How often do you feed your red eared slider?
- Catching wild prey can be dangerous if they have pesticides on them and they can carry intestinal parasites. ...
- Some experts recommend fresh fruits such as bananas, berries, apples, and melon. ...
- Don't feed frozen fish, or at least not very often. ...
- Cooked chicken and lean beef don't offer balanced nutrition and will foul the water very quickly. ...
How much light is necessary for red eared sliders?
We recommend a 12-hour light/dark cycle, so that your slider receives UVB for at least 12 hours a day. Red-eared sliders are ectothermic, meaning that they rely on their environment to regulate their temperature. Do Turtles need UVB light? Turtles need UVA and UVB light to stay healthy.
How often do red eared sliders have to eat?
Regarding meal frequency, baby and juvenile red-eared sliders should have a daily feeding schedule, while adult turtles can be fed every two or three days. Although they do often come outside of the water for basking and exploring, red-eared sliders are aquatic turtles and always eat in the water.
How much water does a red eared slider need?
How much water does a red eared slider need? Plan on a tank size of 10 gallons of water per inch of the turtle as a general rule of thumb, with a minimum size of a 20-gallon for hatchling red-eared sliders. Keep in mind that red-eared sliders can grow to be 10 to 12 inches as adults, so it’s likely that you’ll eventually need a very large tank.
What does a red-eared slider need in its tank?
A 20-gallon aquarium or plastic container (minimum size for a young turtle, adults may need 40 gallons or larger) Basking area supplies such as rocks, stones, or a plastic floating shelf. Heat light and ultraviolet light. Good quality aquarium water filter.
Do red-eared sliders need to be in water all the time?
The answer is, yes. Red-eared sliders need to be in the water. For starters, red-eared sliders lack saliva and need water to swallow their food. They can eat without water, it's just a lot more difficult.
What kind of habitat do red-eared slider turtles need?
Habitat/range: Red-eared sliders inhabit areas with still, warm water – creeks, lakes, ponds, streams, swamps- or slow-flowing rivers. They are native to eastern and central United States and northern Mexico.
What does a slider turtle need?
Red-eared sliders are very popular aquatic turtles that require special lighting, an animal and plant based diet, and continuous cleaning and maintenance. Red-eared sliders are a serious commitment because they can live up to 20 years in captivity and needs proper upkeeping to stay happy and healthy.
Do red-eared sliders need a heat lamp?
That basking site must be kept at a constant temperature ranging between 85 and 92 degrees Fahrenheit. You don't need to purchase a special heat lamp for this purpose, as a regular lamp with an incandescent bulb of 75 watts or less will do the trick.
Do red-eared sliders need a heater?
Turtles are cold blooded so you'll need to provide some sort of heat source to keep them warm. Without something to keep them warm they'll become sluggish and if it gets too cold can even die. Aquatic turtles need both a water heater (above) and some form of basking heat.
What do turtles like in their tanks?
Turtles like to play with whatever you leave around, so you can use their habitat as an enrichment center. Gravel and sand – Turtles love digging. You should have an area in their tank for them to dig. Gravel is a great way to keep your turtle entertained.
Do turtles need a heat lamp?
Quite simply, heat and lighting are important for turtles because they need it to survive. Light helps to regulate turtles' circadian rhythms. This means that, like us, they need periods of day and night in order to function properly.
Do turtles need light at night?
Adult turtles don't need night lights, and most turtles don't care whether they're red or blue as long as they're not too bright. I've noticed that a few turtles seem to be kept awake by red light, but not by blue, so I usually choose blue. Another kind of night viewing lamp called an infrared heat lamp.
Can I hold my red-eared slider?
Turtles do not like frequent handling and may bite when frightened, however, they may be held safely by their shells. Be sure to monitor the turtle's head at all times when handling them to avoid getting bitten. Do red-eared sliders hibernate?
Do red-eared slider turtles get lonely?
No! The fact is that turtles will be totally fine on their own. They don't need to share a tank with another turtle to be happy and content, and you don't need to worry about turtle loneliness!
How deep should a red-eared slider water be?
As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle's carapace length to prevent drowning if the turtle should flip over and not be able to right itself.
How long do red-eared sliders live?
Red-eared sliders can live up to 20-30+ years with proper care.
What do red-eared sliders eat?
Juveniles and adults can be fed a base diet of commercially available pellets or sticks that are made for aquatic turtles, along with vegetable mat...
How big do red-eared sliders get?
Red-eared sliders can grow up to 12+ inches.
How to tell if a turtle is male or female?
Male red-eared sliders are typically smaller than females, have longer tails and nails, and have curved plastrons for mounting females during mating.
Do red-eared sliders bite?
Turtles do not like frequent handling and may bite when frightened, however, they may be held safely by their shells. Be sure to monitor the turtle...
Do red-eared sliders hibernate?
Turtles, like other reptiles, are ectothermic, meaning their body temperatures change in response to environmental temperatures. In nature, in resp...
Variety
Commercial pellets are fairly nutritious, convenient, and beneficial since they contain a good mix of vitamins and minerals. However, as the saying goes, variety is the spice of life. Offering a wide variety of foods is better than just dropping in a commercial turtle pellet for your little guy.
Nutritional Supplements for Red-Eared Sliders
A vet may recommend that a good reptile multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D3 be mixed with the turtle's food a couple of times a week. Also, an excellent way to provide additional calcium is to put a cuttlebone in the turtle tank.
Tips
Catching wild prey can be dangerous if they have pesticides on them and they can carry intestinal parasites. 1 The same goes for vegetation like dandelion greens that you pick outdoors.
Habitat
A red-eared slider habitat should be a 40-gallon or larger enclosure with a screened lid so the turtle can’t escape. Habitat size should increase as your turtle grows to adult size. Be sure the habitat selected is wide enough to give the turtle room to comfortably turn around.
Feeding
The nutritional requirements of red-eared sliders change as they age and grow. While sliders of all ages are omnivorous, juvenile sliders require more animal protein for growth, and fully grown adults eat more plant matter to help prevent obesity.
Where to buy
Red-eared sliders are available at Petco stores. Contact your nearest location to check availability.
Aquarium mates
Adult aquatic turtles of the same species may be housed together as long as the aquarium is large enough. Do not house different turtle species together and avoid overcrowding, which can lead to aggressive behaviors.
Notes and sources
Ask a Pet Care Center associate about Petco's selection of products available for the care and happiness of your new pet. All products carry a 100% money-back guarantee.
About Red-Eared Sliders
This freshwater turtle was named for the thick red stripe behind each ear.
How To Take Care Of A Red-Eared Slider Turtle
Depending on your experience level, these turtles can be difficult to care for.
Buying Guide
Red-Eared Sliders are invasive in most parts of the world. It is important to research your local wildlife laws to determine if you can legally purchase one in your state. Their invasive nature also makes finding a reputable breeder difficult.
Appearance
Sliders are beautifully patterned pond turtles. Unlike any other pond turtle species, Red-Eared Sliders have a defining maroon-red stripe behind each ear. This feature separates them from all other species and makes them very easy to spot.
Normal Behavior
Red-Eared Sliders are active turtles that spend most of their time swimming, foraging, and basking. They are normally found basking in groups and communicate with one another through touch and vibration.
Summary
Keepers love these turtles for their high activity levels and beautiful yellow, green and red colors. Their delicate redhead markings make them very cute pets.
Red Eared Slider Physical Description
Like other reptiles, red-eared sliders are dependent on the temperature of their environment for survival. In the southeastern United States, where they originate, they’re warmed by the sunny climate. (In captivity, they’re warmed with heat lamps .)
Red Eared Slider Behavior
A pet slider can be a fascinating pet to watch, and while they might not fetch the newspaper, they will beg for food. In the wild, red-eared sliders spend much of their time in the water.
Buying a Healthy Slider
Red-eared sliders can be purchased from large-scale dealers, breeders, animal rescues, and from pet stores, both online and offline. Many of the sliders that are sold by large-scale dealers were raised in turtle farms in the southern United States. Regardless of the source, it’s always a good idea to do some research before purchasing your turtle.
Physical Exam
Once you’ve determined that you actually have what you need to care for your turtle properly, and made certain that a responsible adult will be involved with its care (a turtle’s care should not be left entirely to a child without proper supervision), you should finally conduct a simple physical examination of the turtle you wish to buy.
Collecting Sliders from the Wild
Collecting turtles from the wild may not be legal where you live. Because turtles produce relatively few eggs each year, the removal of an egg-laying adult female could be incredibly damaging to the success of wild populations.
How to Take Your Slider Home
Keep in mind the fact that your slider breathes air, not water. So don’t bring one home in a container of water, where they could drown. Instead, simply place your turtle inside a small shoebox or plastic containe r that has been lined with a slightly wet material, such as dampened paper towels or shredded newspaper.
Red Eared Slider Turtle Habitat
With the right set-up, red-eared sliders can be pretty easy to take care of. First, you need a tank. Compared to other aquarium creatures, red-eared sliders require a relatively large amount of space. They also need clean water, so expect to change their water and clean their filters roughly once a week.
Description
Size: The adult male red-eared turtles can grow up to 7-9 inches by size. The females can attain a length of 10-12 inches. However, some individuals seldom grow bigger. The newly-born baby red-eared sliders (hatchlings) are approximately 1 inch in diameter.Description
Natural Habitat
The red-eared sliders love swamps. They live in marshy areas with warm and calm water bodies like ponds, lakes, slow-flowing rivers, creeks etc., where they can easily crawl out of water to find a place to climb onto for warming themselves up regularly, or where the females can leave the water for laying her eggs.
Behavior and Temperament
The red-eared slider is almost completely aquatic. Although harmless and peaceful, and are gregarious by nature, these turtles are extremely alert. They are territorial by nature. These creatures are cold-blooded and hence need to frequently come up in the land in groups for a warm-up.
Do red-eared sliders bite
If provoked, these turtles do bite, both in the wild or as pets, and that can be quite painful. They wouldn’t bite without a cause. But the bite can prove harmful especially to young children having little fingers.
Sounds
Although, there have been many reports from red-eared slider owners that they often get hissing sounds, but, the fact is, the sounds do not come from their mouth. Turtles do not make noises. Such sounds might often be emitted from the turtles while expelling air from their lungs so that they are able to retreat into their shells.
Adaptations
Other than having the general adaptations of most other types of turtles, like having hard shells or the ability to retract themselves inside their shells, the body and shell color of the red-eared sliders is brown, black and/or dull green, the color common to the waters and areas where these turtles dwell.
Predators
The vulnerability to perils and predators depends upon how big do red eared sliders get. Although the young or baby sliders have many predators like fox, wading birds, skunk, raccoons, storks etc., the adult turtles, considering their size, bite, shell-thickness, are potentially free from predators, unless crocodiles and alligators are not around.
These semi-aquatic turtles need a basking area for health reasons
Lianne McLeod, DVM, is a small animal and exotic pet expert with over a decade of experience writing about veterinary care. After caring for animals in her veterinarian practice, Lianne went on to study biology and research water quality and chronic disease at the University of Saskatchewan.
Before You Begin
Plan on a tank size of 10 gallons of water per inch of the turtle as a general rule of thumb, with a minimum size of a 20-gallon for hatchling red-eared sliders. Keep in mind that red-eared sliders can grow to be 10 to 12 inches as adults, so it's likely that you'll eventually need a very large tank.
Fill the Tank With Water
Red-eared sliders need an adequate amount of water in which to swim. At a minimum, the water should be about twice as deep as your turtle is long—a 4-inch turtle should have a minimum water depth of 6-8 inches.
Create a Basking Area
The basking area for your turtle can be provided by stacking smooth rocks and sloping large smooth gravel to one side to make a land area. You could also use wood or a plastic "turtle dock." Whatever you choose to construct a basking spot, make sure your turtle can climb onto it easily and that it allows your turtle to completely dry off.
Add Tank Decorations
When designing a tank, it's a good idea to keep it uncluttered and easy to clean. Remember that turtles can knock things over and push stuff around. Plants may be a nice aesthetic touch, but turtles are likely to make a snack of them or uproot them. Plastic plants will likely be dug up and just make cleaning more difficult.
Maintain Tank Heat
The water in a red-eared slider turtle tank should be kept at about 74-78 degrees Fahrenheit, and up to 80 F for hatchlings. The daytime ambient air temperature in the tank should be between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with a basking spot between 90 and 95 F over the land area of the tank.
Install an Ultraviolet Light
In addition to the basking light for heat, provide a full spectrum reptile Ultraviolet (UVA/UVB) light. Exposure to UVA/UVB is necessary for proper calcium metabolism and also appears to have other benefits to overall health such as improving appetite. It is also nice to take your turtle out into the natural sunlight in warmer weather if you can.
What Do Baby Red-Eared Slider Turtles Eat?
Baby red-eared sliders eat insects, snails, and vegetables like carrots.
What Do Pet Red-Eared Sliders Eat?
Pet red-eared sliders eat insects like crickets, worms, shrimp, greens, lettuce, and vegetables.
Red-Eared Slider Facts
Before you buy a red-eared slider, you might want to brush up on the facts. Let’s learn a bit about where this turtle came from and why.
Are Red-Eared Sliders Good Pets?
Red-eared sliders can make terrific pets, providing that you’ve done your research on turtle care. This species is a semi-aquatic turtle that requires a specific tank with fresh water, plants, basking spots, and appropriate space.
Where Can I Get a Red-Eared Slider?
You can buy a red-eared slider from many pet stores and aquatic shops. You might also find them from local breeders or hobbyists. Depending on age and variety, these turtles can range from $5 to $100 or more.
How Much Does It Cost To Own a Red-Eared Slider?
A red-eared slider might seem like a cheap pet that is easy to take care of—and you’re partially correct. But every pet takes commitment, which includes keeping up with tank maintenance, turtle health, and replenishing supplies.
What Kind of Home Does My Red-Eared Slider Need?
Your turtle’s habitat is the most important place in the world—their sanctuary. So, it would be best if you never tried to cheap out on supplies or skip crucial needs.
What Should I Feed My Red-Eared Slider?
Red-eared sliders are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter. In the wild, they feast on aquatic plants and small animals, like frogs.
How Do I Take Care of My Red-Eared Slider?
Knowing how to care for your turtle appropriately is the key to lifelong happiness. Here are some key care tips for your red-eared slider.
About Red-Eared Slider
Red-Eared Slider are ectothermic freshwater turtles that spend their time foraging in water bodies with dense vegetation. Scientifically known as Trachemys scripta elegans, these reptiles boast a yellow and black domed carapace with longitudinal stripes and bands.
Red-Eared Slider Turtle Eggs
Like chicken, female lay eggs regardless of whether there’s a male around to fertilize them.
Handling Red-Eared Slider Turtle Eggs Once Laid
Now that we know the basics of Red-Eared Slider turtle eggs, let’s focus on handling them once they are in the nest.
Red-Eared Slider Turtle Eggs FAQs
A female can lay between 10 to 30 eggs each season. The eggs are laid in clutches of 3 to 5, which come weeks apart. With about 30 eggs per season, you can understand why this turtle species is spread worldwide.
About Red-Eared Sliders
How to Take Care of A Red-Eared Slider Turtle
- Red-Eared Sliders need lots of space and many live for well over 20 years. First-time turtle owners should do their research before acquiring this species. This turtle is better suited for individuals with more experience in handling and rearing turtles but properly informed beginners can enjoy them. In general, you will need to provide specialized...
Buying Guide
- Red-Eared Sliders are invasive in most parts of the world. It is important to research your local wildlife lawsto determine if you can legally purchase one in your state. Their invasive nature also makes finding a reputable breeder difficult. You can get a Slider from pet stores, breeders, large-scale dealers, or rescue organizations. Generally, breeders will be the most knowledgeable of th…
Appearance
- Sliders are beautifully patterned pond turtles. Unlike any other pond turtle species, Red-Eared Sliders have a defining maroon-red stripe behind each ear.This feature separates them from all other species and makes them very easy to spot. Red-Eared Sliders have olive green-brown carapaces, or “top shells”, that are divided into plate-like sections called “scutes.” As they age, th…
Normal Behavior
- Red-Eared Sliders are active turtles that spend most of their time swimming, foraging, and basking.They are normally found basking in groups and communicate with one another through touch and vibration. When basking, these turtles lookout for predators and can dive into the water at a moment’s notice. If they happen to be on land, they can pull in their arms and legs to protec…
Summary
- Keepers love these turtles for their high activity levels and beautiful yellow, green and red colors. Their delicate redhead markings make them very cute pets. These hardy turtles adapt very well to life as pets, and with good care, your turtle could live to be 20 to 30 years old. As they are very common pets, they can easily be bought. But, you should do your homework to make sure you ar…