The Red Eared Slider is perhaps the most popular semi aquatic turtle in the pet trade market. Unfortunately they are also one of the most abandon and poorly cared for of all the reptilian type creatures.
*Please Note; this care sheet is not the end all and be all of care information and should just be regarded as a starting point. To keep a healthy happy turtle you should continue studying their needs. To this end, a number of helpful web addresses may be found at the bottom of this care sheet.
The 3 most common mistakes new turtle owners make are;
1. Listening to the care advice given them by pet store staff. It is an unfortunate fact that most pet store people know little or nothing about the animals they sell. Pet stores generally purchase animals in large lots from whatever source will sell them the cheapest just so they can make a buck. This means that they are willing to sell you animals that are inbred or wild caught, at times illegal to sell, with no regard for the health or wellbeing of the animal.
2. Buying hatchling turtles. Hatchlings are very difficult to care for and are very unforgiving of mistakes. Like any baby they get sick easily with any diseases they get progressing rapidly to the point of incurability and death. It is a sad but true fact that 90% of all baby turtles purchased by hobbyists die in the first year.
3. Not providing the proper environment. Many people think all they need is a ten or twenty gallon aquarium with some water in it and a little plastic island for the turtle to crawl onto to provide a good home for their turtle.
HOUSING
To start with the only really good year around housing for a RES is a well protected outdoor pond setting that provides lots of swimming area, sunshine and shade. But as I am aware that many people will try to keep them indoors let’s examine some of the requirements. I am going to base this information on the guess that your turtle was legal to sell in the first place and is at least 4 – 6 inches, an adult RES. If it is at least 4 – 6 inches (10.16 - 15.24cm) from the front of its shell to the back of the shell. Based on the average of these measurements, 5 inches (12.7), the minimum enclosure you would need to house it would be 30 inches (76.2cm) long X 15 inches (38.1cm) wide and 18 – 22 inches (14.72 – 55.88cm) high. This area is divided into a swimming area and a dry land basking area. This same turtle requires a swimming area that is at the very least 10 inches (25.4cm) Deep X 15 inches (38.1cm) Wide X 20 inches (50.8cm) Long and a dry land basking area of 10 inches (25.4cm) by the width of the enclosure.
How did I come up with these figures?
The swimming area for a RES needs to be at the very least five times longer than your turtle’s shell is long, and three times wider than your turtle’s shell is long and twice as deep as your turtle’s shell is long, For a 10 inch (25.4cm) RES this would mean a minimum swimming area 50 inches (127cm) long X 30 inches (76.2cm) wide X 20 inches (50.8cm) deep.
The dry land basking area needs to be twice the size of the turtle’s shell length.
LIGHTING
Red Eared Sliders need a warm dry basking area to assist in the digestion of their food. The warmth over the basking area should be provided by an incandescent spot light or a Reptile specific Mercury Vapor bulb. (see explanation below)
Just as important is their need for exposure to the
UVB radiation that the sun provides though no one knows exactly how much is required. The
UVB radiation of the sun provides vitamin D3 which aids in the absorption of calcium into the system. Without D3 there will be little or no calcium absorption which results in soft shells, improper growth and death. These helpful rays from the sun can be mimicked with the use of lighting which provides
UVB radiation.
To meet the need for both heat and
UVB Radiation there are a couple of options available to us. Both have positive and negative sides to them.
The first and the one I use requires two types of light, a reptile specific florescent tube such as the Repti-Sun 7.0 to supply the
UVB radiation to provide the vitamin D3 necessary for calcium absorption and an incandescent basking spot light to provide the warmth needed for proper digestion.
The draw backs to this set up is the need to have dual lighting sources and the fact that florescent source tubes need to be replace every 3 – 6 months and the florescent bulb must also be installed within 12 inches (30.48cm) of the basking spot to be effective.
The second set up utilizes only one bulb to provide for both the basking and
UVB requirements. This is done with a Reptile specific Mercury Vapor bulb such as the Solar Brite
UVB Mercury Vapor series. This bulb, correctly placed, can provide for both the basking and
UVB requirements of your lizard.
The draw back to these bulbs is that they cost almost twice what the florescent cost and they must be replaced every year.
Whatever types of lighting set up you choose the lighting should be on a timers switch set to provide 12 - 14 hours of light per day.
*Please Note; Incandescent lights and non reptile specific florescent tubes, even those that are called “Full Spectrum”, do not supply UV
B radiation.
I have found it best to keep the lighting on timers that provide 14 hours of light per day.
TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS
Keeping your turtle at the proper temps can make the difference between a healthy turtle and a dead one.
The over all temperature of your turtles enclosure should be around 75F (23.89C) with a dry land basking area of 85 - 87F (29.44 – 30.56C) under the basking light. If your enclosure temps are too cool or your basking area is not warm enough your turtle may not want to leave the water to dry off and digest its food this can result in fungal and bacterial diseases and loss of appetite. This also holds true if your temps are to hot
Your water temps need to be kept at 75 – 82F (23.89 – 27.78C). If your water is to warm your turtle may not leave the water to bask and dry off which can result in fungal and bacterial diseases. If your water or the entire enclosure is to cool your turtle may stop eating entirely.
*Note; if you are treating a sick turtle or have a baby turtle your water temps need to be kept slightly higher 82-85F (27.78 – 29.44C)
WATER QUALITY
As your turtle must drink and live in the same water maintaining high water quality is very important. Since turtles tend to produce a lot of waste a good water filter and frequent water changes are required in order to keep a healthy turtle. The water filter you choose should be rated for at least twice the amount of water than what you are actually using. This means, using the example of the minimum required swimming area for a 5 inch RES, if your are using 13 gallons of water you should have water filtration that is rated for a 26 gallon aquarium.
As the filter alone will not handle the waste produced by a turtle there will be stuff that sinks to the bottom of the water you must also do 25 – 50% water changes at least once each week using a siphon designed to vacuum the bottom. In addition you should do a complete tank cleaning and disinfecting every three weeks.
A complete tank cleaning is removing everything from the tank and washing everything including the tank (but not the animals or live plants) with a 10% bleach/90% water solution. Rinse everything thoroughly and allow it to dry then set everything back up.
Feeding your turtle in a separate enclosure goes a long way towards maintaining high water quality but is still no substitute for good filtration and water changes.
*Always wash your hands after handling your turtle*
FOOD
When Red Eared Sliders are young they eat mostly animal proteins like snails, small fish, some types of tadpoles, small frogs & toads, insects, worms etc. As they get older they begin eating more vegetative matter such as duck weed, water hyacinths, etc.
In captivity we try to replicate their natural diet as much as is possible. You should feed them a variety to ensure that they are getting what they need nutritionally although there are no studies that say exactly what that is.
Here are the foods that I would recommend you feed an adult RES;
Animal Proteins (25 – 50% of the diet) Earthworms or Night Crawlers, purchased from a pet store or other retail outlet, intended for use as animal food / Snails / Crayfish / Crickets these should be fed gut load before offering them to your turtle as when they come from the pet store they have usually been without food for some time and offer little in the way of nutrition / Meal Worms / Wax Worms are alright but should only be used sparingly as they are high in fat / Guppies / Frozen Fresh Water Fish like Trout / Feeder Gold Fish only occasionally as these are often nutritionally deficient as purchased and there seems to be some evidence that they contain an enzyme called thiaminase which destroys vitamin B (thiamine).
Vegetable Matter (50 - 75% of the diet) Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Dandelion Greens, Endive, Watercress, Carrot Tops, Chickweed, Mulberry Tree Leaves, Anacharis, Duck Weed, Water Hyacinths, Water Lilies, Water Lettuce, Grated Butternut Squash and Green Beans.
You may also on occasion add fruits like Cantaloupe, Grated or Chopped Apple, Strawberries and Blue Berries.
Commercial Turtle Pellets (15 – 25% of the diet if at all) As most commercial pellets are high in proteins and fat they should only be used in limited amounts if they are used at all or they could lead to an over weight turtle. You can do much better offering whole real foods with vitamin supplementation than you can offering junk pellets.
FEEDING - HOW MUCH, WHERE & HOW OFTEN
As a general rule you should only feed as much as your turtle will eat in 20 – 30 minutes another rule of thumb is an amount equal to the size of the turtles head and neck.
Red Eared Sliders do not produce the saliva needed for swallowing so they must be fed in the water. This water can be the water they live in or another enclosure with water of the proper temperature if you would like to avoid some of the waste associated with feeding from accumulating in the housing enclosure.
*Always wash your hands after handling your turtle*
As for how often opinions vary as some will say every other day but I like this daily schedule;
Sunday: -- Veggies
Monday – Animal Protein
Tuesday – Veggies
Wednesday – Veggies
Thursday – Animal Proteins (or Commercial Turtle Pellets if you absolutely feel you must use them
Friday – Veggies
Saturday – Animal Proteins
VITAMIN SUPLIMENTS
In a perfect world we would be able to supply for all of our turtles nutritional needs through diet alone but this is not a perfect world and since we are not sure of the exact nutritional needs for turtles supplements must be used.
A good reptile vitamin supplement like RepCal’s Herptivite should be added two or three times a week to the food.
CALCIUM SUPLIMENTS
Since calcium is very important for the proper growth of bones and the shell you also need to provide some form of supplementation for this as well.
Though there are any number of calcium supplements on the market I would recommend the use of a calcium block or a cuttlebone, like those made for birds, hung or placed near the water where the turtle can gnaw on it at will.
HANDLING YOUR TURTLE
*Always wash your hands after handling your turtle*
For the first week after you get your turtle it is a good idea to leave it alone, other than to feed it, so it can get used to the wonderful world you have created for it.
When you do pick up your turtle always use two hands, one underneath it so that it’s feet can feel the support you are giving and the other holding the shell so that it cannot scramble off your hand. A fall can crack a shell or break limbs.
HIBERNATION
Though I do not feel that hibernation is absolutely necessary, unless you are trying to breed, and should never be done indoors there are enough people that have learned it is better for the turtle to live outdoors that I thought I should include this section. For your RES your pond will need to be at least 18 inches deep and even deeper in more northern climates.
If you pond has been known to freeze to the bottom you cannot hibernate your RES in it.
Around the end of August or the first part of September, 4 – 6 weeks before cold weather sets in, you should begin preparing your outdoor RES for hibernation by feeding a diet with a greater percentage of carbohydrates, fat and vitamin A in the form of Beta-Carotine.
About mid September it would also be a good idea to have your turtle given a thorough examination by your turtle vet to insure it is healthy enough to survive the long winters sleep.
As the days shorten and the temperatures begin to drop your turtle should slow down on its eating and eventually quit eating altogether just before entering into hibernation. When it does enter into hibernation it will bury itself into the mud and debris at the bottom of the pond until water temps tell it that the weather is warm enough to become active again.
Here are a couple of web addresses that will help you better educate yourself on hibernating turtles.
Hibernation Guidelines for Turtles and Tortoises
Hibernation of Turtles and Tortoises
SEXING
If your turtles are not adults, 3 – 5 years old, you probably can’t sex them but the general rule is that on males the claws are longer, the bottom of the shell is concaved, the tail is fatter and longer, the vent opening on the underside of the tail, called the cloaca, is farther from the body and closer to the tip of the tail.
On females the claws are shorter, the bottom of the shell is flat, the tail is shorter, the cloaca is closer to the body than it is to the tip of the tail and females are bigger than males of the same age.
HEALTH ISSUES
Turtles often are sick for some time before they begin to show symptoms that you will notice and by the time their symptoms do appear it is very serious.
If at any time you notice that your turtle has a Cracked or Broken Shell, Swollen Eyes, Swollen Cheeks or Neck, Mucous around the Nose or Mouth, Diarrhea, a Soft Shell, a red object protruding from the cloaca that does not go back inside, is Open Mouth Breathing, is constantly Gaping, becomes lethargic, is constipated or is not eating when all your temps are correct and there have been no major new stress factors you should immediately get it to a good veterinarian specifically trained to deal with turtles.
Algae - though not usually a problem, as most semi aquatic turtles that are exposed to sunlight will develop algae growths on their shell, this can be removed by gently scrubbing the alge off the shell with a soft brush or an old tooth brush. NEVER use chemicals in the water or on the turtle to control algae.
Fungus – appears generally as fuzzy white or gray patches on the shell or skin.
This problem is generally associated with poor water quality or not basking due to improper temperatures but can be the outward sign of an illness or the result of an injury.
To combat this problem after it appears there are a number of possible cures but
for any of these cures to be effective you must do a complete clean out of the enclosure.
A complete clean out is removing everything from the tank and washing everything including the tank (but not the animals or live plants) with a 10% bleach/90% water solution. Rinse everything thoroughly and allow it to dry then set everything back up.
Methods to treat the fungal problem
*First you may use Acriflavan, an anti fungal medication available at most pet stores, in the water as directed.
*A second solution is to scrub the turtle all over with Betadine using a soft tooth brush and place the turtle in a dry place for 20 minutes before rinsing. This process will need to be repeated twice a day for 14 days.
Be very careful not to get any of the Betadine in the turtles eyes
*A third method of treatment is to give the turtle a 30 minute bath of salty warm water everyday. You should start seeing some changes within a couple of days and full recovery within 10 days.
Be sure that you correct the problem that caused the fungal growth in the first place or you will be wasting your time and endangering your animal.
*Yet another method of treating a fungal infection is to remove the turtle from its tank and put it into dry dock. This means keeping it out of the water completely for a week, for all but 30 minutes per day. During the water period is when you will feed and your turtle will re-hydrate.
Once the turtle is dry after first removing it to dry dock apply Betadine but do not worry about rinsing it off or scrubbing with a soft tooth brush as was done in the second method. The fungus will naturally fall off in time.
Each day for the first 4 days you should re-apply the Betadine after the turtle has dried off from his water period. After the fourth day application of Betadine apply Lotrimin, a commonly available fungal cream, to the affected areas. Once you first apply the Lotrimin you will no longer be able to apply Betadine as the properties of the cream will prevent the betadine from reaching the affected areas. Repeat the application of Lotrimin on the 6th day
* Lastly I need to mention
the very best treatment for fungus which is related to keeping your turtle outdoors to begin with. Turtles kept outdoors seldom have problems with fungus because they are exposed to the best fungus cure available, the sun.
This wonderful fungus cure can also be used by indoor turtle keepers if you have a place outside where you can put your turtle where it will be safe from harm and can be contained to a localized area.
A good cheap method of containing your turtle would be a plastic child’s wading pool. By placing one of these pools, with water in it, partially in the sun and partially in the shade you allow your turtle access to the best possible fungus cure and source of
UVB radiation available.
Of course there are conditions to this. First you must monitor the water temperatures to insure it does not get to hot, second you must either set up fencing set into the ground to prevent predation and escape or you must not allow your turtle to remain unsupervised at any time. You would be surprised how quickly an escaping turtle can move and a predator can move even faster.
NEVER EVER set your turtle out in the sun in an aquarium. The heat through the glass can and will quickly cook a turtle.
Recommended web addresses to begin learning more about the proper care for your RES.
A Quick-Care Guide to Semi-Aquatic Turtles
Semi-Aquatic Turtle Setups
Water Turtle Setup
Water Turtle Care Health
Tortoise Trust Web - Red-Eared Slider Care
Tortoise Trust Web - UNDERSTANDING REPTILE LIGHTING SYSTEMS
Red-Eared Sliders
If you read, study and follow the advice of these websites then you will be well on your way to having a long healthy happy relationship with your Red Eared Slider.
John E Dove
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