Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey- I'm mainly a tortoise guy, so please excuse my lack of knowledge when it comes to Red Eared Sliders. A friend of mine went to the carnival last night, and came home with two hatchling Red Eared Sliders. Right now they're being housed in a ten gallon tank. There is about a gallon of water for swimming, and sloped rocks for basking. For lighting, she's using your everyday fluorescent tube. With tortoises, they always like to have a warm spot and a cold spot. Is it the same with a RES? I'll assume they'll need either a 100 gallon tank or a pond when full grown. How long will it take them to reach such a large size? Another problem is food. She has pellets, but they don't seem to be interested. What is a good feeding method? I appreciate your advice. Thanks. Brooks

Look at the top of the page. There are care sheets for them
if you click on it. Encourage your friend to do as much
research on the internet as possible.

They MUST have a UVB source. I prefer Reptisun 5.0 and
also a heat source like a regular light bulb.

Hope this helps
Linda

He can make the water much deeper, unually for a RES you fill a tank 2/3 full or more. RES just need a place to get out of the water and bask, like a floating island. The pellets are good, or he could try shrimp treats if they aren't eating. A filter and UVB source are also needed.
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You don't want the water too deep just yet, to make sure they're used to swimming properly. Once you know they're OK, the water can be as deep as you like.

For food, I use frozen blood worms and occasionally small crickets from the pet store for finicky hatchlings. Once they're active and eating well, you can try to switch to pellets.

For basking heat, a regular light bulb is fine at one end, and an aquarium heater is a good idea, too (the kind that is submergible).

Katrina

You might want to get the book, The General Care and Maintenance of Red-Eared Sliders by Philippe de Vosjoli. Most pet stores have it, or you can order it from Amazon.com. It's inexpensive and has a lot of good information.

Katrina

Kinda gross but try cutting up some feeder fish for them. Feeder fish are great because they are a "whole" food. RES's need the bones and guts. Once you (or whomever) gets them eating, feed a variety of proper foods, not just pellets. Once eating good feed every other day. Daily feedings make for spoiled turtles and less likely to eat the variety you give them.

Female RES's can easily reach 1 foot in length. That takes a number of years. RES's will be much less likely to have problems and are easiler to keep if they are kept outside. I strongly suggest your friend get them in an outside setup when warm weather comes again next year. Even the best UVB lights are NOT an equal substitute for unfiltered direct sunlight. While indoors a water heater set about 80 degrees is a must and they need 12-14 hours of light per day. Visit this website for good care info.
GCTTS website and care info.

In which state was the turtle won? Does your friend know the name of the carnival? The date she won it?

There are some groups tracking these carnivals and trying to get the authorities to react to this illegal activity.

As for adult size, females can grow up to 12 inches, and males up to eight, although I've personally never seen a captive female over 10" or a male over 7". How fast they grow depends on how much you feed them. I've seen some as large as 8" at three years old. Obviously, these large, young turtles were fed too much. Hatchlings can be fed daily, but as they get older, switch to every other day feedings. Expect your turtle to grow up to four inches the first year, although less would be better. You can start offering leafy greens now, although some hatchlings won't eat greens for a few months. Aquatic plants offer natural hiding and snacks, if you can get them at local plant nurseries or pet stores. I like water hyacinth, and so do the turtles!

Katrina