Facts on the Red Slider Turtle

The red-eared slider turtle is a semiaquatic subspecies of the pond slider turtle. It is the most popular breed of turtle for pets both in its native habitat of North America and across the world. They are almost entirely aquatic and leave the water only to lay eggs and warm themselves in the sun. Red-eared slider turtles have received special conservation status because of their dwindling numbers in the wild due to the international pet trade.

  1. Identification

    • The red slider turtle gets its name from the long, dark red or orange stripe behind each of its eyes. While this is an easy way to identify red sliders, some of the turtles do not have the characteristic colored streaks. Another way of identifying the red slider is by watching its coloring fade as it grows. Newly hatched red slider turtles appear in a vibrant array of yellows and greens, but these fade to a dark olive green or even black as they age.

    Geographic Range and Habitat

    • The red slider turtle is native to both North and South America. They range from the Great Lakes region of the United States to the north and all the way through Central America and Venezuela to the south. They are most commonly found, however, in the Great Lakes and Great Plains states, such as Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. Red sliders prefer to live in quiet, muddy backwaters of ponds or streams.

    Diet

    • The red slider turtle is an omnivore. Young red sliders are more carnivorous than adults, in order to absorb more protein for growth. The young red slider turtle's diet is 70 percent animal matter, including aquatic insects, tadpoles, crawfish and small crustaceans and fish. The adult red slider turtle's diet, on the other hand, is 90 percent plant matter. This includes water lilies, duckweed and other aquatic plants.

    Behavior

    • The term "slider" comes from a characteristic of the animal's behavior. They are very timid and aware of risks, and they will slide off any above-water surface into the water to avoid confrontation. Red slider turtles do enjoy basking on warm surfaces above water such as logs, rocks and stumps. They sleep underwater, oftentimes floating just below the surface with the aid of their inflated throats as flotation devices. Red slider turtles also hibernate from October to April, often in hollow stumps or below pond banks.