Instructions
Before and When You Buy
Find out all you can about the needs of red-eared slider turtles before you decide to keep one as a pet. Join a local turtle or reptile society and seek the advise of experienced reptile keepers.
Select a healthy, legal pet turtle. In the United States it is illegal to sell a turtle under 4 inches long. Measure it to be certain you're not getting a baby.
Look for signs of illness. Look for swollen or cloudy eyes, mucous around the nasal area or mouth and runny excrement in the tank. A soft shell can be an indication of poor health, as can listlessness and lack of appetite. Some pet stores that sell turtles keep them in poor conditions and they can be ill before you buy them.
Never take a turtle from the wild. Not only is this cruel and unfair to the turtle, but it is also illegal in most states. Always look for adoption or turtle rescue organizations.
Nutrition
Understand and meet your red-eared slider's nutritional needs. All sliders need a combination of vitamins, animal protein, commercial foods and plant matter. Turtles should not be fed only pellets. A proper diet should be made up of 50 percent vegetables and water plants, 25 percent commercial foods and 25 percent live protein.
Juvenile pet turtles eat daily and require more animal protein than adults, which eat every two or three days and require extra plant matter.
Remove uneaten food from the tank promptly; rotting food can make your turtle ill.
Habitat
Provide the right habitat. You will need a heated aquarium with enough water to swim, as well as a large, dry area for your new pet turtle to rest. The dry section should be smooth to keep the turtle from getting scratches that could possibly allow infection to set in. Pet turtles grow quickly, so buy a large enough aquarium to accommodate such growth. Even a very small turtle needs a 30- to 50-gallon tank for optimum health.
For decorations, buy river rocks. Gravel used in fish tanks is a bad idea because your turtle may try to eat it and an intestinal blockage could result in death.
Canister filters are a must for turtles. To keep the nitrate levels down, do 10 percent water changes weekly or 20 percent water changes every other week. Full tank cleanings are not necessary. In fact, in a well-maintained tank, you may not need a full tank cleaning for a couple of years.
Purchase a tank. A good rule of thumb is to have 10 gallons per inch of your turtle plus 15 percent extra space for basking areas. The tank should be at least 120 gallons. Turtles create a lot of waste and they need to have enough water to dilute the waste as it is being filtered. Without lots of water, the toxins will build up and can have harmful effects on your turtle's health. Additionally, turtles love to swim in deep water. They need enough room to dive, chase down fish and play. They are territorial animals and need to have enough space to call their own.
The water should be 80 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit ( 26.5 to 27.5 degrees Celsius) for a hatchling or a sick turtle, and 77 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (25.5 to 26.5 degrees Celsius) for a healthy turtle over a year old. The basking (dry land) area should be 10 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius ) warmer than the water to entice the turtle to warm up by basking.
Turtles need UVB light as well as a heat light. This form of light does not travel through glass, so it is very important that you get a 5 percent or more UVB lamp. The bulbs should be replaced about every six months. UVB lamps are essential in maintaining the health of your turtle. The heat light will also need to keep the basking area temperature 10 degrees higher than your water temperature.
Take your turtle(s) outside sometimes for pure sun, although you must supervise them to prevent their overheating. One idea is to get a kiddie pool and fill it with some water and provide something for them to bask on. Provide some sort of shade for your turtle.
Handling Your Turtle
Handle your turtle with care. Pet turtles often carry bacterial and parasitic infections and they can transfer these to people. After handling your turtle or any of your turtle's accessories,always wash your hands in hot, soapy water. If you have young children or elderly people in your home, also use antibacterial soap.
Red-eared sliders should not be cared for by any child 10 years old and under without a parent helping at all times. Turtle claws are very sharp and might hurt the child or cause the child to drop the turtle.
Assume that all turtles have salmonella. It is not possible to guarantee a turtle salmonella free because a turtle can become infected at any time. They live with it in their system.
How to Care for a Red Eared Slider
One of the most common pet turtles available today is the red-eared slider. If you're interested in a lifelong friend, a red-eared slider turtle is a wonderful pet. They are enjoyable to watch and live a long time with proper care.