lethargic turtle/questions on species

Question
QUESTION: hi,
I have a baby southern painted turtle and he is about 1 inch.Ive had him for about a month and house him in a 20 gallon tank with a baby Mississippi map turtle that is 3 inches. I do full water changes and clean the tank once a week. I fed them Tetrafauna Reptomin but recently changed to Nutrafin max i don't know which product is better. I recently started feeding small crickets and will start feeding small feeder fish. My Southern painted turtle has been lethargic and sits on the basking area for most of the day besides eating. He also just lays rather than stand on the basking area like he usually does. I've also noticed that both him and the map turtle have been digging in the rocks and the map has tried to eat the rocks. I am worried about my turtles strange behavior and hope you can help me with that.  also at what age do turtles start laying eggs? can you cross breed turtles? and is it ok the house to different species in the same tank? what vegetables or fruits would you recommend feeding them and also how do i prepare and feed them meats?
Thank you

ANSWER: Well...

Housing- a 20 gallon tank is going to be too small for both turtles. We usually aim for 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length. Crowding causes stress, aggression, etc. Colorful gravel at the bottom of the tank also confuses turtles into thinking it is food.

Diet- Try a mix of 1/2 pellets (Reptomin is generally considered better, but there are several good brands) and 1/2 live or frozen/thawed 'fish foods' like worms, crickets, other insects, krill, shrimp, etc. The only 'human meat' we use are bits of beef heart and an occasional piece of cooked chicken. We do not offer water turtles fruit, and only some dark leafy greens or water plants when they are over a few years old.

These two species will not interbreed, and both have to be about 4" long (shell only, measured in a straight line, not along the curve) or about 4 years old before they start mating.

Full water changes makes me think that you are not using a filter, which also means that water temp control may not be what we would want. We recommend a BIG filter (about 2-3 times bigger than the tank would need for fish) and temps from 75-80F.

Digging in a corner is another sign of stress- wrong water temps, small tank, crowding, etc.

My main suggestion would be to review the cares for these species at a  good site, like http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

Good luck!

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

QUESTION: Thanks for the information but i have a few more questions.
Is it bad to switch brand of turtle pellets every few days?
when i feed my turtles vegetables do i just put a big piece of it and let them bite pieces of it or do i cut it into small pieces? is it ok to handle and let turtles walk on the carpet often? is it ok to have anachris plants in a baby turtle's tank? and what do turtles play with as in are their toys for turtles or anything like that?
thanks again

Answer
Switching pellet brands- not a big deal as long as all brands are good quality. Cheap pellets are not nutritious enough to bother with.

Pellet size- break them up for small turtles.

Handling- no. They prefer a good home and are stressed by walks or trips generally. You are a scary giant that as far as the turtle knows wants to eat it..

Plant- that is fine. It should nibble on it and that is OK as well.

Toys- nothing. They just like big swimming areas and good basking sites.