Red-Eared Slider — care sheet

Intermediate. The turtle itself is famously hardy and forgiving — the difficulty is the setup, not the animal. A single slider needs a 100+ gallon heated, filtered aquarium (or pond), which is genuinely fishkeeping-level equipment, cost, and ongoing maintenance. Underestimating that is why it is one of the most-abused reptiles in the hobby.

An OMNIVORE whose ratio flips with age. Under 1 year: roughly 50% animal protein / 50% vegetables — protein and greens daily, turtle pellets every other day. Over 1 year: roughly 25% protein / 75% vegetables — protein only 1–2×/week, leafy greens daily, pellets 2–3×/week. Pellets should be no more than ~25% of the diet. Variety is the key to good nutrition, and they eat in the water.

The rule is 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length (a 4 in turtle → 40 gal; a 12 in adult → 120 gal). Because they reach dinner-plate size, buy the adult-size setup from the start: a 100 US gallon (379 L) minimum, ideally 120–125 gal, or an indoor/outdoor pond. Water is extremely heavy — a 100 gal glass tank of water weighs ~830 lb (377 kg), so set it up on a ground floor or basement that can take the load.

Water 78–82°F (24–29°C), warmer for hatchlings and unwell turtles. Use a guarded aquarium heater on larger setups.

At least as deep as the turtle is long (deeper is better) so it can swim freely and right itself if it flips — never keep a slider in shallow "dish" water.

A powerful canister filter rated for at least 2–3× the water volume — ordinary aquarium filters are sized for tidy fish, and turtles are far messier. Back it up with regular partial water changes; dirty water is a direct cause of shell and eye infections.

A dry haul-out dock big enough to fit the whole turtle out of the water, with a stone surface (flagstone is ideal — it warms evenly), heat and UVB mounted directly above. Basking-surface temperature 104°F (40°C), from an overhead halogen. The turtle must be able to climb fully out and dry off completely.

Turn the basking lamp and UVB off at night. The large water volume holds heat well, so a natural night-time drop is fine and no night heat is needed in a normally-heated room.

Strong UVB is essential for a diurnal basker: a T5 HO bulb giving a UVI of 3.0–4.0 at the basking surface (Ferguson Zone 3), running 50–75% of the enclosure length and mounted ≥10 in above the dock alongside the heat lamp. Replace every 12 months. Real sunshine in an outdoor pond is ideal (never filtered through glass).

Bare-bottom is easiest and safest to keep clean. If you want a planted look, use large smooth river stones too big for the turtle to swallow — avoid small gravel, which turtles eat and can become impacted on.

Keep a cuttlebone floating in the tank at all times — a calcium source that also keeps the beak trimmed. Powdered supplements wash straight off food underwater, so minerals come from a quality pellet, varied whole foods, and that cuttlebone. Dark leafy greens matter too — too little vitamin A causes swollen eyes.

Up to 12 in (31 cm) shell; most reach 8–11 in. Females are larger than males

20–30 years, and 40+ is not unheard of — a multi-decade commitment

See a reptile or exotics vet if you notice: Floating lopsided or unable to dive, open-mouth breathing, bubbling or mucus from the nose, wheezing, or basking constantly and refusing the water (possible respiratory infection).; Soft, pitting, discoloured, weeping, or foul-smelling patches on the shell (possible shell rot).; A soft shell, or a bumpy "pyramided" shell (signs pointing to metabolic bone disease / poor diet or lighting).; Swollen, puffy, or shut eyes (often a vitamin A deficiency from a poor diet).; An overgrown beak, not eating, lethargy, or any tissue protruding from the vent (prolapse)..