baby sliders diet???

Question

plz help me with my diet for my baby sliders they are 2'' inches what can i feed them what pellet food should i give them? can i give them my hermit crab food it is also pellets. can i give them fish flakes?? plz help me. thank you :D

Answer 1

Fish flakes and hermit crab food aren't good for sliders. They should have either ZooMed or T-Rex pelet food. Both of these contains all the viatmins, minerals and nutrients that your turtles need. ZooMed Growth formula is also avalible for turtles between 2 and 6 inches which is excellent. You can also try to give them guppies but they probably won't do much with them.

Answer 2

A good diet for baby sliders is a mix of a good quality turtle pellet and various live or frozen/thawed 'fish foods' like shrimp, krill, worms, bugs, etc. You can also try pieces of beefheart.

Here is a good article on feeding these guys: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm

Answer 3

One more vote against your being snotty about the good advice you got. It is the adults that eat plant material. Granted, they don't get finely-chopped beef heart in the wild. Neither do they get shaved carrot or frozen raspberry. The earthworms are an excellent food, though, close to the best you can give a turtle. Bait fishes will be good when Chloe (or Clyde, if you have guessed wrong about the sex) gets larger. Bits of liver are great, especially if you dust them in bone meal.

Answer 4

They will eat fish flakes but I sujest a natural diet of mostly live food. Give them some small feeder fish and earth worms. This gives them the protien they need, also give them some aquatic vegetation.

Answer 5

The food they eat are very common and easily available. That include tomato, carrot(grated), water plants (refer to 'housing'), green beans, leafy vegetables, commercial turtle food, fruits, or feeders (meal worms, earthworms, crickets, guppies, water snails ...) But don't feed them too much of crickets, spinach, banana, peas and vegetables from the cabbage family. Commercial food should also be serve as staple food, because it contains much supplement, so don't feed it too much. Frozen food must be thawed before feeding because theres' lack of thiamin. Food containing too much fat is also no good, like chicken, beef, cat and dog food... Shrimp should be okay. Also avoid processed food like ham and sausages, and food high in salt content. Vitamins can be fed every fortnight.
Hope that helps!!

Answer 6

Fruits are identified as ripened flower ovaries which produce seeds.

Answer 7

like both, fruits: berries, pears, pears, peaches, dragonfruit, pomegranate.... Vegetables: CUCUMBERS, bok choy, green beans, broccoli,.... I actually guess the two are great.

Answer 8

like both, fruits: berries, pears, pears, peaches, dragonfruit, pomegranate.... Vegetables: CUCUMBERS, bok choy, green beans, broccoli,.... My spouse and i guess the two are great.

Answer 9

What Should I Feed My Turtle?


First, know what species you are feeding. Diet and every other facet of care is determined by the natural habitat of the turtle. For instance, River Cooters eat a diet primarily composed of plants, while Map Turtles prefer meat. American Box Turtles are omnivores who eat a little bit of everything. The Malayan Box Turtle should eat plenty of plants with just a little bit of animal matter, but the Chinese 3-Striped Box Turtle eats meats almost exclusively. The red-eared slider starts out life eating mostly bugs, worms and other meats, but becomes more omnivorous as it matures. (Please note: The information on this page does not apply to tortoises, which often have highly specialized diets. For tortoise diet information visit the Tortoise Trust Website and this article on Tortoise Foods.)

Reproducing the natural diet as much as is possible will make your turtle happier and healthier. In the wild, turtles choose from among a variety of foods that are in season and available. Variety is one key to a good diet for your turtle. Calcium is the other important key.

You can read about the complicated relationships between calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D3 and other elements at several websites. The point to remember is that phosphorus is in most of the foods that turtles eat. It is the calcium side of the ratio that demands attention. Providing calcium separately allows the turtle to decide when it needs more calcium. Cuttlebone, plaster block, boiled and crushed eggshells, and crushed oystershell can all provide calcium on demand. Just providing a good source of calcium is not enough, however. Dietary calcium is not properly utilized in the absence of vitamin D3. Turtles can manufacture D3 if provided access to UV-B rays from direct sunlight or a good reptile light (e.g. Reptisun or Reptile D-Light.) Or D3 can be provided in the diet through supplements like Rep-Cal. A few foods block the absorption of calcium because of their high oxalic acid content. Spinach should be avoided for this reason. A turtle fed spinach regularly can become calcium deficient even if a good source of calcium is provided. Chard and rhubarb also contain rather high levels of oxalic acid and should be used sparingly, if at all. (Rhubarb leaves are so high in oxalic acid that they are a deadly poison.)

High levels of protein put an abnormal stress on the kidneys, and has been implicated in shell deformities such as pyramiding. It's best to avoid excessive use of meats intended for human consumption and other high protein food sources such as cat food or dog food. When used sparingly as part of a varied diet, no harm is likely to result, but high protein meats should not be used as a staple.

Other questionably foods:

1.) Members of the brassica family (Cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, bok-choi, and kohlrabi) can be problematic if overused, because excessive amounts of these plants contribute to kidney disease and goiter. Turnips, soybeans, radishes, rapeseed, and mustard also contain goitrogens. These should not play a large role in the diet. However, the addition of cuttlebone and/or kelp to the diet may reverse the goitrogenic effect of the brassicas.

2.) High purine foods, which include peas, beans, mushrooms, shellfish, beef, and organ meats, should be used sparingly because they can contribute to gout if overused.

3.) Head lettuce and celery are "empty" foods in that they provide very little useful nutrition or fiber. Some tortoises apparently become fond of lettuce to the exclusion of other foods. In my experience, all the turtles I've known preferred other foods over lettuce, but there are many people out there who feed lettuce almost exclusively. This is a recipe for a long miserable death. However, there may be some benefits in occasional feeding of lettuce. There is some evidence that it contains antiseptic properties. Additionally, celery or lettuce can be used to entertain a turtle that is already well fed. When a turtle begs for food after already eating some slugs, a big leaf of dandelion, some cantaloupe and a chunk of cuttle bone, it will do no harm to toss him a lettuce leaf or a bit of celery.

4.) Canned and other processed foods often are very high in salt and other preservatives. The effects of these things are not fully known, but they would not be part of a natural diet. It would be prudent to limit their use.

It all comes down to variety. If you feed just cantaloupe and crickets, there will be problems down the line. There's nothing wrong with those foods. They're simply insufficient. If you feed a wide variety of foods, the occasional use of cabbage, cooked beef heart or lettuce will not cause problems. Further, feeding some foods that are low calcium foods, or high in oxalates, will matter not at all if a separate source of calcium (cuttlebones/ plasterblocks/ eggshells/ crushed oystershell) is always available. This is more in keeping with the way turtles feed in the wild anyway. While some keepers carefully consider the phosphorus:calcium ratio, turtles don't waste a precious second pondering the chemical analysis of their food. If it's tasty and it's there, they'll eat it! Later, they'll munch some carrion bones or birds' eggshells and get caught up on calcium. Turtles fed a wide variety of foods are happier and less likely to develop food fetishes.
what should I feed my turtle what's the best food for turtles I don't know what to feed my turtle.


Try *Many* of These Foods for Omnivorous Turtles

greens:

aquatic plants, collards, turnip greens, red and green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, dandelion, chickweed, plantain weed, carrot tops, red lettuce, endive, fig leaves, grape leaves, sow thistle
(avoid overuse of spinach)

veggies:

squashes, peas in the pod, okra, grated or sliced carrots, sweet potatoes
occasional use--green beans, wax beans, corn

fruits:

figs, grapes, blue berries, cantaloupe, blackberries, tomato, banana, strawberry, apple, citrus fruits, mango, kiwi-- all fruits are fine for occasional use

flowers:

geraniums (Pelargonium species), Chinese Lantern (Abutilon hybridum not Physalis sp.), nasturtium, borage, hyssop, carnations, daylilies, petunia, pansies, chives, dandelion, rose and rose hips

meats:

silkworms, earthworms, crickets, snails, shrimp, slugs, waxworms, mealworms, zoophobas, pinky mice (live or pre-killed).
okay on rare occasion--cat or dog food, cooked chicken or turkey, boiled eggs, lean beef, cooked fish.
(hamburger and other fatty red meats should be avoided, and never use raw meats because of contamination dangers)

prepared turtle foods:

Commercial foods can be used as part of the diet--
Tetra's Reptomin, Wardley's Reptile T.E.N., Turtle Brittle, Purina AquaMax

supplements:

Reptile Tri-Cal or Rep-Cal are the best calcium/D3 supplements by far. A jar of Rep-Cal is rather expensive, but lasts a very long time. Tri-Cal even comes in a handy shaker bottle. Use once a week. Vitamin supplements may also be used.
(Don't use any calcium supplement that has phosphorous in it.)


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Housing

Requirements vary according to the size of the turtle and the number being kept. A variety of enclosures can be utilized from glass aquaria, plastic containers, stock watering tanks and pond liners to elaborate outdoor ponds. Outdoor enclosures should have some shade available. Never place an aquarium in direct sun, it could easily overheat. A rule of thumb for minimum cage size is that the combined surface area of all residents' carapaces (upper shells) should not exceed 25% of the cage's floor surface area. Floor surface area does not include any inaccessible areas that the turtle cannot rest on. With the exception of large outdoor ponds keep in mind one rule: the simpler the setup, the easier it is to clean. Avoid gravel or sand substrates because they make cleaning much more difficult. If more elaborate enclosures are set up with substrates they should have filtration, bottom drainage and low stocking densities.

Water Quality

Clean water is crucial to good health and the best way to assure this is through frequent water changes. Partial water changes are not acceptable. Several factors determine how often the water should be cleaned. Smaller volumes require more frequent water changes. For instances, for 3 or less 4 inch turtles, a 10 gallon aquarium would need to be changes 2 to 3 times per week and a 50 gallon tank would need to be changed once a week. Thus, the larger the volume, the less frequently it needs to be changed. Obviously, stocking density will dramatically affect this. The more turtles in the tank, the more frequently the water must be changed even with very large volumes. Feeding frequency also affects water quality. The more often one feeds, the more often one cleans. Some foods foul the water quickly. If turtles are fed in their enclosure the water should be changed within 12 hours of feeding. The water can be kept cleaner by feeding in a separate container. Initially some turtles are reluctant to feed in the separate container but can be acclimated to this over time. For smaller setups (10 gallon aquariums or less) one can carry the whole setup to a sink or bathtub for rinsing. For larger setups one must drain the water. Portable submersible pumps are ideal. If a floor drain is present, a drain can be installed in the bottom of the cage, attach a hose and drain the cage by gravity.

It is important to scrub and rinse the cage well to remove residual bacterial growth on all sides. Abrupt changes in water temperature can kill turtles so make sure the water temperature after cleaning is similar to what it was prior to cleaning. Dechlorination of water is not recommended. Young turtles and those not accustomed to chlorinated water squint their eyes at first but quickly adapt. Water should be at least as deep as the width of the widest turtle's shell so that if overturned the turtle can right itself and avoid drowning.

Filtration can decrease the frequency of water changes but not eliminate them. Keep in mind that even if the water looks clean it can still have a lot of harmful material in it. The best filters for turtles are external filters, either canister or power lifting hanging types. The charcoal and filter material/bags must be changes frequently. The canister types are far more effective but also more expensive. Under gravel filters are not recommended. Keep in mind that filtration can decrease the times interval between water changes but must not completely replace them.

Temperature and Light Requirements

As well as being clean, the water must be warm: 24-29 C (75-82 F) is recommended for most species. Submersible aquarium heaters are required and the temperature monitored with liquid crystal display thermometers outside the tank. Don't use one inside the tank.

A dry "haul-out " area should be present so that turtles can crawl out of the water, dry off and bask. Basking is a means of behavioral thermoregulation whereby turtles can achieve their preferred optimum body temperature. Basking areas can be as simple as a flat rock resting on a submerged brick or elaborate platforms can be built with access via a plastic ramp. The basking area should be large enough for all turtles to completely emerge from the water and secure enough that it won't topple and trap a turtle under water. Provide a screen over top to prevent escape.

The enclosure should have a "thermal gradient". This allows the turtle to thermoregulate and maintain its preferred temperature throughout the day. Ambient air temperature of 24-29 C (75-82 F) is adequate for most species. An incandescent 50-150 watt light bulb with a reflector (e.g. a reading lamp) directed towards the basking area will create a hot spot for basking. Alternatively one can keep the room temperature within this range. Ultraviolet lights are assumed important for basking species for vitamin D synthesis. UV lights may not be needed if mice are provided in the diet (mice are a natural source of vitamin D). A fluorescent black light and a Vita-lite, Chroma 50 or Colortone 50 2 feet or less from the basking area with no glass or plastic between the light and animal will provide full spectrum light.

Click Here for more information on UltraViolet Light for Reptiles
Diet and Nutrition

A balanced diet is very important for good health. A wide variety of foods should be fed. Fish (goldfish, guppies, trout, bait minnows, smelt) are all suitable. Whole fish are better than gutted fish and can be fed chopped or whole. Most suppliers of feeder fish minimize their feeding to insure good water quality in overcrowded setups. Ideally, fish should be well fed prior to being fed to turtles. Freezing for more than 3 days may eliminate transfer of parasites. Goldfish can be frozen in water in ice cube trays to reduce freezer burn. Individual ice cubes containing a dozen or so goldfish can be thawed as needed. Wild caught sticklebacks and mosquito fish should not be fed because they are natural vectors for several serious parasites. Avoid large quantities of oil laden species such as mackerel, and to a lesser extent smelt and goldfish. If fed in moderation as part of a balanced diet, frozen fish should not cause any problems. Fish should not make up the majority of aquatic turtles' diets.

Chopped or whole baby or chopped, whole, skinned, adult mice are eaten readily by many species. Baby mice (pinkies) should not be fed exclusively. Older mice are an excellent source of calcium for shell growth. Mouse liver is also a good source of vitamin A. Chopped, whole, skinned adult mice are one item that can and should be fed in large quantities.

Commercial diets such as Trout (or Reptile) Chow, Reptomin Floating Food Sticks, Tender Vittles or Happy Cat semi-moist cat foods, Gaines Burgers semi-moist dog food are all fine in small amounts. Commercial diets should be soaked until soft before offering them to the turtle. Patience and persistence is required with commercial diets because acceptance can take several weeks. Other commercially available turtle diets can also be fed in moderation. Check the ingredients - desiccated insects are nutritionally inadequate and should not be fed.

A variety of insects (crickets, wax worms, mealworms, flies, moths, etc.) in moderation are also good but realize insects are calcium deficient. Most aquatic turtles feed underwater. Therefore dusting the insects with calcium will do little to enrich their calcium content. Feeding calcium rich diets to insects for several days will boost their calcium content.

Earthworms and night crawlers are widely available and nutritious; small turtles often need them chopped. Lean raw beef, liver, gizzards or chicken can occasionally be fed but are severely calcium deficient unless bone is present. Liver is a rich source of vitamin A. Hamburger is not recommended because it is calcium deficient and the high fat content will leave a greasy film on the surface of the water. Crayfish can injure turtles and transmit disease and should not be fed.

To summarize, UV lights, proper temperature, and a wide variety of foods are important to ensure proper growth. Dietary changes are important but acceptance can take weeks. Don't be discouraged if new foods are tasted and spit out initially - keep trying.

Many sliders and pond turtles become more herbivorous as they reach mature size and grow less rapidly. Dark leafy vegetables such as kale, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, watercress, endive, bok choy, escarole, spinach and duckweed and fruits such as apples, oranges, carrot, grapes, melons and bananas are taken by some turtles.

For larger collections, recipes for prepared rations are available.
Common Health Problems

The most common problems seen with aquatic turtles are the result of poor husbandry.

Skin infections and shell abscesses are usually due to poor water quality and no dry haul out area.

Pneumonia can result from cool environmental temperature, poor water quality and vitamin A deficiency (as well as many other causes). Turtles with pneumonia will float unevenly and breath with their mouths open. Often a click or squeak is present.

Several common problems are associated with inadequate nutrition. Vitamin A deficiencies and eye infections can cause swollen, red eyes.

Calcium and vitamin D deficiencies can cause stunted growth and a soft, deformed shell with upturned edges.

Parasites are not uncommon and fecal examinations are recommended.

Dogs like to chew on turtles. The enclosure should be secured to prevent this.

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Q. What Should I Feed My Red Eared Slider?
From Lianne McLeod,
Your Guide to Exotic Pets.
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A. Red eared sliders need a diet that is a mixture of animal and plant material. However, young red eared sliders eat more animal protein so babies are started off on a diet that is more on the carnivorous side. It is still a good idea to offer vegetation to young turtles although they may not really start eating it until they get older (offering it early on at least makes it less likely they will shy away from trying it as they age). For adult red eared sliders, vegetation should make up a significant part of the diet.

Packaged Turtle Diets and Red Eared Sliders
Commercial pellets are fairly nutritious and are certainly convenient, and are beneficial since they contain a good mix of vitamins and minerals. However, as the saying goes, "variety is the spice of life." Offering a wide variety of foods is better than solely feeding a commercial turtle pellet as a variety of fresh food offers a wider range of nutrients in different forms (which may even be absorbed better when fed in the natural state). As well, feeding a variety of items is more stimulating to the turtle. Live prey items are especially enriching, as they give turtles an opportunity to exercise by hunting as they would in the wild. Generally, I would recommend limiting pellets to about 25% of the diet, making up the rest with items from the list below.

Items to Feed Red Eared Sliders

* Feeder Items: live feeder fish (guppies, goldfish, minnows), earthworms, crickets, waxworms, earthworms, silkworms, aquatic snails, blood worms, daphnia, shrimp, krill, mealworms. For very small turtles, prey may have to be cut into smaller pieces. Larger turtles can be offered larger items like tadpoles.
* Leafy greens: collard, mustard and dandelion greens, kale, bok choy. Head (iceberg) lettuce should never be feed as it contains very little nutrition, but dark green leaf lettuces (e.g romaine) can be feed sparingly
* Aquatic plants: in an aquarium or pond you can add aquatic plants on which turtles usually love to snack. Submerged plants like anacharis are often eaten, as are water hyacinth, water lettuce, duckweed, azolla (fairy moss), and frog-bit.
* Other vegetables: carrots (tops are fine too), squash and green beans.

Supplements
A good reptile multivitamin with calcium and vitamin D3 shoule be mixed with the food a couple of times a week. Also, an excellent way to provide additional calcium is by putting a cuttlebone in the turtle tank. These are often avaiable in the bird section, and they can be affixed to the tank or just floated in the water.

Red Eared Slider Feeding Tips

* Catching wild prey items is fine, as long as you are sure they are pesticide free. Same for vegetation.
* Vegetables can be shredded to make them easier to eat, especially for smaller turtles.
* Some experts recommend feeding fresh fruits such as bananas, berries, apples, and melon. However, this isn't really a natural staple in the red eared sliders diet and it may cause diarrhea. If used, fruit should be only in very small quantities.
* Don't feed frozen fish, or at least not very often, as freezing some types of fish increases levels of an enzyme in the fish that destroys vitamin B1.
* Cooked chicken and cooked lean beef don't offer balanced nutrition and these will foul the water very quickly. Use only as very occasional treats and feed only if you use a feeding tank outside of the main tank.
* Never feed raw chicken or meat due to the risk of bacterial contamination.

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Feeding
(Red-Eared Sliders)
Variety of diet


It is very important to vary the diet of the turtle to assure its overall health. Do not feed it just one sort of food! You can feed her a variety of life foods (crickets, earthworms, aquatic snails, mosquito fish), fruits and vegetables, one commercial food, and vitamin supplements.

How often to feed


Your turtle will always be begging for food. Red-Eared sliders have a voracious appetite. Most turtle keepers feed their turtles one good size meal every two days. How much is a good size meal? until your turtle stops eating. Other keepers feed them twice a week. I personally prefer to feed them one small meal everyday. If your turtle is fat (skin overlaps on its legs when she tucks them in), you might want to examine what you are feeding it (if it has too much of a fat content) or you might start feeding it less often.

Commercial foods


There is a wide variety of commercial foods for turtles. You can feed her with commercial foods but you must vary the diet. Do not feed her ONLY commercial foods. Check the nutritional contents of the food. It should have less than 35% protein and the best commercial foods for the turtle are those that have both calcium and vitamin A. I personally like Tropical Magic from L&M Farms, but there are other good ones like Reptomin.

Vitamin supplements


You can give her some vitamin supplements twice a week. In most pet shops you can find a variety of powder or liquid vitamins specially made for reptiles. Make sure it has vitamin A, this is essential for they eye health of the sliders.

Fruits and vegetables


Most pet shops will tell you that sliders are carnivorous animals. Yes, they prefer to eat insects than plants, but that doesn't mean that they do not need to eat some veggies! They don't get enough vitamin A from just insects or commercial foods. You need to give it veggies with high vitamin A content (like carrots). Some turtles will also accept: lettuce, tomatoes, papaya, cantaloupe or bananas. Do not give her spinach or collard greens since they might cause her some digestive complications. If your turtle totally refuses to touch fruits and vegetables then you have two options: you have to absolutely give her vitamin supplements with high vitamin A content, or force your turtle to eat vegetables!

Aquatic plants


Some turtles will eat aquatic plants, then if you want to decorate your tank with them, make sure that those plants are not poisonous! Among the plants that the turtles will eat we find: water hyacinth, water lilies, elodia, duckweed. Feeding your turtles with aquatic plants is an excellent idea because they have a high content of vitamin A and also provide cover to your turtle.

Crickets


Crickets are an excellent food for turtles. They are a complete meal and it is so much fun to watch the chase! Most reptile stores carry crickets and they are relatively inexpensive. They can also be bought at bate shops. You can also try to raise the crickets yourself!

Earthworms


These are also very good for the turtle and very easy to raise. The only problem is... if your turtle is a baby, you might have to chop them up before feeding them to the turtle!

Aquatic snails


Nice natural meal that functions both as a meal and as a filter helper! The snails will eat some of the food your turtle doesn't eat! You don't need a big filtered tank to raise them!

Raw meat, fish or
chicken

Your turtle adores them... but they are not good for the turtle. Raw meat has too much fat and will cause obesity in the turtle. Besides, it doesn't provide the turtle with the nutrients it needs so much. Raw chicken.... beware of salmonella! you can give her occasionally a piece of COOKED chicken (with no spices at all). About fish, I would suggest feeding it with mosquito fish or guppies. You can occasionally give her other types of fish but try to avoid sea fish. You should totally avoid giving your turtle fish that has been previously frozen. This fish will inhibit the absorption of certain nutrients and might cause her long term problems.

Cuttle bones


They are just excellent! They are a good source of calcium to the turtle and at the same time it helps it sharpen its beak! Cuttle bones can be attached to the aquarium or just be left floating to let the turtle chase them! You can buy them at most pet shops since they are the same used by birds.

Your turtle refuses to eat

If your turtle refuses to eat an item that she previously enjoyed eating, don't worry. Sliders are finicky eaters and sometimes just want something different. Sometimes the problem is that you gave her something that she liked better and then she holds on until you give her again what she liked. If she refuses to eat one item, offer her different items. As far as she is eating 'something' there is no health problem to worry about. Suspect sickness only when she refuses to eat ALL food items that you have offered.

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Red Eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) Hatchling Care
by Gloria Anaité Paiz
They Have Just Been Born:

When they have just been born, they still have their egg tooth in their mouths and the yolk sac hanging out of their bellies. The egg tooth is what enabled them to open the eggshell, it will fall out on its own. The yolk sac is what fed them while they were incubating. DO NOT try to remove this sac, trying to remove it can kill the baby turtle. It is better to wait till it is absorbed on its own. Once it is absorbed, you will notice a split in the plastron. This will heal by itself too, you don't need to treat it.

Housing:

Set them on a 20 gallon tank per dozen turtles . Provide them with a dry land area and a shallow water area. Newborns need to master the art of floating and staying underwater for long periods of time. Don't assume that they will survive only with water. Newborn Red-Ear sliders can actually drown if you neglect them a dry land area. The water should be not too deep. As with adult sliders, newborns need to have their full spectrum light. So don't forget to include that in the tank. The full spectrum light will help the newborn shells to harden. Keep the water neatly clean. If you don't have a filter change the water every two days. This is very important since baby sliders are more prone to getting eye infections (that can leave them blind for life or even kill them) than adult sliders.

Feeding:

Once they are set up in their tank start feeding them. It is important to get them to eat. Start by offering them one by one all items on the proper slider diet (earthworms, crickets, sweet water shrimp, aquatic snails, water hyacinths, fruits, one commercial food). Note: You might have to 'chop' all of the food you offer since they are small babies. This includes chopping earthworms, meal worms, crickets. I know, this sounds disgusting but believe me, you will get used to after a while and it won't bother you anymore.

A Baby That Refuses to Eat:

If you have already tried all items of a proper Red-Ear slider diet, and the hatchling still refuses to eat, try offering a small piece of lean beef or ham. This is just for the purpose of turning on his appetite, once he starts eating you can try again to give him the items of a proper diet. If a week has gone by and the hatchling still refuses to it, you will have to force him to eat. Make a solution of beef blood and turtle vitamins and using a drop dispenser get the drops in between his lips.

How to Prevent Most Common Diseases in Slider Hatchlings:

Keep the water neatly clean, provide him with a full spectrum light, keep him warm (about 80 degrees), and add vitamin supplements to his diet. Make sure the supplements are high in vitamin A and calcium.

Eye Infections:

The most common problem in slider hatchlings are eye infections. These infections develop due to dirty water and lack of vitamin A. The treatment is easy: Change the water more often (get a filter if you can), add higher doses of vitamin A to her diet. Ask your pharmacist to prepare you a solution of 97% distilled water and 3% boric acid. Clean the turtles eyes with this solution twice a day. If the eyes are totally closed, try to open them so that the solution gets inside. Raise temperature at 85 degrees F. If the infection is severe take the turtle to a vet since she will need to be injected with vitamin A.

Colds:

If you notice your turtle has a runny nose, or is breathing with her mouth open, she might have a cold. Avoid breezes and cold drafts of air. Raise temperature at about 85 degrees and add extra vitamins to her regular food. If she doesn't seem to get better in a couple of days or you notice that she is swimming lopsided, take her immediately to a veterinarian! she might have developed pneumonia which can be fatal. She will need to be treated with antibiotics.

Well of course they are cute, everything is as a baby, but before you purchase the silver dollar sized turtle and before your toddler turns it into a teething ring, please consider the following:

Adult size = ~12in (30cm)

Tank size = pond or large aquarium ~180gal (680litre)

Diet = crickets, worms, snails, greens, turtle pellets

Additional costs = heating, lighting, filtration, filtration, filtration

That being said, another consideration; turtles are dirty and messy, kids are dirty and messy, turtles do not make good pets for young children and are known to carry diseases that can be contracted by humans, like salmonella.

Still interested? Read on, this is where the fun starts.

Choosing a specimen

Swelling, redness, lethargy, mucus, and fungus are all things to avoid when choosing your new buddy. Males will have elongated front claws, thicker tails and a slightly concave plastron (bottom of shell). Females will grow larger than males. If you do not plan on breeding it is best to keep the sexes separate, males can harass females when sexually mature.

Housing

As with most things in the Aquatic hobbies, bigger is better, and turtle tanks are no different. When young smaller sliders can be housed in smaller tanks, but they do not stay small for long; have you seen the "turtle tanks" at the pet stores, basically a 20gal long fish tank with one side modified to allow the hang on type filter to function with lower water levels. These are pretty nifty for small turtles, but you need to consider long-term housing for your new little buddy. Outdoor ponds are excellent if your climate will allow for it, otherwise indoor ponds or a large shallow aquarium will due. To encourage natural behavior a tank that is 6ft long and 2ft wide will work well, this will allow for plenty of swimming and diving. The tank does not need to be terribly deep, 1 to 2 ft of water will do. I do not recommend aquarium gravel substrate it is too easily ingested. Medium sized river rocks work great, or nothing at all, I prefer bare bottoms. You will need to provide some dry real estate for a basking. This can be built from bricks, cinder blocks, flat stones, acrylic, etc.; it’s up to you. Water logged turtles are prone to shell rot, fungus, and respiratory problems. It is also important to keep the air temperature in the tank warm, if the air is too cold turtles will prefer to stay in the warm water and not get out to bask. Like jumping out of a hot shower into a cold bathroom, brrrrr.

Heating

Oh yes, do not forget the heater, these bad boys prefer warm water, unless you are going to encourage hibernation, which I do not recommend for the beginner. Standard aquarium heaters work well, but be aware, turtles become speeding bullets when excited, they have no problem smashing into and breaking glass heaters. They will even bite through the electrical cord of a heater if they get the urge. Give your heaters a break, place them somewhere that is inaccessible, or create an outer shield by placing your heater inside a piece of PVC. Keep your water temperature between 73F and 84F. I prefer 78F personally.

Lighting

Above the landmass in your tank you will want to mount a heat lamp for basking. Your turtle will appreciate the warmth of your artificial incandescent sunshine. What’s that you say? Incandescent bulbs do not provide any UVB for Vitamin D3 synthesis and metabolism of calcium! You got that right buddy. Full spectrum fluorescents will need to be used and replaced every 6months to 1year. Allergic to light? D3 can also be supplemented into your turtles diet. But what about black lights? Nope, sorry, the only thing black lights are good for is illuminating fuzzy glowy posters. All right, black lights do have other uses, but not for our purposes here. Is there such a thing as a basking lamp that produces UV-B? Yup, there sure is, UV-B heat lamps. These appear to be ordinary incandescent bulbs, but they will also provide UV-B.

Feeding

Feeder gold fish are bad for everyone, including turtles, sliders are omnivorous. Fish are oily and fatty and will cause long-term damage to your turtle. The best diet is a varied diet; crickets, mealworms, salad greens, earthworms, wax worms, Tubifex worms, snails, and a quality prepared turtle pellet are the way to go. Crickets should be gut loaded before feeding. Most pet stores keep their crickets in a bin of with only egg crate, potatoes, and maybe some oranges, crickets with empty stomachs will do no good for your turtle. Bring the crickets home and store them in a separate container, there are many products that can be used for gut loading crickets, there are even fancy gel type foods that offer nutrition and water (eliminating the need for other sources of water) these are great because nothing smells worse than wet crickets. I like to feed my crickets flake fish food, and greens/fruit/whatever my tortoises are eating and I have extra. High quality vitamin and calcium supplements should be included as well, especially if your lighting does not provide UV-B. Calcium and vitamin supplements are extremely important for younger animals to prevent metabolic bone disease.

Cleaning

Turtles are messy eaters, and whatever goes in must come out. And boy does it come out. Clean water is crucial to not only the health of your turtle, but to your health as well. You, yeah you, quit trying to start that siphon with your mouth, that is disgusting and dangerous! Gravel vacuum siphons are easy to start by putting one end in your bucket and the vacuum end in the tank, fill the vacuum end with water, lift out of the water, water starts to flow, dunk it back in the water, and bingo. Or follow the instructions on the back of the package, submerge the entire thing fill it with water, place finger over hole on outflow side, stick in buck, no problem. Sometimes when I am lazy I use a power head to get my siphons started. Suck out as much turtle mess as you can find, do it frequently. In addition to your spot cleaning a weekly water change routine should be enforced. I like 50% weekly with de-chlorinated water. Tank load and filtration will affect how often you need to change water. Turtles have to live in this water that they so frequently foul, so clean it often. Imagine… no wait, I will spare you any graphic comparisons if you promise to change the water frequently. Nobody wants to live in a toilet.

Filtration

Under gravel filters, get rid of them, crush them into tiny pieces and use them for bio media in your wet dry. Hang on type filters are pretty much useless do to the lower water level in your tank. Internal power filters, these are cute for baby turtles and ok when used in addition to a larger filtration system. Canister filters, my filter of choice for turtles, powerful and efficient. Canister filters will need to be cleaned frequently, as in weekly or bi-weekly, with your water changes. Fine filter media need not apply. Coarse porous filter sponges/media will work best; the finer and water-polishing types will clog way too fast. Wet/Dry trickle filters are a fine choice as well. Large pump, drilled overflow, coarse filter media, smashed up UG filter for bio media (or bio balls/blocks/spheres stringy plastic things, whatever) and you are in business. Whichever type of filtration you decide to go with, be prepared to clean it and maintain it. If maintenance is no fun you will not do it and everyone will suffer.

Disease Prevention

Clean warm water, well-balanced vitamin enriched food, and a basking area. Do not over crowd your tank.

Ailments

Eye infection: Swollen eyes, possible discharge.

Causes: Bacterial infection. Poor water quality, incorrect temperature.

Treatment: Investigate and correct environmental problem. May requite topical antibiotics ointment.

Mouth infection: Sores, furry matter in the mouth, refusal to feed.

Causes: Bacterial infection. Poor water quality, incorrect temperature. Can be contagious.

Treatment: povidone-iodine solution several times per day. Quarantine of infected animal.

Respiratory infection: Lethargy, wheezing, excessive mucus.

Causes: Bacterial infection of the respiratory tract. Poor water quality, incorrect temperature.

Treatment: Veterinary attention required, most likely anti biotic injections.

Shell infections: Soft areas of shell, possible odor.

Causes: Usually a trauma related wound that becomes infected by bacteria.

Treatment: Regular cleaning with povidone iodine solution, topical antibiotics

Calcium deficiency: Soft distorted shell, trouble feeding

Causes: lack of calcium