Red Eared Slider Behaving Strangely

Question
Hi! I have 4 Red Eared Sliders, they have recently had a large
growth spurt and have gotten to be about 5 inches from head    
-> tail, I am looking for a better tank to keep them in because I
can tell that they are getting a tiny bit cramped. However, in the
last week or so one of them (one of the bigger males) has been
having these, "episodes", I call them. Where seemingly out of
nowhere he will start flapping around spaztically and flaling
about in the tank as if something has scared him to death. But
he WONT try to get out, he will climb up onto the basking rock
and then stop. It's like the water scares him suddenly. Also, his
vision seems to be kind of non-responsive, when i wave in front
of him or try to get his attention it's like he can't see me.  I am
worried that my turtle is sick and these turtles are my life. They
have just started to become very active in trying to mate with the
two women in the tank I wondered if this could have anything to
do with it. Can you help? Thanks

Answer
Hey Kate!
I know what you mean by them being your life, I also have four Red Eared Sliders, and you grow so attatched! It's the best when they have babies!

It could be a strange way of him trying to attract a mate. Most don't do that, but maybe it's because of the limited space. One thing I reccomend doing is seperateing the males and females until they are six inches long, the females might not be big enough to give birth, which can cause problems with eggs getting stuck, and that can lead to a really high vet bill and even death.

If, when you re-introduce the turtles, they don't seem interested in mating, you might need to hibernate them. A book I reccomend getting is:
The Guide to Owning a Red-eared Slider
it has everything you need to know about breeding and raising babies. It helps a lot for the first time.

I would take the male turtle to the vet. Especially since it seems like his vision is messed up. You might even want to bring in all four to make sure whatever is wrong with him isn't contagious, and to see if the vet thinks they can all breed yet (I would still wait until they are at least six inches).

It could really just be that he is excited to breed. He might actually see you, and just be ignoring you. It is a good sign that he is eating, which is a big sign that they are sick. Definately get him checked though.

Also, when you get them a bigger tank, keep the one they are in now for the babies. Raising the little guys can be expensive, and the more you have beforehand the better.

Good luck with your turtles! I hope they are all healthy and you get some healthy babies!
Best Wishes, Chelsey