How to Care for a Red Slider Turtle

Having a turtle is a great way to experience nature in your house. It is also a good pet for a child to start with, as red sliders do not require a lot of care. There are some considerations, as with any turtle, but nothing that can take away the thrill of having a pet whose ancestors trod the earth 60 million years ago.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Wash hands when handling a red ear slider turtle. As the Red Ear Slider Turtle site states, "turtles are often associated with bacteria known as salmonella… For many keepers, basic hygiene greatly reduces the instances of any type of infection."
2. Monitor a child as he handles a turtle, and make certain the child washes his hands after handling the turtle.
3. Avoid leaving a red ear slider turtle unattended for more than 2 days. Make arrangements to either have someone monitor the turtle while you are away, or leave the turtle with someone. Sometimes, a vet will allow the owners of pets to leave their animals in the vet's care while the owners are away. Contact your vet to find out if this service is available.
4. Provide a varied and balanced diet to your red ear slider turtle. A good diet can include pellets, aquatic plants and vegetables, insects, fish and shrimp, fruit, as well as the some supplements. Including calcium for shell growth and vitamins is also important.
5. Avoid overfeeding your red ear slider turtle.
6. Give younger red ear slider turtles more protein. As the turtle matures, protein will not be as an important element of their diet.
7. Feed the red ear slider turtle in either a section of the tank or in another tank entirely, to help aid in keeping the tank clean. Make certain water is in this tank or section as the turtle does not produce saliva, and uses water to help in the digestion of its food.
8. Keep your red ear slider turtle in a tank that meets its size requirements. A formula of 10 gallons to every inch of shell should help in this endeavor.
9. Make certain the water level in the tank is high, but not high enough so that the red ear slider turtle can escape easily.
10. Maintain the water in the tank with filters. This helps to keep down the production of algae as well as keeps the turtles free of infection.
11. Monitor the water daily for the build-up of waste and bacteria that can be harmful to the red ear slider turtle's health.
12. Heat the water in the tank so that it is 75 to 78 degrees F for adult red ear slider turtles. Hatchlings should have their water at 78 to 80 degrees F.
13. Provide the red ear slider turtle with a basking area that's at least 10 degrees warmer than that of the water. Here is where the turtle will become dry after being in the water. Use a heat lamp for this purpose. Using a UVB bulb or position the tank so that sunlight can reach it aids the turtle in creating vitamin D3, necessary in metabolizing calcium.
14. Keeping a red ear slider turtle in a glass aquarium is best as this is a container truly designed to hold water. In whatever container a turtle is kept, it is important to provide some hood or screen that covers the top of the tank, thus preventing the turtle from escaping. A screen works best as it allows the most light to enter the tank while keeping the turtle in and other creatures out.