My mud turtle and slider bred? Now what?

Question
I resuced a 5 yr old Florida Mud turtle and we also put 2 sliders in his aquarium. He won't eat if he's alone, he gets depressed.  Well he is happy now and definitely a boy.  I found the two turtles "tied" together this morning, I was afraid he would drown, so I moved them to the sink until they were "done".  Should I expect any problems or a pregnancy from this?

Answer
Remember- turtles are not like hamsters or other pets- treating them like you would another mammal is usually a mistake. For example, turtles do not drown during mating- they do it underwater all the time.

While it is unusual for two different species to mate, there is almost no chance they can impregnate each other.

Turtles also don't get depressed, or really even like cage mates. What looks like mating behavior is usually a form of bullying, especially when the 'female' is not an appropriate mate.

In the wild, turtles live alone by choice. The only time you see turtles together is when they share a basking site or mating. What you may have thought were signs of depression- hiding, withdrawal, etc., are normal mud turtle behaviors- in the wild, they mostly hide and hunt, and not much else. Active mud turtles are usually stressed.

Try http://www.turtleforum.com to talk to experienced keepers of both species for more info.

Good luck!