Social turtles?(!)

[researcher]

I rescued (kidnapped?) a large turtle last year to put in my 12X8X3' pond. Seems happy enough (he's at the bottom now, I think, in a warm-mud bed), but I've wondered: do turtles
"need"/want companionship of other turtles -- other than for mating purposes or a "safety-in-numbers" thing? I've seen, in a local "estuarium", tons of the little guys swimming together and lounging floatinging logs, but ... that doesn't really answer the question. There're no other turtles in the pond, just frogs, fish, and visiting birds/squirrels/'coons.

Thx for any ideas ....

 

[JRS]

Besides your mentioned exceptions, I would say typically not, most turtles do not need to be social.

Did you ever figure out what species it was? I believe some type of cooter rescued from a parking lot?

 

[researcher]

Besides your mentioned exceptions, I would say typically not, most turtles do not need to be social.

Did you ever figure out what species it was? I believe some type of cooter rescued from a parking lot?

Hi; as best I could deduce -- a FL cooter. They seem pretty common in the Carolinas (from what I learned last year). I'm supposing that (with their reptile brains) social interactions aren't a priority for them. Well then, Lambchop is king of his little domain, so .... all's good. Thx much .....

 

[Stephen Noble]

They are very 'social' when vying for a good basking spot! I have had multiple turtles (rescues) over the years and never observed them shoal like fish or playfully interact. In my opinion, I would recommend only one turtle to a habitat for a variety of reasons. Sounds like your turtle has a good deal. If it has remained in your pond for a year and not wandered, you are doing a tremendous job of providing it with a very desirable habitat. Way to go!

 

[researcher]

They are very 'social' when vying for a good basking spot! I have had multiple turtles (rescues) over the years and never observed them shoal like fish or playfully interact. In my opinion, I would recommend only one turtle to a habitat for a variety of reasons. Sounds like your turtle has a good deal. If it has remained in your pond for a year and not wandered, you are doing a tremendous job of providing it with a very desirable habitat. Way to go!

Obliged, Stephen; I feed him turtle pellets, garden greens, fruits and veg's from my gardens. He seems crazy for American persimmons -- grabs 1, then takes off like somebody wants to steal it. I've not seen him since the 1st freeze in October, so I'm assuming he's hibernating (I'm thinking cooters do that?). There's a small bag of those fruits in my freezer for when he stirs in spring .....