Things You'll Need:
- Water
- Tank
- Heater
- Special lights
- Turtle Dock
- Filters
- Turtle food
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Thermometer
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Step 1
Wash your hands before and after handling your red ear slider. This prevents your hands from contaminating them, and you from becoming ill from possible salmonella contamination. Salmonella is often present on reptiles. Simple hand washing with soap and water will eliminate this bacteria as a concern.
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Step 2
Red ear sliders need a lot of room to swim around in. You will need at least a twenty gallon tank or plastic container to keep your turtle in. Do not try to keep your turtle in a little plastic pan. These are not a suitable habitat for a RES. Turtle enthusiasts call these containers "death bowls."
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Step 3
Keep the water temperature at 70 to 75 degrees F for adult red ear slider turtles. This will most likely require an aquarium heater. You will also want to use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the habitat.
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Step 4
An accessible dry basking area with a basking light that is kept at 80 to 85 degrees F is another necessary part of a healthy habitat for a semi aquatic turtle.
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Step 5
To reduce the amount of required water changes, use a canister filtration system.
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Step 6
To insure proper calcium metabolism, red ear sliders also need a UVA/UVB light.
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Step 7
Feed your turtle a varied diet of fresh greens and aquatic plants, fresh fruits and vegetables, live or freeze-dried fish, and a small amount of prepared turtle food. Red ear slider turtles need reptile vitamins as well.
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Step 8
Red ear sliders will beg for food. They are very cute when they are soliciting donations. For their own good, resist the urge to overfeed them. A turtle can grow too fat for his shell, this will cripple him and leave him vulnerable to health problems.
