Red-Eared Slider

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

Red-eared sliders are the pond turtles with the red stripe behind the eye, and they are the reason so many people learn, too late, that a hatchling becomes a 8- to 12-inch animal that lives 20 to 40 years. They are active, messy, and harder to house than a crested gecko. Temperament is not cuddly. Care is equipment.

Water, filter, dry shell

One adult wants 75 gallons or more. The filter should be rated for two or three times that volume, because turtles eat and defecate in the same water. Water temperature sits in the 75 to 80°F range for most homes, with a basking dock that hits about 90°F and lets the plastron dry. UVB is mandatory for calcium metabolism. Without it you get soft shell and a turtle that still eats, which fools people into thinking the lamp was optional.

Diet shifts as they grow. Juveniles take more protein. Adults should eat more aquatic plants and greens, plus a turtle pellet, not a jar of feeder fish every day. Feed in a separate tub if you want the main tank to stay cleaner.

Salmonella, law, and release

Sliders carry salmonella. Wash hands, keep the tank out of the kitchen, and do not let small children put the turtle or the tank water near their mouths. The FDA's ban on selling turtles under 4 inches is a public-health rule. Do not release a pet slider into a local pond. They are invasive in a lot of places and a released turtle rarely gets a kinder life.

A healthy starter setup, tank, filter, dock, heat, and UVB, often costs $300 to $800 before the turtle, and an adult upgrade costs more. Yearly bulbs and filter media are a repeating bill. This suits a keeper who likes aquarium maintenance. It does not suit a child's bedroom shelf.

Swollen eyes, a soft shell, or a turtle that lists in the water and cannot bask needs a reptile vet. The ARAV directory is the locator. Respiratory infection in turtles is not a wait-and-see. The not-eating page and the checker are the on-site tools while you find that clinic.

Slider tanks and the four-inch rule

Why can't stores sell tiny turtles?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration bans the sale of turtles with shells under 4 inches as pets because of salmonella risk to children. A hatchling offered online does not become legal because it was shipped in a cup.

How big a tank does an adult need?

Plan on 75 gallons or more for one adult, with water deeper than the shell is long and a filter rated well above the tank size. The 75-plus gallon line in the quick facts is the start, not a luxury.

Do they need a heat lamp and UVB?

Yes. A basking spot around 90°F where the shell can dry completely, water in the mid to upper 70s, and a UVB bulb made for reptiles, replaced on the manufacturer's schedule. A window is not UVB. Glass filters it.

Are they beginner pets?

The quick facts say beginner, and a hardy slider will survive bad care for a while. A beginner who buys the filter, the light, and the large tank up front can keep one. A beginner with a bowl cannot.