are red eared sliders land turtles?

Question

I'm trying to buy a RES are they land turtles???? please answer the best answer will get 10 points!!!! :)

Answer 1

Since you want to buy a RES I'll provide you will the basic info. RES are not as easy to care for as people think, the are also fairly expensive to keep.

RES are most certainly aquatic. They cannot eat or eliminate waste out of the water.

Tank:
You will need 10 gal per inch of shell. Most turtles you will purchase in pet stores will be around 5 inches, so expect right off the bat to buy a 50 gal tank, but be aware that if you buy the smallest tank that is acceptable in about a year you'll be buying another larger tank. The tank should be large enough to provide plenty of swimming room. The water should be twice as deep and the turtle is long. Many RES get fairly large(10-12inches) and at full size need a custom built enclousure.

As for enclosure you need a basking area, and a swimming area. Turtles need a basking area to digest food, and they eat/eliminate in the water. You need to buy special lighting, a basking lamp for heat and a UVA/UVB light for vitamin D creation. Without vitamin D you turtle will get shell rot, and without basking light he will not be able to digest food. Air temp should be around 80 degrees.

You need an under water heater and thermomitor. The water needs to be kept at around 75 degrees. Make sure you purchase one that can be moved to larger tanks as the turtle grows. For example if you buy a 50 gal tank and the heater only heat upto 50 gal tanks, you wll need to replace it when you get another tank. Instead get a heater that will heat a larger tank.

Food:
When young turtles are carnivours, eating fish, insects, ect. As they age they are more vegetarians. Also feed a high protien pellet food. Buying cheap low protine food will effect health.

Cleaning
Turtles are very messy(waste producers) and you need a strong filter to clean the water.( I spent around 90 dollars for mine, (U.S)) You will also have to do a 25% water change bi-weekly. Remember they live in the water so you need it clean.

Start up:
The start up cost for a turle is a few hundred dollars. Do you have a few hundred dollars to spend? If you are not going to take care of the animal properly and skimp on cage size, lighting, etc than don't keep it, for the sake of the turtle. Most people who decide to not provide propper care in the beginning never provide it.

Costs(in the U.S:
-Tank 50 gal: 100+dollars
-Filter: 60-100 dollars(best to get a strong one made for larger tanks so you don't have to replace tank and filter as the turtle grows)
-Rocks/platforms/ect: 30 dollars for one quality basking platform.
-Food- 10-15 dollars for a small container of pellets, 10 dollars for each container of crickets, bloodworms etc.
-tank water conditioner 3.00-5.00 dollars per pack, multiplied by 4 water changes a month
-Lights- UVA/UVB light $24-35, basking light $10-15. Lamps $20-40 each(need two), depends on the brand
-Water Heaters - $25-$100
-Vet care in case of emergency, etc can cost hundreds of dollars over turltes life.

Be prepared to care for this animal for over a long time, as turtles can live decades. They are costly and not as rewarding a pet as other animals, and not for everyone. Remember they do not like to be picked up, and half the time mine doesn't even like to be looked at.

There are too many pet turltes out there that are bought, taken, etc, by unassumming people who do not realize the expense and care that goes into these amazing creatures. Please think this through full before you decide to purchase this animal. Evaluate the care you can give it, and weather you have the time and money to do it properly.

Answer 2

water turtles!

I found it out the hard way.
I have a pool in my back yard and live in south texas.
I discovered a HUGE red slider headed towards my backyard - he was at the side of my house.
He was the size of a football. (I called him Charlie and assumed he was a boy).
I didn't know he was a red slider at the time, but my friend who is a vet tech told me.
I put him in a bin in my house (didn't have an aquarium) with dry rabbit pebbles (all i had) and a water bowl. He kept going into the water bowl, and I couldn't figure out why he kept lying in it.
Until, of course, my vet tech friend came over and told me he is a water turtle, not a land turtle.
We released him in a nearby man made lake and he swam away - never looked back. Never even said thanks for nothing!

Answer 3

They are both they require land to get onto to bask and they need water. Please do a thorough study keeping sliders is not cheap they require certain lights. full grown best if kept in a 100 gallan tank.
I had some but it got way to expensive for me and I had to even with a filter had to change the tank thoroughly every 3 days.

Answer 4

No, they are water turtles. They stay in the water about 95% of the time, so they will need some land.

Answer 5

the user-friendly answer is confident, yet right here's some reasons why. Aquatic turtles desire a dry section to dry thoroughly off so they are no longer getting themes with their shells or epidermis. they desire a place to bask decrease than a warmth lamp and additionally a UVB lamp for heat temperature, bone, and shell well-being.

Answer 6

No, they are aquatic. They need a tank or pond. Tortoises spend their time on land only.