Sliders are great pets for those who are not afraid of taking on a long-term commitment. Be prepared to go through a lot of fresh vegetables and do not expect to have a cuddly pet. These turtles are not a good choice for keepers who want to handle their pets. They become easily stressed if held and are known to carry salmonella. Luckily, they are just as entertaining when left in their tank and are usually bold and inquisitive. Sliders are entertaining reptiles with a lot of personality, perfect for an intermediate reptile keeper!
They are very active during the day and are known to dive, swim, bask and dig. The trickiest part of caring for this turtle is keeping their enclosure clean. Unfortunately, many first time owners keep these pets in poor conditions which can cause outbreaks of salmonella. But, this should be no problem for intermediate and experienced herpetologists.
They make fantastic pets if given enough space and fed the right diet. Yellow-bellied sliders are opportunistic feeders who eat whenever and whatever they can. This is not surprising given similar species, such as the snapping turtle , are also opportunistic feeders.
Young turtles are primarily carnivores that feed on aquatic insects, worms, and small fish. As they grow into adults, their diet shifts to one that is made up almost entirely of plants! There are several high-quality aquatic turtle diets that are usually in the form of pellets. But, keep in mind that most of these diets are made for adult turtles rather than hatchlings. They can lack the protein needed by juveniles. Baby turtles do best when fed small crickets, mealworms and cockroaches four times a week.
Growing turtles can be given two small meals every day. Fully grown turtles should be fed mostly pellets and leafy greens, along with some aquatic plants like duckweed. Adults can also be fed crickets, shrimp, mealworms, and earthworms if you are not feeding pellets.
Yellow-bellied sliders are mostly aquatic and live in brackish and freshwater marshes, wetlands, lakes, and ponds in the southeastern United States. Keeping sliders in a tank is relatively easy , provided you have the proper setup and equipment. They need a tank with water deep that is deep enough to submerge in with plenty of plants along the bottom. When you first get a turtle hatchling you will need a gallon tank. But, this should be changed for a larger tank after four years.
Adult sliders need at least a gallon enclosure to be healthy. Some owners use a standard glass fish tank to house their slider, while others use plastic pond liners to create a more natural setup.
Sliders can thrive in freshwater, though brackish water can also be used. Water should be treated with a turtle-safe dechlorinator and be free from heavy metals and other pollutants. If you use brackish water, make sure to measure the salinity frequently, as the salt levels will increase as water evaporates. Turtles need to warm up before they can become active. Yellow-Bellied sliders need mostly water in their tank. In the water, the best substrate for sliders is no substrate or fine sand.
Turtles can accidentally ingest gravel or pebbles, which can cause gastrointestinal impaction. Some land should also be provided for basking. Adding a plastic or wooden platform to the side of the tank is important. It should be large enough for your slider to sit comfortably on. Yellow-bellied sliders enjoy having plenty of hiding places. Live plants like waterweed, anubias, and mosses can be used in the water portion of your tank, but keep in mind that they may be munched on.
Yellow-bellied sliders live for an incredibly long time. Many are able to live for 40 years! In the wild, their long lifespan is partly because of their tough shell , which prevents attacks from other animals. Unfortunately, this protection comes with a downside.
As their shell is their main line of defense, slider turtles put less energy into their immune systems. This makes them more vulnerable to bacterial diseases like mycoplasmosis and shell rot. This disease is extremely infectious and passes from turtle to turtle through mucus. If you suspect your turtle may be infected, make sure to isolate and take it to a veterinarian. Shell rot appears as gray, white, or red flaky or slimy spots on the top and bottom of the shell.
If left untreated shell rot can cause open sores and secondary infections. They are named after their yellow shell. The bottom and sides of their shell are a bright yellow with three to four black spots on each side. The top of their shell is a dark brownish green with orange and black wavy lines.
As they age, their shell often becomes darker in color, especially on the top. Males in particular can become almost black!
Sliders have shells that are flattened and smooth. This makes them more aerodynamic for swimming and provides a larger surface area to soak up the sun when basking. To help them swim yellow-bellied sliders have strong legs with webbed toes.
The weeds often obscure them from the eyes of other hungry animals. Growth for some animals is swift. Many house cats, for example, attain their full size at a year old. That simply isn't so for yellow-bellied sliders, or slider turtles in general. Development in these reptiles is a sluggish and gradual process.
Many of them don't arrive at physical maturity until they're between 8 and 9 years in age. Once your yellow-bellied slider is around that age, she probably won't grow much more. Females usually take longer than the males to become mature. Yellow-bellied sliders in nature inhabit a broad assortment of environments.
Many of them live in marshes, sluggish rivers, ponds, lakes and inlets. They're drawn to settings that feature not only ample places to bask such as logs, but also plentiful water plants.
Asked 8 years ago. Active 1 year, 1 month ago. Viewed 11k times. Improve this question. Coronus Coronus 2 2 gold badges 7 7 silver badges 23 23 bronze badges. I don't think you can. Once they reach maturity, it's guess work.
For domesticated turtles it's even harder since they don't hibernate and they eat better, so size is even tricky to use. Did you ask Mr owl? For those not old enough to immediately get the reference: youtube. CAn you add some more details about her physically, perhaps include one or two photos?
Size etc — user Skippy Of course! I just checked and don't have any good size reference shots, but I'll take some more soon. Coronus the problem is, once they reach a certain age, they don't continue to grow, but their color changes gradually.. Add a comment.
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