Questioni have two turtles a male and female and the male bites the female on the butt.even outside the water he bites her until he bites a piece off.why is he doing this.should i separate them?
AnswerThe two main causes of aggressive behavior that involves injuries are crowded habitat and a turtle that is a bully.
You do not say the species involved, but most turtles need room to share a tank. We usually recommend 10 gallons of swimming space per linear inch of turtle shell length. Big tanks make many parts of your live and theirs easier- and room to withdraw from a bully is just one benefit.
Even in big tanks, however, we often find that some turtles are bullies. Some species are naturally more aggressive than others, but even in a calm species, some can be bullies.
If the species is aggressive, usually the bigger tank helps. If one turtle is a bully, usually they need to be kept seperate.
For more, try http://www.austinsturtlepage.com