Variations
5 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Red-eared slider
Eats fish and plants; needs very strong filtration.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Red-eared slider should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Red-eared slider should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Red-eared slider should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Care and water
Behavior
Eats fish and plants; needs very strong filtration.
Good to know: Needs a dry basking area under a heat and UVB lamp. On the EU invasive species list, and in the USA it is illegal to sell sliders under 10 cm.
Food
Turtle pellets, leafy greens, insects.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Males are usually smaller than females and have very long claws on the front feet.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-layer (substrate spawner) · Moderate
Egg layer: females lay one to three clutches a year (late May to early June in Nebraska).
Buy a pair of adults. They are long-lived.
A large pond with a nesting area.
Warm weather and a cool winter.
2-25 eggs per clutch (about 9 on average in one Pennsylvania study); hatchlings emerge 60-75 days later.
Hatchlings eat pellets and insects.
- Not enough space
- No nesting site
- Poor water
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the red-eared slider
Lives about 30 years; common in the pet trade, and released pets are invasive in many places. Listed as an invasive species of EU concern (Trachemys scripta, 2016); the US bans sale of sliders under 4 inches (10 cm).
Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied described this turtle in 1838 after his travels in North America, placing it in another genus. From the mid-20th century hatchlings were sold in huge numbers as pets. Released animals now live wild in many countries far from its native range.
First described by Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied in 1838.
- The red stripe behind each eye gives the red-eared slider its name.
- Males have very long front claws, which they flutter in front of a female during courtship.
- They 'slide' off basking logs into the water at the first sign of danger.
Sources
10 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
A subspecies of the pond slider Trachemys scripta (Schoepff, 1792); some sources (e.g. Herps of Nebraska) treat it at species level only. Reptile (semi-aquatic turtle), not a fish; needs a dry basking area.
USDA National Invasive Species Information Center: Red-eared Slider (government) - Familycorrected
New value (legacy had none).
Herps of Nebraska (University of Nebraska-Lincoln): Red-eared Slider Turtle · Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission: AIS control plan, Pond Slider (government) - Size
Carapace length. Adult 12.5-28 cm (WA DPIRD); species maximum about 30 cm (PA), and Nebraska gives 8.9-36.8 cm for the species. Males are smaller than females.
Western Australia DPIRD: Red-eared slider animal pest alert (government) · Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission: AIS control plan, Pond Slider (government) - Lifespan
PA adds that exceptional wild individuals may exceed 40 years. Legacy '20-30+' agrees.
Western Australia DPIRD: Red-eared slider animal pest alert (government) · Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission: AIS control plan, Pond Slider (government) - Swimming level
Uses open water and basking sites; no source states a tank zone.
Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission: AIS control plan, Pond Slider (government) - Where it livescorrected
New value. Introduced elsewhere mainly through pet releases and escapes (USDA NISIC; earliest US releases in the 1930s).
Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission: AIS control plan, Pond Slider (government) · USDA National Invasive Species Information Center: Red-eared Slider (government) - Male or female
Claw and size cues verified; tail/cloaca cue and the 'from about 10 cm' age were not in the fetched sources.
Western Australia DPIRD: Red-eared slider animal pest alert (government) · Herps of Nebraska (University of Nebraska-Lincoln): Red-eared Slider Turtle - Breeding
'On land' is standard for turtles but not stated in these quotes.
Herps of Nebraska (University of Nebraska-Lincoln): Red-eared Slider Turtle · Western Australia DPIRD: Red-eared slider animal pest alert (government) - Eggs and youngcorrected
Range is wider than legacy 5-20; incubation shorter at the top end than legacy 90 days.
Herps of Nebraska (University of Nebraska-Lincoln): Red-eared Slider Turtle · Western Australia DPIRD: Red-eared slider animal pest alert (government) · Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission: AIS control plan, Pond Slider (government) - Story
Supports the legacy 'warn' text too: the EU Union list includes Trachemys scripta (all subspecies), which bans sale and keeping for trade. Australia (WA) bans keeping by the public.
Western Australia DPIRD: Red-eared slider animal pest alert (government) · Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission: AIS control plan, Pond Slider (government) · Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1141, list of invasive alien species of Union concern (Annex) · USDA National Invasive Species Information Center: Red-eared Slider (government)