Turtle Tankmates

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
There is not really much of anything you can keep with him. There are some options, but most greatly depend on tank size. Other turtles would be a good option. There are an assortment of fish you can keep with him. Cichlids are a good option, type will depend on tank size. Fast swimmers like danios and silver dollars would also be a good option. I have had relatively good luck with things liek crayfish. As long as they have a safe retreat they can do quite well with aquatic turtles. They are also a good option because they will help keep things clean. Things like you are thinking of would require very large setups. Even with semi-aquatic snakes like garters, the setups for one and the other are quite different. If I may ask, why do you want something besides the turtle? They are quite interesting and I can't imagine much else being more active or responsive to the keeper, besides endotherms.

He is an eastern painted turtle?
What size tank do you have for him?
 
Escaping from either, although even more so with glass tanks, is dependent on water level and basking area setup. If one is more easily escapable it would be the plastic tubs because glass is smooth and vertical whereas most plastic tubs do not have perfectly vertical, flat sides (different folds and supportive structures in the walls) and the texture of the material itself of plastic tubs may be just enough to give a turtle that one extra bit of grip to make it out.
 
Wait, you kept crayfish with your turt? I dont think thats a good idea, as the turtle will either eat the cray, or the cray will nip the turtle...
 
They did end up being eaten, only because I didn't have enough hiding spots. A 1.5" turtle with a big crayfish is not a good idea. But if the enclosure is truly setup right and the sizes are compatible, it can work well.

One important thing which is still applicable to this individual, is that if you introduce him to things while young, he will be much more tolerable of them in the future. So if you want him to hang out with other turtles, fish, crayfish, etc, keep them with him while young. If you do not feed any live foods they are less aggressive. If you keep them from getting too hungry they are also less likely to cause trouble, this is more effective along with the no live foods method. If you combine these things you are in the position most likely to result in a more diverse setup.
 
I got my RES as a rescue from petco, and all thy ever fed it was reptomin. So I feed her reptomin, carrots, and greens. She doesnt really like greens but will nibble carrots up and turn her beak orange. I have offered her feeder fish, and she will not eat them. Infact she has 4 whiteclouds in her tank right now, just swimming about. She's quite large but not full grown yet, and I know she could eat the fish if she wanted to, but she hasnt yet, and its been a month. I might try and put a cray in there, and if she eats it, ohwell it only cost 25 cents.
 
No need for live foods. High quality pellets, and with RES fresh produce, are very good. However, that does not include things like Reptomin and especially not Wardley. Hagen Nutrafin Max Turtle Gammarus Pellets, Zoo Med, and Mazuri are all goods brands. Including high quality fish foods can make a great mix even better, Hikari and New Life Spectrum would be the best fish foods.
 
I tried feeding her Mazuri, she wouldnt even touch it! I I do give her Zoomed though, she seems to like it. I've fed her Hikari before, she only ate a piece or two and didnt seem to like it that much so I stopped. She also really likes skinned grapes.
 
The most important thing is that it gets the right diet, not whether it likes it right away or not. You decide what is the ideal diet, and then you get it on that. If you need to you just get him hungry, he will take whatever hits the water at that point.
 
I think I'm going to hold of feeding her for a day, and then give her some greens, as she hasnt been eating them all that much and she could use some in her diet.
 
Snake/turtle combos usually end badly. Also, amphibians rarely last more than a week with even the most well fed turtles. Fish are the best bet by far. I have kept small painteds with the following fish somewhat successfully: Striped/spotted Raphael catfish, Albino paradise fish, yellow perch, various sunfish, tiretrack eels (Mastacemblas), Geophagus surinamensis, and a few others. All of these were in a heavily planted ten gallon tank about 3/4 filled, and the fish weren't in there altogether, but fared well overall. But of course, there is always a risk.
 
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