Turtle question ?

Question

i have a 1 year old res that is about 6 inches long and she in a 45 gallom tank with a pretty good size filter a turtle dock and a floating log. i feed her about 5 live fish every other week and feed her 2wice a day on commercial pellets and sometimes a snack of lettuce or vegis or fruit. i have about 7-8 inches of water in there. is she to big for the tank and am i feeding her to much and will she get much bigger? i dont want to let go of her she is really cool. ok plz give me a good answer.thanx

Answer 1

care sheet for red ear slider

Answer 2

Check out these two sites, www.austinsturtlepage.com and exotic pets under reptiles, they have good infor. on how to setup the tank and what all you can feed it.

Answer 3

I would ask a vet.

I have heard that they can keep there size down depending on the size of the cage or tank.

Some animals can do this. I fed a turtle that was walking through the yard a grasshopper.  I stepped on it and threw it in front of it, and its head jumped out lik he caught it.

I let him go on because I don't believe in Zoos, unless it is endangered.

Answer 4

I would say a bigger tank and she will grow.

I have my (tank) pond filled with feeders so they eat at will.

I have 4..

Yours needs more water at least 18" deep for her size.

I have had 2 sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 7 yr old and a 5 yr old. This is how I have taken care of them for 36 yrs. Great pets.

I have had them in a stand alone 150gal pond from sears..for about 6 yrs now..

Here is some important and a lot of info. Get feeder guppies or  feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..or live brown worms from a fish store. petco and or petsmart do not carry live worms..

Red-eared sliders, Gender especially juveniles, can be difficult to s*x. Gender in adults is determined by external physical characteristics and behavior. In Comparison to females, males have longer fore claws (which are use in courtship), a longer tail length, a longer distance from the body to the vent opening, a tail that is thicker at the base and generally a smaller body size and shell length. Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.

Their Home

The minimum enclosure size for hatchling re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium. As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle's length, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. For 4 to 5 inch long sliders, the recommended minimum enclosure surface area is 50 gal plus tank with an extra square foot for each additional turtle.

What to Feed

In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both animal and plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens.

In captivity, the diet for juveniles should consist primarily of a commercial aquatic turtle pellet. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis; however, they should be offered no more than they will consume during a single session to minimize water contamination. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish), tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of chapped leafy greens or finely chapped mixed vegetables, can be offered once weekly but may not be readily accepted until they grow older. Fill tank with approx 20 feeder guppies and or 10 to 15 small goldfish. you’ll know when to replenish the live food supply. just count what’s left

For adults, 20% of the diet may consist of commercial turtle pellets. Plus 80% of their diet is fresh alive fish to catch in their water which also gives them exercise when trying to catch to eat. Adults should be fed greens kale, romaine, red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion, watercress, parsley. Swiss chard, shredded carrots, shredded squash, thawed frozen mixed vegetables and miscellaneous fruits. Adults can be fed every two to three days. NO iceberg or cabbage!!

Vital Statistics

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max.

Life span: 15-25+ years

Answer 5

first, your feeding her perfectly. maybe leave a few guppies in her tank with her so that she can get some exercise though (chase).

second, you can visibly judge her space. if her swimming is awkward than probably. i dont know the dimensions of your tank so i cant give you a straight answer on that, its deep enough though.

as far as size goes shes only got a few more inches left anyways (typically) so if her tank is good now than it will be for a few more years.

Answer 6

I don't think you are feeding her to much maybe she is supposed to get that big

Answer 7

I do not know about her surroundings, but you can find out a lot of information from any herp society (you can google "Herpatological Society" and your state).

However, as a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, I have to tell you that though releasing the turtle into the wild seems like a good thing to do...IT IS A BAD IDEA!

Turtles are accostumed to the area where they were hatched, and if that was a store, they are not going to fare well in the wild. Also, even if the animal was wild to begin with (it would be illegal to keep her) she would have to be returned to the EXACT spot that she was found (same shore of same pond, etc).

So please keep her or turn her over to another herp lover. Although hopefully your acommodations are more than adequate.