Red-Eared Slider Questions

[ekfishlover2011]

Okay so my friend has four Red-Eared Sliders he got from... somewhere. He doesnt want them anymore, or the 65 gallon (he thinks) tank they were kept in. I want the tank. My mom might want the turtles, depending on what i find here. So, let the questions commence:

1. How big do these turtles get?
2. What do they eat?
3. How many, if any, can live in a 10 gallon?
4. If above answer is none, will they stay in her neighbors pond, and will large dogs eat them?
5. Do turtles contaminate aquariums to the point that i cant clean it out and use for fish after they are gone? Id assume no, because these particular turtles are plentiful in the old canal by my dads house and there are many fish in there too. They dont die from it.
6. Do these guys need land? Filter?
7. Will they eat Japanese Koi if put in her neighbors yard?

Thank you for your help in these very important questions. If they end up incompatible with either of these two scenarios, or turn out much harder to care for than either my mom or her neighbor can provide, i will tell him to go with the backup plan of donating them to That Fish Place so that they can sell them to a good home, and if the tank is usable... Free upgrade! :19:

[WaMiss]

RES get dinner plate size or bigger. They eat smaller fish, turtle pellets and plants/veggies (like lettuce). A 10 gallon tank is not big enough for 4 or even 1. They may stay in the pond if you fenced it off. Large dogs may eat them or play with them to death. Turtles are very messy. They need a basking area where they can get completely out of the water. They can only eat in water. They will eat Koi if they can get ahold of them. Anything kept with a turtle should be considered fair game for a meal!! Doesn't sound like an ideal situation!

[genocidex]

they can get upto 9 inches wide i think, and they will not stay in a 10g. a pond would be nice and if the koi are big enough it shouldnt be a problem but might have issues of chunks missing. they will eat small fish, veggies and small shrimp of the such when they are older.

if its glass i wouldnt think it could foul the tank to the point a disinfection wouldnt fix it. they need land to bask and inside they need uv B lights.

[ekfishlover2011]

okay. Then i shall tell him to donate to TFP and ill take tank. :) Thanks guys!

[Syeda Rabia]

We have a red eared slider turtle who seems to have lost its appetite over the last few days. Previously the turtle used to beg for food and kept eating all the time. Would be highly obliged if you could help us understand why?? and what needs to be done??
Thank you

[WhiteDevil]

loss of appetite is due to the water temp, they stop eating in cooler water.
But they can go for a while without eating as well.


A RES gets about 10" in diameter in captivity, some are up to 12" some are under 10". Measure the tank for the capacity. They need 100g EACH at adult size.

[Syeda Rabia]

Dear White Devil
Thank you for your valuable thoughts it helps us.

[Syeda Rabia]

How will i know whether my turtle is male or female please help

[WaMiss]

You really should start your own post. You'd get more responses.
A male RES has a fatter tail and very long front claws. Females grow larger than males and have a skinnier tail and short front claws. They don't tend to show the difference in claw length until they are about 4-5 inches. What are you keeping your turtle in? And what are you feeding?

[Syeda Rabia]

Dear WaMiss, Thanks for your response, it really helps us.
We are keeping our RES in a glass Aquarium, with a nice portion of dry river sand for basking under a light. He really enjoys basking almost the whole day, he also like to eat a lot of the water plants that are in the Aquarium. The size of the Aquarium is around 3 feet long, 1 foot wide and 2 feet high, we never knew much about how big and fast he would grow.

Since we got him we have been feeding him pellets of various sizes to suit his growth, and freeze dried worm squares, and recently we have been feeding him boiled beef mince of very tiny pcs that he really enjoys and now wants only to have this and avoids the pellets and Frozen dried worm squares.