map turtle behaviour

Question
I have two map turtles which are about three to four inches long (shell length). I've had them about five months, since they were tiny babies. They've got a nice big tank, about three feet by one foot, height about two feet. They also have a UV light and basking area with plants, gravel, cave and filter. Once I caught them sticking their faces at each other, and then taking turns to quickly fan their two front paws at each other. The other one was shutting its eyes while the other was quickly fanning its paws (not the other sense of fanning, I don't think, I didn't notice anything unusual behind). They each did this for about two seconds, in succession. What was this? Thanks.

Answer
That was a courtship ritual, which can be perfectly normal, or might indicate stress and aggression.

Not real helpful, I know, but sometimes only the turtles can tell the difference. Generally, if...
- it is a male stroking a female of the same approximate size (females are often bigger),
- the turtles are big and old enough to be sexually mature (generally 4-6 years old), and
- the cares are rock solid (especially the habitat size),
...then it is probably courtship.

If they are stroking each other, but otherwise the above points are OK, then it may just be a pre-courtship/growing-up sort of thing.

Overall behaviors are a key issue- bad signs are biting, chasing, and one turtle getting lighter or appearing unhealthy.

Try http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for more help.

Good luck!