Canadian Ginger
New Member
Alllrriighhtt! So the good news is that JoJo Chinto, my beautiful vt is doing a whole lot better and totally thriving, despite his small home. I have finally decided I want to purchase a larger tank, and at first I was debating on a 5 gallon for him (since that's what everyone on here recommended to start). Now however, I've got myself into a bit of a dilemma. 
I was at an Chinese shopping mall when I came across a stand selling a few baby red-ear sliders. They were being kept in "tanks" that looked like less than half a gallon. They had almost no water at all in them, and the man was intending to sell them for people who wanted to grow them for food.
While I understand this is part of the culture and I probably should have done my research first, I was so freaked that I ended up buying one of the turtles before one of the many interested people could buy him for a future meal. He came with the tiny tank, and some dried bloodworms. He's totally adorable and I don't regret buying him at all, despite my lack of preparation. His name is Norbit Van Hinkelstein (Yes, I do pick strange names).
So because Norbit has become a new addition to my family, and he is in an enclosure I'm well aware he is going to grow out of in a matter of months (if he hasn't already!), I've decided to purchase a 20 gallon tank from PetSmart in the very near future.
Now, I'm thinking that 20 gallons is gonna be initially too big for Norbit, and I can't afford to get a separate 5 gallon with all the fixings for JoJo as well. Has anyone tried housing a male betta and red-eared slider together? From what I understand Norbit has only been eating the freeze-dried bloodworms, so he hasn't had a sample of live feeder fish yet. I was hoping if I put him and JoJo together while he is so young (and small!) that they would get used to each other. I know this works with cats and dogs, but fish and turtles are an entirely different matter.
Help me out! Should I risk putting the two together? Has anyone managed to stick a baby turtle and betta together with success? Should I just leave JoJo in his smaller tank for now, and wait to get him a separate 5 gallon in a month or two?
Sorry for the longish background story! Any advice you can give would be helpful!
I was at an Chinese shopping mall when I came across a stand selling a few baby red-ear sliders. They were being kept in "tanks" that looked like less than half a gallon. They had almost no water at all in them, and the man was intending to sell them for people who wanted to grow them for food.
While I understand this is part of the culture and I probably should have done my research first, I was so freaked that I ended up buying one of the turtles before one of the many interested people could buy him for a future meal. He came with the tiny tank, and some dried bloodworms. He's totally adorable and I don't regret buying him at all, despite my lack of preparation. His name is Norbit Van Hinkelstein (Yes, I do pick strange names). So because Norbit has become a new addition to my family, and he is in an enclosure I'm well aware he is going to grow out of in a matter of months (if he hasn't already!), I've decided to purchase a 20 gallon tank from PetSmart in the very near future.
Now, I'm thinking that 20 gallons is gonna be initially too big for Norbit, and I can't afford to get a separate 5 gallon with all the fixings for JoJo as well. Has anyone tried housing a male betta and red-eared slider together? From what I understand Norbit has only been eating the freeze-dried bloodworms, so he hasn't had a sample of live feeder fish yet. I was hoping if I put him and JoJo together while he is so young (and small!) that they would get used to each other. I know this works with cats and dogs, but fish and turtles are an entirely different matter.
Help me out! Should I risk putting the two together? Has anyone managed to stick a baby turtle and betta together with success? Should I just leave JoJo in his smaller tank for now, and wait to get him a separate 5 gallon in a month or two?
Sorry for the longish background story! Any advice you can give would be helpful!
