Care Sheet for:

Red Ear Slider Turtles(Chysemys Scipta)

 

Difficulty/Care Rating: 9

 

 

Range/Habitat: Eastern United States. Subspecies to Northern South America. Has been introduced worldwide. DO NOT RELEASE THESE!!

 

Sexing: Males have long front claws and long well defined tail. Females usually much larger.

 

Size: Reaches 14” in shell length but averages 10” in adults.

 

Husbandry: One of the most commonly kept species. Can adapt to a variety of environments. A 10 gallon tank with a submersible filter is ok for specimens up to 3 inches. Can be kept in groups but males sometimes bite each other. Omnivorous in diet taking a variety of foods. Optimum temperatures in the 80’s. Must have a land and water area with a wide spectrum UVB basking light. DO NOT set these little guys up in the little cheap containers with the plastic palm tree. Spend the money for a good habitat or don’t buy them!

 

Breeding: Males can breed at 4 inches. Females at 6-7”. Recommend to allow them to reach 8 inches minimum on females. They need a large enclosure/pond to breed. Females lay up to 30 eggs but, average smaller. Very easy to breed even without cycling.

 

Salmonella Warning: This species has been implicated in Salmonella cases. It is more likely that you would get Salmonella from supermarket meats than from turtles. However, never let a small child handles any animal without using an anti-bacterial soap before and after.

 

*This care sheet is for general information purposes only.

 

Provided as a courtesy by:

Herpetological Breeding Research

Ft. Pierce, Florida