IDENTIFICATION:They are brown or olive green, with a prominent patch of yellow on the side of the head behind the eye. The lower jaw is rounded. Yellow-bellied slider turtles range in length from 5 to 12 inches. The yellow patch behind the eye is its most prominent marking and is most obvious in juveniles and females. The yellow plastron is sometimes marked with round dusky smudges. With age, both the carapace and yellow marking can darken with pigment making identification more difficult.

HABITAT: The yellow-bellied slider turtle is found in a wide variety of habitats, including Carolina bays, sloughs, sinkholes, oxbow lakes, swamps, rivers, ponds and lakes with soft bottoms and dense vegetation. Sometimes they travel over land between bodies of water.

BREEDING: Sliders mate March to June and nest June to July. The female lays 1-3 clutches of 4-23 oval eggs in a nest cavity 1-4" deep. Hatchlings emerge in 2-3 months, but often overwinter in the nest. Males mature in 2-5 years. Females mature in 4-6 years.

DIET: Juveniles are carnivores and eat insects, dead fish, mollusks including snails, tadpoles and other meat items. Adults prefer a diet of vegetation: including algae, leaves, stems, roots, fruits and seeds.

CAPTIVE HUSBANDRY: Sliders prefer an aquarium with a large water area for swimming. Water temperature should be between 75 and 85 degrees. They also require a land area for basking. UV lighting is imperative for the maintenance of healthy shells and bones. There should be hiding places and plants. Hatchlings and juveniles in particular eat better if they feel secure. In addition to the above natural food items, a good quality pelleted turtle food may be fed.