Does anyone have suggestions for my red eared slider's habitat?

Question

My husband found this little guy/gal a week ago and I am finally able to go get everything for his/her permanent habitat. It's a very small turtle... maybe 1 1/2 inches in diameter (side to side). What are the basic necessities? I was thinking a tank (obviously), filter , heating lamp and basking dock. Am I forgetting anything?

Yes, he was wild caught but he was in a spot where no water or grass was anywhere near so since he didn't know where to put him back at we decided to keep him.

Answer 1

This is a good start.

The things I'd like to point out are:

1. Two very helpful sites will be http://www.redearslider.com and http://www.austinsturtlepage.com The last one has a lot of good articles, including a good one on your first baby turtle.

2. Feeding babies is important and tough. Try a mix of good quality pellets and small live or frozen/thawed foods like blood worms and krill. (A small amount of dark leafy greens is OK, but no other veggies and no fruits at this age.

3. "Found" implies wild caught? Wild caught turtles do not eat as well or thrive as well as captive bred do- just something to think about.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Red-Eared Slider Care Sheet and Information

Please click here for a printable PDF version.

Common Name: Red-Eared Slider

Latin name: Trachemyss scripta elegans
Red-Eared Slider (Trachemyss scripta elegans) - Photo courtesy of World Chelonia Trust

Native to: Mississippi River valley and tributaries from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico

Size: Average adult is 5 - 8 inches; females are larger than males of same age.

Life span: 15 - 25 Years

General appearance: Young red-eared sliders are bright green with yellow markings and a red stripe just behind the eyes. Colors dull with age.

Housing requirements:

Enclosure: Should be mostly aquatic. Minimum dimensions for tank are: width - 3 times the shell length and length - 6 times the shell length. Minimum depth of the water should be as deep as the shell is wide. A basking area is needed to allow the red-ear slider to get out of the water to dry completely. UV lighting can be beneficial.

Temperature: The water should be 70° - 75° F and can be maintained with a submersible aquarium heater. The basking area should be 84° - 88°F during the daylight period. This can be maintained with an incandescent light.

Substrate: Substrate is not recommended, as frequent water changes make it difficult to clean.

Diet: Feeding should be daily with all they can eat in 45 minutes. Remove all food remaining after that time, except for greens. Just because they beg for food does not necessarily mean they're hungry, this is a trained condition. Diet should be at least 65% - 85% meat consisting of commercial turtle food, trout chow, beef heart, cooked chicken, fish live or fresh caught (not frozen). Meat should be dusted once a week with a good herp vitamin containing D3. Dark green leafy vegetables can be used to fill the rest of the diet.

Maintenance: Water should be clean and clear. Waste should be removed whenever it is found. Filtration prolongs the time between water changes, but should not be used as a substitute for water changes. Wastewater should not be emptied into a sink that is used for food preparation or personal hygiene. Hands and any other part of your body that comes in contact with the water should be washed thoroughly with anti-bacterial soap.

Other references or recommended reading:

General Care and Maintenance of Red-Eared Sliders: Philippe de Vosjoli

Encyclopedia of Turtles: Dr. Peter C. H. Pritchard

Turtles of the World: Carl H. Earnst and Roger W. Barbour

Encyclopedia of Keeping and Breeding Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles: A. C. Highfield

Please click here for information about red-ear sliders in New York State.

Remember that in many places it is illegal to take wildlife out of the wild without the proper permits from local, state, or federal authorities. Please do not release any captive reptiles or amphibians into the wild as this will disrupt the natural order of our environment. See our amphibian and reptile adoptions page for more information on what to do with unwanted herps.

Answer 3

Only thing other than what u have written so far that I would highly suggest would be an underwater heater. Get a plastic covered one though, not glass. Set it between 80-85 degrees. OH, and ReptMin food is really good, thats what I use and our slider is very very healthy.

Answer 4

that all sounds good for the basics. remember it will grow very fast. and have 1 gallon of water per 1 inch of turtle, front to rear.

also for visual ideas, yahoo AND google image search turtle enclosures/habitat/ponds/tanks/aquariums/terraniums etc. it will bring up different results and you can get some really good ideas there.

also
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheets.htm
www.turtlecare.net

Answer 5

Check with a local reptile or pet store or the site for reptiles I will add for you here as to what's best for your kind of turtle, what you have sounds OK but am unsure.