Housing your Red Eared Slider in aquariums

Rule of the thumb, an inch of a Slider needs 10 gallons of water. If you've got a 12inch female, you need at least 120 gallons. We're talking about filtration, lights, substrate, decorations, basking areas and water heaters.

So to start off with, filtration. 25% of water should be changed everyday and a 100% change every week. Get a powerful filter that can be used to full use depending on the size of the tank. Filters should also include biomedias for good bacteria to be produced in the water.

Indoor aquariums need UVA/UVB lights and heat lamps if the temperature is too cold. The UVA/UVB lights are an abosolute necessary for basking. Turtles need to absorb the sunlight, hardening their shells and providing Vitamin D3. These lights should be on for at least 12 hours a day. Too entice basking, a heat lamp is placed over the basking area to increase the temperature. Make sure the lights are around 30centimetres above the basking area.

Gravel should NEVER be used as a substrate. Sliders that accidentally swallow gravel may choke or puncture internal organs. Larger rocks such as river rocks or bricks can be used. Getting a few large rocks are better than many medium sized rocks as it will be easier to clean and leftover food and wastes won't get stuck in between.

Decorations such as aquatic plants, fake or alive can be used. Real plants may be digested, so make sure you don't add a poisonous plant in there. Both kinds of plants may be uprooted from the substrate creating quite a mess. However aquatic plants remove harmful substances like nitrates and oxygenate the water. Shells can be added to make the tank look more attractive, and other aquarium items can be added.

Basking areas should be 1.5 times longer than your Red Eared Slider and should be able to support its weight. They need to dry off COMPLETELY, both carapace and plastron. Platforms, docks, floating logs can be used for basking areas.

Keep a water heater in the tank and keep the water temperature at 24-27degreescelsius. I would say 27degreescelsius is a better choice. The warmer the water, the more a Slider will eat and bask.

Of course there are other advancements that can be made but these are the basic neccesities for an indoor aquarium for Red Eared Sliders.

Red Eared Sliders as pets

I love them dearly, but I will still insist that for most people, Red Eared Sliders don't make good pets unless you're willing to spend cash. Lots of it. Many are sold for less than $5, and sometimes even illegally. In the USA it is illegal to purchase an Red Eared Slider smaller than 4inches. They are the most common turtle in the pet industry nowadays. And they can live up till 40 years. Yeah, you heard me right, 40 years. This thing, no offense will live longer than your parents probably. And what's more fascinating? They start at about 1.5inches long, and in 5 years, they reach 6-8inches from the top of the carapace to the bottom. That's about 15-20centimetres long. Is your cute little tank going to be enough? Around the world these are kept in 'death bowls'. A small round plastic tank with an island and a palm tree. Cute, yes, but the Red Eared Slider will die in that. Many people aren't responsible enough to accommodate them and end up releasing them into the wild. Captive Sliders don't know how to hunt. They may catch a cold and diseases, or even spread them! They will die. And if they don't die, and reproduce in a non-native settlement, they become invasive. So I suggest you think well before you buy one of these adorable creatures. They are life-time pets. If you are commited to these guys, I highly advice parents to watch children when they handle the turtles. Better yet don't allow them to handle the Slider. They may bite and scratch causing the kid to drop it. And that will really hurt. The shell has nerve cells all over, the shell doesn't protect it from a drop.

Nesting for Moms

Many people keep females and males together. This is fine, nothing wrong. But are you ready for baby hatchlings? Can you take care of them? If yes great. But can you provide a proper nesting space? I doubt it for people who keep their Red Eared Sliders in aquariums. Adult females are extremely picky with their nesting sites. If you have a pregnant Slider, provide a nesting site or the female will get egg bound. Sliders who can't lay eggs because of improper nesting sites will either retain the eggs until they crack or decompose inside her, or she'll lay the eggs in water, killing the babies. So here's how the nesting area should be like, 50% soil, 50% sand. The substrate needs to be well deeper than 10inches. There should not be any roots, rocks, stones etc. inside the substrate so remove those. Not even twigs. The female may dig several test nests, if this happens then your nesting area isn't working. If it were working she would have laid them at the first time. Powerful hind feet will dig the hole, wide and deep and then cover the nest so well you may not notice she has laid the eggs. There are pros and cons for leaving the eggs alone but I suggest you don't touch them. Leave them in the nest instead of incubating them unless you are highly experienced with the procedure. In hotter climates, eggs should hatch in about 60 days. Hatching could also take up to more than a hundred days if the temperature is colder.

Reproduction and Breeding

In hotter climates, Red Eared Sliders will try to mate all year round. In climates with seasons, they will try to mate between March to July. After awaking from brumation, males will then begin to find their mates. Using his long elongated claws, the male will swim backwards, tickling the females face. He will try to get into a face to face position with her. This is to say that he's a good candidate and has good genes. If receptive, the female will move to a shallower area in the water and sink to the bottom. The male will grab the female's carapace with his claws and insert his penis inside her vagina. He will let go of his claws and fall back vertically. The courtship dance could take fairly about 10-15minutes and the mating should last about 40minutes+. If the female is not receptive, and she gets annoyed by the harrassment, she may painfully bite the males toes. Trust me, it really hurts. Her powerful jaws have the ability to tear limbs off. If the mating was successful, the female will be gravid/pregnant in 2-3 weeks time. Eggs will be layed as quickly as possible if conditions are good.

Hibernation/Brumation

Red Eared Sliders don't actually hibernate, they brumate. Whatever they've got similar meanings. Favourable brumation conditions are a temperature of 10degreescelsius, thick mud with dead leaves at the bottome of a deep water source and oxygenated water. When the air temperature slopes down to about 10degreescelsius, Red Eared Sliders will halt basking, eat as much as it can and then begin to burry itself in the mud. Water should be oxygenated so the Red Eared Slider can absorb oxygen from its membranes. A thick layer of mud and dead leaves are what Sliders burry themselves in during brumation. If your Slider is kept indoors, DO NOT try to brumate it. Brumation is absolutely unceccesary and may be too complexed for unexperienced keepers. If kept indoors, light must be available for at least 13 hours a day and water temperature should stay above 24degreescelsius to avoid brumation. Unless you are a breeder, I strongly go against hibernating your terrapin. If you keep your turtle outdoors and temperature drops during winter, supply mud at the bottom of the pond. Keep the water heated with a water heater so the Slider won't hibernate. If your turtle is in the middle of hibernation, and you want to stop it from continuing, SLOWLY raise the water temperature by 2degreescelsius each day until it reaches 27degreescelsius. If water temperature is raised to rapidly, your Slider will get traumatized and may die in some cases.

Physical description

Red Eared Sliders get melanistic as they age. Baby hatchlings are born bright green with brilliant patterns on their shells. As they age, their green colour slowly fades and it turns brown, then grey and evantually maybe even black. Males tend to get more melanistic, the patterns on their shells disappear completely and the red markings on their head may vanish altogether. Female Sliders reach up to about 10-12inches in length and male Sliders 8-10inches. However overfeeding may result in abnormal growth that can reach a length of 15inches. These turtles suffer from obesity and have a far shorter lifespan. The top, main shell, known as the carapace, is usually round but turns oval as years pass by. The carapace is usually dark green or brown with darker patterns and markings on it. The shell on the bottom known as the plastron, is yellow in background with dark blotches that look like a pattern. The flesh of the Red Eared Slider is green or dark green, with yellow lines. Males are smaller than females, they have much longer claws and thicker tails.

Dietry needs

These guys can eat, anything that is put in the water, they will attempt to devour. Raw meat, human meat, vegetables, crickets, other insects, fish, crabs, you name it, they'll eat it. Many owners feed their Red Eared Sliders with turtle pellets only. Although these pellets contain all the nutrients a turtle needs, it isn't the best. Pellets always contain far too much protein, causing rapid growth, shell pyramiding, respritory infections and even death. A Red Eared Slider's diet should consist of: 25% commercial pellets, 25% live foods like fish and crickets, and 50% vegetables. But that's the diet for adult terrapins. Young terrapins will eat 80% meat and commercial food as they are more carnivorous but become greater vegeterians as they age. Vitamins and calcium blocks can also be added to their diet. Many people have terrapins that are addicted to one kind of food. If people always feed pellets, chances are the Red Eared Slider isn't going to eat vegetables. If fed dried shrimp, I doubt they'll start munching pellets. Picky Sliders should be forced into eating a balanced diet no matter what so they get a stable growth. Cuttlebone should be offered for them to gnaw on for calcium. Sliders kept indoors should be given small amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin D3 because of the lack of sunlight. If kept outdoors, do not feed them these Vitamins as they get it naturally. Overfeeding these things will result in death. Feed young Red Eared Sliders every day twice. Feed as much as they can eat in two minutes. Adults should be fed small amounts a day, or a large amount twice every week.

Behaviour

Red Eared Sliders are semi-aquatic. Meaning, they like to go on land and swim in water. They spend most of their time in water and sleep underwater. During sunny hot hours, Red Eared Sliders will crawl out of the water to bask under the sun. They enjoy outdoor unfiltered sunlight and soak up the heat. Being cold-blooded, if a Slider is not allowed to leave the water to bask, his body temperature will be too cold, making it difficult for him to sleep underwater at night. They can actually move quite fast on land, and are absolutely fantastic swimmers. They will hunt for prey that is easy to catch when opportunities arise, and are very wary of predators including humans. If feeling threatened, they will slide straight back into the water to take cover. Red Eared Sliders MUST eat their food in water. They have fixed tongues, and have no saliva and therefore require water to swallow their food. Without a water supply, they will die of dehydration and starvation. Another thing to note is, although some may be shy they can still bite. Anything with a mouth, can bite. Adults have powerful jaws that will draw blood if they bite hard. Chunks of flesh can be ripped by their sharp beaks. They do not enjoy being handled at all.

Red Eared Slider basics

Red eared sliders are terrapins/semi-aquatic turtles. They are omnivores which consume both meat and vegetables. They originate from many countries such as the United States of America, Indonesia, India and many others. They get their names by the red stripes behind their eyes, and their instinct to slide off quickly when they sense danger, hence the name Red Eared Slider! They are freshwater turtles, found mainly in ponds, lakes, streams, brackish waters and other slow moving water. They are the most common turtles in the pet industry, and are popular when young because of their bright green and yellow coloured skin and shell. These turtles are born at about 1.5inches, but males can grow up to 10inches and females 12inches. Red Eared Sliders are considered to be one of the 100 invasive species in the world. Why? Many buy these adorable young beautiful creatures and house them in small 10-20 gallon tanks, but when they age and begin to grow rapidly, they are released into the wild. If they breed in non-native areas, their populations increase and they will compete with other species, eventually wiping them out due to their aggresive competiveness. Their scientific name is Trachemys scripta elegans. Unless you can accommodate them with a 100+ gallon tank in the future, I would say that these would not be good pets because they grow rather large and it sucks for them to stay in a small tank/tub.