are between 10"-12".

[reptech]

dude i love frt they :headbang2

[Schmike]

dude i love frt they :headbang2
ya. but they need a very big space which is hard for us in Singapore to provide. :( we can only give them a tank as big as we can have in the flat (for those of us living in a flat) which is just a 6 footer.

[Fishes33]

If the female is female and when it gets bigger, its gonna beat the crap out of the male

[Schmike]

If the female is female and when it gets bigger, its gonna beat the crap out of the male

actually now it is already attacking the male. but I'm only letting them interact for a short period of time for the time being. until the female is healthy and fatten up before i keep them together for good since they are not kept together since young. but if there is any serious fighting/aggression shown by any one of them i will definitely separate them.

[wolfsburgfanatic]

beautiful FRTs :headbang2 good luck with the treatment!


...and if you get tired of them, ship one of them to me :D

[Gr8KarmaSF]

YUMMY!!!!

[Vicious_Fish]

Nice turts! They both look like males to me but perhaps the one that you think is a female has to grow a bit more before you can really be sure.

[Jeox]

awesome frts (and pacu)
The pacu leave em alone?

[coura]

They are certanly amazing turts:D I asume you are keeping the "female" isolated from the male rigth:confused: That is important because in a atempt to mate many male turts inflict thouse same neck wounds on females and the last thing you want is for him to reopen the wound;) As for sex the one you think its a male is defenetly a male:D The other seems to be a female but can also be a imature male. Turts can sometimes be tricky to sex when not mature and the thing becomes even more complicated because "False males" and females exist, that is they apear to be oposite sex they are. I have one of such odditys:D A oachita map turtle that in all apears to be a male but its a female:eek: I untill recently wondered if she had the 2 sexes or if she was fertile at all, but the anser came last summer, she nested just like any other turt and she is so pretty that I plan on breeding her. By the way if the second turt really proves to be a female and you endup with a copple, dont any breeding plans happend to pass by your mind. The us FRT population would really benefict from some new true captive bred babys:popcorn:

[Nic]

very nice frt.... wish i could get atleast one....

[rook45]

They are certanly amazing turts:D I asume you are keeping the "female" isolated from the male rigth:confused: That is important because in a atempt to mate many male turts inflict thouse same neck wounds on females and the last thing you want is for him to reopen the wound;) As for sex the one you think its a male is defenetly a male:D The other seems to be a female but can also be a imature male. Turts can sometimes be tricky to sex when not mature and the thing becomes even more complicated because "False males" and females exist, that is they apear to be oposite sex they are. I have one of such odditys:D A oachita map turtle that in all apears to be a male but its a female:eek: I untill recently wondered if she had the 2 sexes or if she was fertile at all, but the anser came last summer, she nested just like any other turt and she is so pretty that I plan on breeding her. By the way if the second turt really proves to be a female and you endup with a copple, dont any breeding plans happend to pass by your mind. The us FRT population would really benefict from some new true captive bred babys:popcorn:

All very true, but there won't be any attempts to mate any time soon FRTs take 15 years to reach sexual maturity.

[Schmike]

beautiful FRTs :headbang2 good luck with the treatment!


...and if you get tired of them, ship one of them to me :D

i think there are many people over here in Singapore who are more than willing to take over from me. ;)

YUMMY!!!!

these are not meant to be food :p

Nice turts! They both look like males to me but perhaps the one that you think is a female has to grow a bit more before you can really be sure.

ya. need to wait till she is bigger. so for now im still assuming that its a girl and i hope i'm right.

awesome frts (and pacu)
The pacu leave em alone?

shouldn't it be the other way round? both are known to disturb and attack tankmates. but in this tank its the FRT that will nip on the pacus if he have the chance to. ;)

They are certanly amazing turts:D I asume you are keeping the "female" isolated from the male rigth:confused: That is important because in a atempt to mate many male turts inflict thouse same neck wounds on females and the last thing you want is for him to reopen the wound;) As for sex the one you think its a male is defenetly a male:D The other seems to be a female but can also be a imature male. Turts can sometimes be tricky to sex when not mature and the thing becomes even more complicated because "False males" and females exist, that is they apear to be oposite sex they are. I have one of such odditys:D A oachita map turtle that in all apears to be a male but its a female:eek: I untill recently wondered if she had the 2 sexes or if she was fertile at all, but the anser came last summer, she nested just like any other turt and she is so pretty that I plan on breeding her. By the way if the second turt really proves to be a female and you endup with a copple, dont any breeding plans happend to pass by your mind. The us FRT population would really benefict from some new true captive bred babys:popcorn:

yes. the female is isolated now. just put her in the male's tank to have a interaction session. i will only leave them together after the female fully recover and fatten up. ;)

i would say all over the world would be good to have captive bred babies. but i think over here in Singapore i'm not allowed to breed them. :( but anyway only a few successful captive breeding were recorded on the Internet. it's not easy. hopefully mine can breed when they mature and the authorities here would allow it.

very nice frt.... wish i could get atleast one....

probably you can look around and see if anyone is giving up? but i doubt so. you guys have lots of big space to build big tanks for these turtles which is almost impossible for us here.

All very true, but there won't be any attempts to mate any time soon FRTs take 15 years to reach sexual maturity.

ya. i will have to wait for probably another 10 more years before they will attempt to breed if they are really a couple.

[Jfitz]

woah man those are beauts, but are you sure that its ok to house with with rbp? because iv heard that they sometimes just take little chunks out of a larger animal (in this case the turtle) and swim away and leave it at that.. but the only thing that im thinking of because of that is that the small bit might get infected.

[rook45]

woah man those are beauts, but are you sure that its ok to house with with rbp? because iv heard that they sometimes just take little chunks out of a larger animal (in this case the turtle) and swim away and leave it at that.. but the only thing that im thinking of because of that is that the small bit might get infected.

Those are pacu.

[Schmike]

woah man those are beauts, but are you sure that its ok to house with with rbp? because iv heard that they sometimes just take little chunks out of a larger animal (in this case the turtle) and swim away and leave it at that.. but the only thing that im thinking of because of that is that the small bit might get infected.

i had those RBPs (Red Bellied Pacu) in the tank since they were only around 2" with the FRT which is still around the same size now. so far i've only seen some fins of the RBPs being bitten off by the FRT but no injuries on the FRT by the RBPs. ;)

we just have to make sure all of them are well fed and everything will be fine. ;) this is what i always believe in and what i did for my main tank of fishes which i consist of a tailless red tail gold arowana, bichirs, marble motoro, plecos, catfishes, clown loaches, etc.. ranging from 3" to around 18" in the same tank. of course i have some driftwood and bogwood in the tank for the smaller fishes to hide in. other than that i make sure all of the fishes have enough food. they have been living peacefully for the past 2-3 months to 2 years or so with no deaths due to attacks or whatever. only sometimes there are some minor torn fins. ;) and that tank is only a 4'x2'x2' :redface:

[Schmike]

Those are pacu.

sometimes pacus do attack other fishes. its more of bitting chunks of the fins rather than the flesh actually. ;) last time they bit of the lyre of my albino adonis. :(

if those are pirahnas, the FRT would have been gone a long time ago.

[Jfitz]

Those are pacu.
RBP doesnt = Red bellie pacu?
and iv seen some vids with pacus taking chunks out of larger fish/ creatures that they live with..

[Schmike]

RBP doesnt = Red bellie pacu?
and iv seen some vids with pacus taking chunks out of larger fish/ creatures that they live with..

i think rook45 misunderstood RBP as Red Bellied Pirahnas. :) only the last word is different.

[rook45]

i think rook45 misunderstood RBP as Red Bellied Pirahnas. :) only the last word is different.

Yeah my bad...RBP & RBP look alike.:duh:

[Horiyoshi III]

There need more turtle owners like you.

Your collection is spellbinding.
Sorry that I can't help you on the sexing though.

[Schmike]

Yeah my bad...RBP & RBP look alike.:duh:

its ok. :) at least i did not make the mistake of having pirahnas with my FRT. but anyway i wont be able to get pirahnas here in Singapore. so i won't make that mistake.

There need more turtle owners like you.

Your collection is spellbinding.
Sorry that I can't help you on the sexing though.

thanks. just doing my part for these turtles. can't bear to see such a beautiful turtle suffering. since i can help it might as well just take it over from its previous adopter. ;)

its ok regarding the sexing. since no one can be sure of it, only time will tell if its really a girl. :) sometimes i did suspect it to be a boy. but when i compare the size of the tail of my male the tail of the "girl" is not as thick and the number of scales on the tail is different (i know this is not accurate but just counted it for the fun of it.)

[Cohazard]

Congrats on saving the FRT's, best of luck with them! :)

[Schmike]

Congrats on saving the FRT's, best of luck with them! :)

thanks. :)

[coura]

Sorry I thougth you were in the us :nilly::D Why your local autoritys wouldnt allow you to breed your turts if you wanted to:confused:

[Schmike]

Sorry I thougth you were in the us :nilly::D Why your local autoritys wouldnt allow you to breed your turts if you wanted to:confused:

if i'm not wrong we r only allowed to keep them. not breed. probably they don't want us hobbyists to sell it for profit.

sometimes i really envy you guys. you can keep all kinds of pets.

[coura]

if i'm not wrong we r only allowed to keep them. not breed. probably they don't want us hobbyists to sell it for profit.

sometimes i really envy you guys. you can keep all kinds of pets.
HUUUmm sorry to disapoint you but here where I live we are not allowed to keep pythons, boas, crocs, cats or dogs other than domestic, ferrets:eek::screwy: or any native species even extremely plentifull ones. You can shot a wild rabbit but you cant keep a orphan one for pet, go figure:grinno:

[Schmike]

HUUUmm sorry to disapoint you but here where I live we are not allowed to keep pythons, boas, crocs, cats or dogs other than domestic, ferrets:eek::screwy: or any native species even extremely plentifull ones. You can shot a wild rabbit but you cant keep a orphan one for pet, go figure:grinno:

different places have different rules. no choice.

[coura]

different places have different rules. no choice.
Yea:)

[elindra]

Schmike you post here too :O
Btw upgrade your tank when you can :) My FRT loves his new home

[Schmike]

Schmike you post here too :O
Btw upgrade your tank when you can :) My FRT loves his new home

ya.:) actually when the tank is small it's easier to mix the 2 of them since they have less space to fight for. wil definitely upgrade the tank.;)

[coura]

ya.:) actually when the tank is small it's easier to mix the 2 of them since they have less space to fight for. wil definitely upgrade the tank.;)
Sorry but its the oposite;) A limited space stress your turt so much that they quit figthing. But they can then turn on oneanother with drastic consequences:eek:

[Schmike]

Sorry but its the oposite;) A limited space stress your turt so much that they quit figthing. But they can then turn on oneanother with drastic consequences:eek:

probably they are different with fishes. :eek: but so far the "girl" will go "attack" the boy. nothing serious for the past few days of around 1-2 hours sessions. hopefully during the weekend when i keep them together for the whole day everything will be fine.

[coura]

probably they are different with fishes. :eek: but so far the "girl" will go "attack" the boy. nothing serious for the past few days of around 1-2 hours sessions. hopefully during the weekend when i keep them together for the whole day everything will be fine.
Dont do that yet:grinno: Ive reseen your pics and your female´s neck has healed well BUT it still lacks the protective scales layer of skin wich will take about 2 to 6 moths to form, by wich time it will apear as a simple skar. If your male desides it want´s to mess with her she will be helpless to resist its advances. Remenbar the neck area its one of the most vulnerable parts and a prime target for agressive males. Youll be wasting weeks of intensive care in case something happens. Remenbar other than mating there is no reason why you should keep 2 turts thogether. Most people do it to make space and because they like it but the fact is that at maximum your turts will ignore or tolerate each other. They dont need it, they are solitary animals. Why take the risk;) If you wana do it at least wait.

[Schmike]

Dont do that yet:grinno: Ive reseen your pics and your female´s neck has healed well BUT it still lacks the protective scales layer of skin wich will take about 2 to 6 moths to form, by wich time it will apear as a simple skar. If your male desides it want´s to mess with her she will be helpless to resist its advances. Remenbar the neck area its one of the most vulnerable parts and a prime target for agressive males. Youll be wasting weeks of intensive care in case something happens. Remenbar other than mating there is no reason why you should keep 2 turts thogether. Most people do it to make space and because they like it but the fact is that at maximum your turts will ignore or tolerate each other. They dont need it, they are solitary animals. Why take the risk;) If you wana do it at least wait.

okay. thanks for your advice.

[coura]

okay. thanks for your advice.
No prob:D

[Schmike]

still trying to keep them together due to limited space. :redface:

weighed both of them last night
the male is ~1.5kg (~3.3lb) and the female is ~1.35kg (~3lb) which is ~150gm (~0.33lb) heavier than last week when she was weighed at the clinic. :D

the almost fully recovered girl:
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_20_4x2x2_n_PNTs/IMG_2491.JPG

http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_20_4x2x2_n_PNTs/IMG_2492.JPG

the "couple":
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_20_4x2x2_n_PNTs/IMG_2464.JPG

i understand that the following 2 pictures are signs of aggression:
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_20_4x2x2_n_PNTs/IMG_2470.JPG

http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_20_4x2x2_n_PNTs/IMG_2483.JPG

in the cramp tank. :(
http://www.schmike.net/MyTanks/gallery%2f2008_09_20_4x2x2_n_PNTs/IMG_2468.JPG

the "girl" is still the more aggressive one. even though she is being moved to the boy's tank all the time.

[Miguel]

Great job you've done.

A bit tight on space, anyway.

Even those Pacus will be a problem for you in the medium run...

[Schmike]

Great job you've done.

A bit tight on space, anyway.

Even those Pacus will be a problem for you in the medium run...

thanks.

i know that the tank is too cramp for them and the pacus. i will upgrade their tank to my current 4'x2'x2' after i've upgraded the 4'x2'x2' to a 6'x2.5'x2.5'. i will also upgrade this tank to a 6'x2.5'x2.5' in future. ;)