Red Eared Slider Turtle qustions on size and other stuff?

Question

Ok, I am thinking about buying a Red Eared Slider turtle. How big do they get if i am going to get them when they are babies, and put them in a ten gallon aquarium. Any answers will be great! Thanks! Oh and please give me tips on how to take the best care of them.

Answer 1

Here is a great starter article on this subject to read: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/newhatchling.htm

A well set-up 10 gallon tank is OK for a little while, but it will rather quickly outgrow it. This species hits 9" for the males, and 12" for females and you should offer about 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length.

Their care can be summed up in three areas. For a happy and healthy Red-ear, offer:

1. Good water- big spaces, warm temps (75-80F), and crystal clean water (god filtration).

2. Good sunlight- basking surfaces to get out and dry off on while they sun themselves in about a 90F warm spot and lighting that replicates sunlight. UVB bulbs help with this.

3. Good diet- baby turtles eat meat, so a mix of good pellets and things like worms, insects, small fish, snails, krill, shrimp, etc. are great.

You can learn more about this at either
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com or
http://www.redearslider.com

Good luck!