![]() ![]() Red-eared sliders often outgrow the smaller aquariums they start out in, soon requiring their keepers to provide more spacious accommodations. As adults, they are very large and active turtles, and they demand a great deal of space to be maintained successfully. Canister filters are a hobbyist’s best bet to aid in maintaining water quality.įor nearly all of the pros to keeping red-eared sliders, there are nearly as many cons. When keeping red-eared sliders, or any aquatic turtle, water quality is of paramount importance. Red-eared sliders have a broad range of preferred food items, making their care a little less restricted than some of the more exotic species. ![]() In fact, I spoke with several keepers who claim to have kept individual red-eared sliders for nearly 50 years. This extremely hardy, disease-resistant, long-lived animal has been known to live well over 30 years in captivity. Many keepers believe that the turtle’s curious nature is a sign of intelligence, and pets’ eagerness to get an approaching keeper’s attention in hopes of receiving a treat proves a pet-owner relationship. There are many reasons to keep a red-eared slider as a pet. Red-Eared Slider Captive Care: Pros and Cons Although they have been found in brackish water, red-eared sliders primarily are freshwater dwellers. Red-eared sliders commonly are found in larger, relatively quiet bodies of water, such as ponds, lakes, creeks and slow-moving rivers with lots of natural debris for basking, and they sometimes are seen traveling about on land. ![]() A defining notation of both is the presence of paired plastral blotches however, blotches of the Cumberland slider’s plastron are not solidly colored, whereas blotches on the red-eared slider’s plastron are.Īdult male red-eared sliders can be distinguished easily from females by their elongated foreclaws, which are used during courtship, as well as a larger, heavier tail that extends past the rear of the carapace. elegans’ -in the same general area as the red-eared slider, and I suspect many of the red-eared sliders in captivity actually are Cumberland sliders, or at least a combination of the two. The Cumberland terrapin also exhibits a notable red stripe-although usually not as bright or colorful as T. Although both male and female red-eared sliders do possess the red-colored head striping, this is not a characteristic shared only by this species. Intricate patterning and a brilliant red stripe along each side of the turtle’s head make the red-eared slider stand out among other aquatic turtles, defining its identification immediately. Because it is a species with a wide variety of colors and patterns, some dedicated herpetoculturists have produced, through selective breeding, beautiful specimens of albino, pastel- and lime-colored red-eared sliders.Ī History Of The Pet Hatchling Aquatic Turtle Trade In The United States In most cases, the bright colors and patterns become obscured when the turtle’s shell takes on its typical darker brown, black or olive green color with only hints of the pre-existing color and pattern scheme. ![]() Big, Beautiful, BusyĪ rather large turtle when full-grown, the female red-eared slider has been known to reach a carapace length of 12 to 15 inches while the smaller male averages an adult size of about 8 to 10 inches in carapace length.Īttractive in appearance, red-eared sliders come in a multitude of colors including red, yellow, green, light blue, brown and black, with various shades and combinations of each often being present. This turtle acclimates very easily outside of its natural range, making it difficult to specify its actual range. Originating naturally from areas surrounding the Mississippi River, the red-eared slider is a widespread species that inhabits an area that encompasses most of the central United States as far north and west as Illinois and eastern New Mexico, south to Texas, east through Georgia and likely coastal areas as far north as Virginia along the eastern seaboard. troostii) and the yellow-bellied slider ( T. Currently, the red-eared slider is known as Trachemys scripta elegans and shares sub-specific status with the Cumberland terrapin ( T. Because of this turtle’s widespread familiarity and interest both in the scientific community and the private sector, the red-eared slider went through numerous nomenclatural changes by many well-known scholars in the field of herpetology throughout the years. Originally described in 1839 by German naturalist Alexander Philipp Maximilian, the red-eared slider received its taxonomy position as Emys elegans. ![]()
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