# Turtle Keelback Compatability



## NicG (Oct 30, 2016)

Nobody seems to have done it, but it seems plausible on paper.

Thoughts?


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## Wally (Oct 30, 2016)

Turn paper into water and let us know how you got on..

Given the right tank set up I cant see too many issues.


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## pythoninfinite (Oct 31, 2016)

Turtles are carnivorous, will eat anything they can snare as ambush predators - fish, tadpoles, frogs, other reptiles, baby ducks... so as soon as your Keelback slithers within reach of the turtle - snap, rip with the front claws to tear the snake apart, and it all over for the snake. Plausible on paper maybe, but not in practice...

Jamie


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## NicG (Oct 31, 2016)

pythoninfinite said:


> Turtles are carnivorous, will eat anything they can snare as ambush predators - fish, tadpoles, frogs, other reptiles, baby ducks... so as soon as your Keelback slithers within reach of the turtle - snap, rip with the front claws to tear the snake apart, and it all over for the snake. Plausible on paper maybe, but not in practice...
> 
> Jamie



Would relative sizes change your opinion at all? For example, a full grown Keelback and short-necked turtle with a carapace around 10cm.

When you first put (fast) fish in with turtles they chase them around for a few days and then seem to accept the fact that they can't catch them and peacefully coexist. Would the same principle be possible with a snake?


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## pythoninfinite (Oct 31, 2016)

NicG said:


> Would relative sizes change your opinion at all? For example, a full grown Keelback and short-necked turtle with a carapace around 10cm.
> 
> When you first put (fast) fish in with turtles they chase them around for a few days and then seem to accept the fact that they can't catch them and peacefully coexist. Would the same principle be possible with a snake?



A turtle with a 10cm carapace still has very powerful jaws with sharp, cutting edges. At the very least the snake will lose part of its tail, but will probably lose chunks of tissue and suffer the fate I outlined in my first post. The snake is a far bigger target and will mostly have the interface between water and air to distort its ability to see the turtle lying in ambush. You can try it, but I'd bet my bits the snake will suffer damage.

Jamie


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## eipper (Oct 31, 2016)

No good- snakes are in the diet of some Elseya, Emydura and Chelodina


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## butters (Nov 1, 2016)

I agree. I've seen what happens when people keep water Dragons and turtles together.

Water dragons with very short tails.


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## Raymonde (Nov 3, 2016)

NicG said:


> Would relative sizes change your opinion at all? For example, a full grown Keelback and short-necked turtle with a carapace around 10cm.
> 
> When you first put (fast) fish in with turtles they chase them around for a few days and then seem to accept the fact that they can't catch them and peacefully coexist. Would the same principle be possible with a snake?



I agree with Jamie, really not worth the risk to the snake. Also a 10cm turtle really doesn't stay 10cm for very long, they grow very fast and even the smallest species are larger than that. All the short-necks would try to take a bite for sure, not as sure about they long necks but that is more because i lack experience with them. 

As to the turtle learning it can't catch the snake, that only works if the snake never rests in or partially in the water..... Snakes aren't that aware of their tail. I can easily imagine the snake coming out of the water and having its tail hovering over the edge and the turtle coming up and snapping at it. 

whether it takes a week or a month or a year, eventually the keelback would be missing parts of its tail.....


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## snakemisstress (Nov 4, 2016)

Maybe you can also put an adult duck in there


NicG said:


> Nobody seems to have done it, but it seems plausible on paper.
> 
> Thoughts?


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## NicG (Nov 11, 2016)

Raymonde said:


> whether it takes a week or a month or a year, eventually the keelback would be missing parts of its tail.....



I decided to experiment for a couple of weeks and they seemed to coexist with ambivalence. But as you say, the risk will always be there so I moved the Keelback out.

On a similar note ... https://aussiepythons.com/forum/showthread.php/219795-CTS-Keelback-Compatibilty


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