| Red Eared Slider Care |
| First of all, I made this page because I too made the mistake many people make which is going to a pet store and seeing a cute little baby water turtle and buying it. Actually I bought 5. What people don't know is that they cost so much to take care of and most of them die when they are young because people don't know what all they need to be happy or healthy. People also don't know that they will grow to be about a foot long and need a huge tank or pond. But if you have a red eared slider, here's the basic info you need to know. These are the things sliders absolutely must have in order to thrive: HEATING, A VARIED DIET, BASKING SPACE, UVB LIGHTING, ADEQUATE SWIMMING SPACE, A DAMN GOOD FILTER, and ATTENTION. HEATING First of all, turtles have to have a water heater. And not one of those heaters that hang on the side of the aquarium, because it wouldn't reach the water, which should not go to the top of the tank. See "adequate swimming space". You have to get a submersible water heater, which are sold at most pet stores. Submersible just means that the heater goes completely under the water. Buy one that corresponds to the size of your tank. They usually say on the package "For a 40 gallon tank" or whatever. Don't go over or under or your turtles will cook or freeze. Turtles can live in cold water, but the cold lowers their immune system and they are much more likely to get sick. Also they will not be as active in cold water. Heating is essential. I keep my tank around 78 degrees. Buy a stick-on thermometer. They're cheap. A VARIED DIET Turtles cannot live on just those crappy turtle sticks you buy at the pet store. It's just unhealthy. If your turtle is a baby, it will be mostly carnivorous. Good foods to feed them are crickets, small minnows, small goldfish, worms, and small pieces of beef. Do not feed them chicken for any reason! You can also try to get them started on veggies early by giving them pieces of romaine lettuce and other dark greens. No iceberg lettuce! You can still give them turtle sticks, just vary their diet so that's not all they get. By feeding them a varied diet, their immune system will be boosted and they will grow up healthy and strong. When they're older to full grown, they will eat primarily vegetable matter. Another important thing involved in feeding them is calcium. THEY HAVE TO HAVE IT! It's what their shell needs. If they don't have it they'll develop soft-shell and die. Here's the best way to give them calcium: Buy a piece of cuttle bone (those white chalky things that you see in bird cages that the birds use to peck at and sharpen their beaks). Get them in the bird aisle of the pet store. Those things are pure calcium, and the turtles love to chew on and eat it. You can be sure that they get all the calcium they need if you keep a piece of cuttle bone floating in their water all the time. Turst me, they'll eat it. BASKING SPACE Turtles have to have a place to dry out and get warmth and sumlight. This doesn't mean to put them by a window, either. If turtles can't get out of the water their shell will develop a fungus. You have to buy a basking bulb or heat bulb. They are found in the reptile section of any pet store. Don't buy the red or blacklight-looking bulbs, just a white one. I use the Zoo-Med Basking Spot Lamp. Anyways, buy a bulb, and buy a clamp-on light fixture (also in the reptile section) and clamp it on the side of the tank and point it down right over the land area of the tank (which I am about to discuss). The land area of the tank needs to be big enough for the turtle to get on and get completely out of the water. Some use rocks, but those can break your tank, fall over, and scrape the turtle's shell. I reccomend the "turtle dock" by Zoo Med. Usually you only see the small ones in the store, and that's okay if your turtle is the size of a quarter or a little bigger, but for big turtles, get online and either order the large Zoo Med turtle dock or Tera-Rep's bigger turtle ramp. What some people do is make their own out of plastic pieces and use silicone sealant to attach it to the tank, but you have to do this before you fill it with water. Either way, they have to have a nice place to get dry, or else! UVB LIGHTING Turtles have to have UVB lighting as well as a basking light. UVB rays come from the sun but don't travel through windows, so don't try it. They need UVB because it gives them Vitamin D3, which is essential for growth and their shell. What this means is that you have to buy another bulb and another fixture. Alot of people use a hanging fixture and get a Repti-Sun tube light (found in the reptile section of pet stores). Those are expensive. I use a Super UVB coil lamp that I bought at Petco. I just have another clamp-lamp and point it right over the turtles' water. if you're so cheap that you can't buy a UVB bulb, you shouldn't have a turtle. BUT if you just found out about this and can't get one right away, just take your turtle outside for a few hours each day so it can get some natural UVB. But don't let it get away! Watch it! They're so quick! ADEQUATE SWIMMING SPACE Turtles can't live in that old fishbowl or ten gallon for long. A grown turtle needs at the very bare minimum a 30 gallon tank. And that's still kinda bad for them. Get the biggest tank you can possibly afford! Turtles have to swim around to be happy. Go for a wider, longer tank rather than a narrow tank. Breeder tanks are good if you can find them--try Petco. Sometimes they have some. If not, they can order them. I'm sure you know by now that the water needs to only be about halfway to the top of the tank to necessitate a basking area. So if you get a 30 gallon, the turtle is really only getting 15 gallons. A DAMN GOOD FILTER One day of owning a turtle will show you just how dirty they are. And they only get dirtier as they get bigger. Now if your turtle is the size of a quarter and he's in a ten gallon, I guess one of those hang-on-the side filters is okay, but any bigger and you may as well buy the best type of filter--one that you will be able to use for the turtle for the rest of its life. The only way to go is a canister filter. These are expensive. I bought a Fluval 304 for 150 dollars and I hardly ever have to change it, even with my 5 turtles, which are pretty big. There is no other way to go--just get a canister filter and it'll be done. ATTENTION Turtles need attention if you want them to be good pets. Feed them by hand. Take them out and let them crawl around on your floor. Hold them carefully and pet them. It'll take a little time, but they'll get used to you. Turtles respond to touch, smell, and vibration, and they can't hear you so don't try to teach them their name or anything. My turtle, Merry, will let me grab his front hands and dance with him. He comes up on the dock to my hand when I reach in. Just give them time and attention and they will be the best pets you ever had. A FEW LAST NOTES Turtles can live for 90 years, so leave them (along with care directions) to someone in your will. Turtles, as you can now see, are quite expensive, so save money in case one gets sick and needs to go to the herp vet. If you ever find yourself unable to care for a turtle, don't let it go, there are tons of places online that you can go to to find homes and people who take turtles that cannot be cared for like www.turtlehomes.org. or you can do a search for "turtle rescue". Just never let it go in the wild. Find a home for it. Once it's had human contact, it shouldn't be released. It's as good as dead if you do. Another place that sometimes takes unwanted pets is Petco, so try there. I only keep mentioning Petco because I used to work there as a reptile specialist. If you still have questions or want to stay informed on the latest news and advice on red eared sliders, you should join this yahoo group. I am in it and it is pretty cool. Click here to check it out. Have fun with your turtles! |
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