Red Eared Slider Turtles?

Question

I have a Red Eared Slider that is 3yrs old. I have a few questions concerning the him....
How big do they get?
What is their life span?
How many gallons of water will they need by the time they`re fully grown?
What is the best thing to feed them?
Are there any things in particular that I should have in their tank?
How much should I feed them?
Am I allowed to take them onto the yard?
If so, for how long?
Can they recognize faces?
How smart are they?
Can they hear remember what I say?
Is it at all possible to voice/clicker train them? :)
Do they need companionship, turtle, human, ect.?
Any health problems to look out for?
DO THEY SHED??!!
How fast are they?
Are they fast enough to catch minnows that I put in their tank as feeder fish?
Is it bad to paint their shells?
Is there anything they shouldn`t eat?
Any special things they need?
Should I put gravel in their tank?
I have had my turtle for a while and I want to know if I`ve been doing things right. I haven`t painted his shell though!

Answer 1

1) Males get typically from 6-8 inches. Females 8-12 inches.
2)Their life span depends on how well they are taken care of.
3)There should be 10 gallons of water for every inch of shell they have. Typically they should have over 120 gallon tanks.
4)Feed them Pellets, lettuce, veggies, fruits, kinds of meats.
5)They like to have fake or real plants in the tank, hiding spots, maybe some real fish, NO rocks that are smaller than their heads! basking area, filter, heater, bubble disk, maybe a floating toy ball.
6)You should feed pellets by the amount you think can fit into their head. (not counting neck) every other day. And veggies maybe everyday. Fruits every 2 weeks like a treat. Meaty things every month or so.
7)You can let your RES walk around, but I wouldnt do that if he isnt fully grown yet. It can be very stressful for them. And make sure that you wait a while after you get him to let him out. Don't let him get hurt, escape, or anything harmful. Maybe 30 minutes or so.
8)After a while yes, they will be able to reconize faces. Typically the person who feeds, cleans, etc..
9)I dont know how smart they are.
10) RES cant hear very well, so they probably wont remember much.
11)It is almost impossible to train a RES.
12)RES DONT get lonely. If you get another one you have to isolate them both for 90 days. But there is always a HUGE chance they will end up fighting when you put them together, then you will have to have 2 seperate tanks for them. You are always going to be there for them, so it is OK with humans. Just remember NEVER to let your RES into the wild after held in captivity.
13)There are a number of health problems that could happen.
14)Yes, they shed scutes. The top and bottom of their shells every once in a while. If you dont provide UVB and UVA and heat lighting, then many problems can happen when shedding. They shed by themselves so you dont need to help them with anything. That would just hurt them.
15)They are pretty fast, so watch out!
16)Yes, they are GREAT at catching fish, so only put about 5 in there every month for the turtle to eat, otherwise pyramiding will start to occur.
17)DO NOT paint their shells. The paint can come off and REALLY harm your turtles and kill them. Its like someone painting you all over and you licking it all off. How would that make you feel?
18)Look at the websites that I give you at the bottom.
19)They need filter, heater, UVB and UVA lighting, heat with the light, water kept at a constant 76 degrees.
20)NO GRAVEL! The turtles eat it and it gets ingested in their systems and the turtle dies! It is Sooo awful for them.

Here are the great websites you can go to--
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com
http://www.redearslider.com --this site will tell you everything you can and cant feed a turtle, health issues, and mainly anything you need. The site is wonderful!

And here are some forums. You can ask questions here if you are having any with your turtle, set-up, or just anything.
http://www.turtleforum.com
http://www.redearslider.com/forum

You can e-mail me anytime if you are having any questions. My profile allows e-mail.

Hope this helps and Good Luck! :)

And what the other person said...turtles LOVE lettuce and it is GREAT for them! You should defiantly feed it to them. If you go to the sites...it will tell you to feed them lettuce

Answer 2

When visiting in New York city, my lovely girlfriend picked me up two of these small red ear sliders in China Town. They live in a 20 gallon high fishtank. There is an undergravel filter, an air stone, and small caves on one side of the tank. The gravel is sloped from the right side from 4 inches deep to around three quarters on the left. The undergravel filter has only one post on the far right of the tank. We live near the Connecticut River and went there to find driftwood and river plants. There is nothing plastic in the tank except for the things needed to create the proper environment.
The turtles like it warm. Our fishtank has a 40 watt heater and stays at 82 degrees. There is also a large plant that we purchased at the pet store.
These two turtles are very happy.
Handling them may not be wise, but no reason to fear. Just make sure to wash your hands well after you handle them.
No one is allowed to put their hands in this fishtank except an experienced adult.
They should eat turtle food or reptile food from the fish store. However, most turtles will eat fish.
Our tank is a fishtank full of water. The turtles need somewhere to get dry once in a while, so they climb on the driftwood but for the most part they spend much of their time submerged chasing(we just had babies) baby fish. It is extremely neat to watch. There are about 20 tiny orange fish about 1/4 inch long. The turtles are about 1 3/8 of an inch across.
They do not shed.
They may not be able to catch a minnow fish, but you can injure the fish a little bit.
Probably not a good idea to paint their shell.
They can not recognize faces.
If they do not fear you they may think you are food and may try to bite you.
They are fairly smart, but not in a human sense, they are very instinctual.
They may get as much as four or five inches across, but will not outgrow the tank, meaning that they will not grow much larger than they can in their surroundings.

Answer 3

1. They can get the size of dinnerplates; I have had many females with shell lengths over over 9 inches
2. They live 15-20+ years
3. They need at least 100 gallons of water when full grown. Outdoor ponds are more ideal than tanks
4. Feeding them a variety of fish, pellets, insects (crickets, mealworms, earth worms, etc) pieces of meat, and some will take veggies
5. Make sure you have deep enough water in the tank and a basking light
6. Feed them every other day, leave live prey (fish, ghost shrimp) in the tank for them to eat whenever
7. You can take them into the yard provided its warm enough. Get a kiddie pool and make an outside swim area, just watch closely cause they'll wander
8. It can stay out as long as its warm enough and its secure enough
9. They don't seem to be able to recognize faces
10. They don't seem particularly smart
11. No, they don't hear./remember what you say
12. No, its not possible to voice/clicker train them.
13. They don't need companionship
14. Health problems- just be sure they have proper nutrition and a good set up
15. Faster than you would think
16. They can catch minnows
17. Yes, they shed off their skin and the outer layer of the shell
18. Gravel is ok in the tank as long as its too big for them to eat; just be sure you gravel vac often

Answer 4

How big do they get?
Females can get up to 12 inches, males around 8.

What is their life span?
If they're well-cared for, 30-50 years

How many gallons of water will they need by the time they`re fully grown?
Usually about 10 gallons per inch of shell.

What is the best thing to feed them?
A mix of live protein (like feeder fish), veggies (carrots), and the premade pellets/sticks from pet stores.

Are there any things in particular that I should have in their tank?
Basking areas that allow them to get completely out of the water.
A heating lamp (above the water).
UVB/UVA light (for their shell)
In tank heater (turtles get lethargic if the water temp is below 72, and try to hibernate below 56 or 58).
In tank (not stick on glass) thermometer.
Large filter - capable of handling more water than what's in your tank because turtles are messier than fish.

How much should I feed them?
At that age, every other day; look at their head & necks and feed them the amount of food that would fill those spaces.

Am I allowed to take them onto the yard?
You can, just be careful of the temperature. Make sure that they have some clean water to swim in because turtles use the water to cool off, drink and eat.

If so, for how long?
A few hours.


Can they recognize faces?
Mine seems to.

How smart are they?
Somewhat ... mine recognizes myself and my husband, but she does very silly things too.

Can they hear remember what I say?
Hear, yes. Remember ... not sure.

Is it at all possible to voice/clicker train them? :)
I'm really not sure. I mean, mine knows what corner of the tank I'll feed her at, and when I'll feed her, so you might be able to train yours a little.

Do they need companionship, turtle, human, ect.?
Not really. Being handled by humans can stress the turtle out. Having another turtle in the tank creates competition (and you need an even bigger tank). It's worse if you have turtles of opposite sexes as they'll be trying to make litlte turtles.

Any health problems to look out for?
Shell rot/fungus - that's why it's important to give them a basking area and all their vitamins.
Eye problems - swollen eyes show that they're either lacking in vitamin A or in clean water.
Pyramiding - lack of adequate vitamins causes their shells to point out; it looks like they have small pyramids all over their shell.

DO THEY SHED??!!
Yes.

How fast are they?
Pretty fast.

Are they fast enough to catch minnows that I put in their tank as feeder fish?
Yes; great exercise too!

Is it bad to paint their shells?
I would not paint their shells.

Is there anything they shouldn`t eat?
Lettuce and most fruits.

Any special things they need?
Basking area, heater, filter

Should I put gravel in their tank?
NO. Turtles try to eat the gravel, which can create alot of stomach problems.

I have had my turtle for a while and I want to know if I`ve been doing things right. I haven`t painted his shell though!

Answer 5

I agree with the above posts but do not use gravel in the tank. Impaction from swallowing small rocks is a serious problem with RES, and could prove deadly. Also, it makes cleaning the tank so much harder. Keep the water crystal clean and you'll have a lot less health problems.

Answer 6

Life span = 35-40 years
Gallons of water= Very big
Turtle pellets for food
area to get out of the water and uv lights
Depends on the heat of your yard
until the sun is down
sometimes
Depends on their nature
no because of poor hearing
no
no
salmonella
no
fast in water but slow on land
Yes
Yes
pasta
yes
dont paint the shell

Answer 7

Good for NOT painting its shell!
Go to those links that person suggested, they are all good and will answer most of your questions in detail