Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I have mnay questions about red ear sliders before I get them. Ok, well my questions are below please answer them in order like (1. then say the answer) thank you very much.

1. Are these semi-aquatic or aquactic turtles?

2. Do they need land in their cage? or just water?

3. Should the water be over their head?

4. What do they eat? I checked out some sites and got a good idea, but still please answer this.

5. Do they need a resting spot?

6. anything else I might need to know and any links you have!

when I say resting spot I ment like a cave or soemthing to go into like hiding spot.

sorry! one more....can you play with them? like you could land turtles? if so for how long? or can you just pick them up? How long can they be out of the water?

sorry for all the posts :-/

Oh wow... I hope your not serious about "playing" with them. These are not toys. If you want something you can play with get a dog. Turtles are like fish. You enjoy them by watching their beauty.

I am not going to sit here and tell you everything you need. So go to www.Austinsturtlepage.com and go to caresheets then sliders, then Red Eared Sliders. That is a full caresheet for them. There are also articles on that page for setting up your first turtle tank ect. You should find everything you need there.
Good Luck... And next time research before you buy!
Chris
-----
Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 1.0 Softy, 0.1 Ambo, 1.0 Bearded Dragon

thank for first replyer screw you second replyer. I have been researching for hours each day. as if you know, I just wanted to double check info with the owners. no I did not mean 'play' but think of a land turtle and you will kno what I mean loss your attitude you really have 1 and you rally need to loss it, don't reply to mesages you are not helping at all you are just rude

NP
-----
Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 1.0 Softy, 0.1 Ambo, 1.0 Bearded Dragon

See if your pet store has the book, The General Care and Maintenance of Red-Eared Sliders by Phillipe de Vosjoli. Sometimes it's sold under just the title of "Red-eared Slider" - just look for de Vosjoli's name on a slider book. It's a good book for starting with aquatics. This is also a good webstie: http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/trachemyscare.htm

These are considered aquatic turtles - they spend most of the time in the water, but need a place to "haul out" and bask. I like floating cork bark for this. Adult females will need a land area to lay eggs - they can lay infertile eggs even if never kept with a male. They also like a place to hide - so an underwater cave of sorts or artificial silk plants are a good idea.

Don't forget that these turtles grow to 6-12 inches as adults, and can grow to 6-8 inches in just a few short years!!!! Females really do best in ponds, and you can't determine gender until they are about 3-4 inches long.

As for food, many companies make turtle pellets, including Reptomin, Zoo Med, and Wardley's. They can also eat trout chow pellets, and Walkabout Farms makes a very high quality pellet (herpnutrition.com). They also eat dark leafy greens, aquatic plants, veggies, fish, earthworms, and insects.

Don't forget to investigate adoption before purchasing a slider. There are hundreds of sliders that need new homes. You could also try fostering to see if a slider is for you.

Katrina

Well lets see... I was the first replyer, but I believe you were talking to me. If you would have stated that you have had been researching I would have not commented. This question is brought up VERY often, it would have been helpful to search the forum before posting your question. About the "play" thing. Well if you didnt mean play, why did you put it? I have no attitude... I simply was saying that doing your homework would have helped. If you did research properly, all of these questions would have been asnwered. You asked, "should the water be over their heads"... ANY caresheet would have told you this. I believe YOUR the one with the attitude. So calm down... And stop taking offense to everthing.
Chris
-----
Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 1.0 Softy, 0.1 Ambo, 1.0 Bearded Dragon

By the way, turtles and tortoises do not like to be picked up. Some will tolerate it, but for the most part, try to keep the handling to a minimum.

And, aquatics must have water over their head. They can only eat in the water. I do have to agree with Chris on one thing - almost all care sheets indicate that the water depth should be at least as deep as the shell is long. So, if your slider is 6" long, the water should be at least 6" deep. Hatchlings can have water deeper than their shell by several inches.

Also, please avoid Arts of Nature if you were considering purchasing from them. They are NOT an adoption organization. True rescues do not encourage bulk adoption, and usually require an adoption application.

Katrina