Bully turtle

Question
QUESTION: Hello. I have 2 Western Painted turtles. One is about 3" in length (female), and the other is a lot smaller about 2" (male). Very recently, I have noticed that the bigger turtle has been chasing the little turtle around and trying to bite its toes. A few days ago I noticed that the little turtle is missing a toe, so she was actually successful in biting it off!
I think I have a pretty good set up. They are in a 55 gallon tank, halfway filled with water and with land on one end. They have a heat lamp to bask in, an underwater heater, a heavy duty filter, and quite a few places to hide. I'm pretty much doing everything by the book.
What is the reason behind the aggressive behavior, and what can I do to stop it without getting another tank?
Also, a month ago, we had a third turtle that died of unknown causes. She had a gash on her head, and we initially thought she might have fallen off the ramp and hit her head on a rock or something. Now we are suspicious that she might have been attacked by our bully turtle.
Please help!

ANSWER: Hi Carol, it does sound as though you have a bully who wants to claim the territory all to "her"self.

If the turtles are under four inches in length then they are too young to tell the gender.

So do not assume you have a male/female situation. You can very well have multiple males which can cause serious issues, and almost definite fighting. Multiple males have been known to fight to the death over territory so you do need to separate them. You can devide the tank if you do not currently have the money to house them in different tanks.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok. So the only solution to this problem is to separate the two?

Also, I thought there was a way to tell their gender by looking at their front claws and their tails. Is it true that males have much longer front claws than the females? The little turtle definitely has longer claws than the bigger turtle. Also, the third turtle that died had short front claws. Do females fight like the males do?

Do you think I should take the little turtle to the vet to get the missing toe checked out? It seems to look ok, but of course I'm not a doctor.

The little one swims around with its hind legs tucked into his shell. It's very sad to watch. Is it possible to "train" a turtle? Maybe doing something to the bully whenever it tries to bite the other one?

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my first message.

Answer
Hi Carol,

Yes the only solution is to separate them.

If they are under four inches then the ones with short claws can just be not fully developed yet. They all have short claws until four inches. So the ones you think were female if they were under four inches, can still turn out to be male.

Females can fight like the males do, but usually they are less aggressive. But when it comes to sharing territory turtles are not the nicest of the animals.

Keep the water clean and if it looks infected (swollen, red) then take her to the vet. But it should heal fine if the area is kept clean.

There is no "training" I am sorry but you just have a bully.

And it is likely this bully wont stop until he/she has the enclosure entirely to himself.