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Care Sheet: Red-eared Slider

Posted in Care Sheets on July 2, 2007

Habitat:
Red-eared sliders love water. Allow them plenty of swimming space. A heat source and light for basking should be given if unfiltered sunlight is not available. Providing a basking log and a transition section so that your slider can move back and forth from basking to swimming with ease.

Temperature and Humidity:
It is recommended that warming water be at least twice the turtle’s shell length, at a minimum. Temperature of the warming water should be about 75-86 degrees F and a large basking site are essential for red-ear sliders. Be sure to provide ample lighting and humidity.

Food:
Red-eared sliders are mainly carnivorous as juveniles, becoming more herbivorous as adults. The young eat water insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and tadpoles, then turn to a plant diet as they mature. The most important dietary requirements are vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus, which are necessary in sufficient quantity and in the correct proportions to form the bones and shell of a growing turtle, without which the shell would become soft and deformed.

Their diet is somewhat varied, so they can be feed worms, snails, water plants, fresh vegetables, and small pieces of raw meat. (As a side note: Raw meat should only be fed as a treat, since it is high in fat and grease soils the tank quickly.) Commercial prepared dry turtle food is acceptable as long as it is used in a well-balanced diet.

Cleanliness & Health:
Aquatic turtles, by general nature, are messy. It’s best to inspect your turtle thoroughly before purchase from a breeder or pet store. Other possible health problems include both internal and external parasites.

Further Information and Related Web Site:
http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

13 Responses to “Care Sheet: Red-eared Slider”

  1. Raphael said on August 31st, 2007 at 2:15 pm:

    I purchased a turtle from a pet shop in panama city beach florida. It looks just like pictures of the red eared sliders except there is no red ear. Could you tell me what kind I have? I am wanting to learn more so I can give him a good life. He or she not sure which yet already comes to me when I approach the bowl. I have fallen in love with him. Thanks

  2. admin said on September 8th, 2007 at 5:49 pm:

    Hi Raphael,

    You could have a yellow bellied slider or a river cooter, but it’s hard to tell without pictures. Either way, they can be taken care of like a red-eared slider. Care sheets for red-eared sliders will do you just fine. :)

  3. Evan said on September 13th, 2007 at 7:54 pm:

    Hi i just bought a red eared slider a month ago, and also a Turtle starter aquarium (20 gal.). My problem is is that my turtle has this white stuff building up in his neck and legs and i don’t know what it is or how to stop it. I also noticed that my Bio Bag (in filter) is also building up with this green substance. I have a clean room so that can’t be the problem. If you have any suggestions that would be great.
    Thanks
    Evan

  4. Evan said on September 13th, 2007 at 7:54 pm:

    Let me know at hckysk8er822@aol.com Thanks again

  5. admin said on September 27th, 2007 at 5:40 pm:

    Evan,

    Calcium build up is common with turtles. As long as it’s not smelly or mushy, you’re just fine. You might want to look into running filtered or softened water to avoid the build up.

  6. sara said on October 31st, 2007 at 11:27 pm:

    I have an old slider and she is not as buoyant as she used to be. She basks on the rocks in the pond longer now. Why?
    I have two other female sliders that are younger and they are fine. They all live in a 3ft. deep 4×13 pond with koi fish and a Hayward filter in southern California. Is she on her last days! What can i do?

  7. Christina said on November 22nd, 2007 at 8:51 pm:

    I have a a red eared slider turtle that is about one and a half years old. Recently it has developed a green substance on its shell. At first we thought it was mold, but now we think it is just growing. What do you think?

  8. Danielle said on November 27th, 2007 at 4:56 pm:

    Hi. My boyfriend and I just got a red eared slider from a pet shop in denver. We have had the turtle for about 3 days, and we have been doing tests on the water to check all the levels of ammonia nitrite and so on. However, our ammonia level is not at zero. We read on a different site that ammonia needs to be present, but how much ammonia is exceptable? Thank you for your help.
    Danielle

  9. admin said on January 12th, 2008 at 12:52 pm:

    Sara -

    I’ve read that as turtles get older, they tend to become more sedentary. Other than that, I’m not sure if there is a particular reason your little one has taken to basking so much.

    It’s kinda like us when we grow older. We tend to get more sedentary too. ;)

  10. admin said on January 12th, 2008 at 1:21 pm:

    Christina -

    That’s most likely algae. You’ll want to keep your water clean (or cleaner) and try to reduce the amount of time the lights are on. (Algae grows with exposure to light.) It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you will want to keep it to a minimum.

  11. admin said on January 12th, 2008 at 2:07 pm:

    Danielle -

    We didn’t specifically test for ammonia levels. We just did regular tank cleanings. If you’re looking for specific values, you might want to check:

    Filtration Basics for Water Turtle Tanks

    and

    Austins Turtle Filtration Page

  12. rony said on January 27th, 2008 at 3:36 am:

    hi well i have 3 red eared slider around the age of 1.5 years now these days i can see some white substance on their shell which comes off . can you please tell me what do i need to do

  13. admin said on January 27th, 2008 at 4:53 pm:

    Rony -

    That’s probably shell rot. I would recommend you find a veterinarian that works with reptiles and have him take a look at them. He can administer antibiotics as needed and give you further instructions on nursing your turtles to better health.

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