The Red-Eared Slider’s widespread demand, keeping it as a pet is both a common practice and not difficult to do. These turtles are not only stunning but also quite sociable and approachable, and they are active for most of the day. Even though they like swimming so much, they are often kept inside so that they may be protected from the weather.
However, if the climate is warm enough and the conditions are right, they may live outdoors in the yard. The indoor habitat should provide UV lighting for warmth, a large amount of space in which the animal may bask, and a supply of water in which the animal can spend time.
On the market, you may find a variety of pre-prepared feeds for aquatic turtles. I think that ZooMed Aquatic Turtle Diet is a good product. It comes in a variety of various formulas and pellet sizes to accommodate your turtle at every stage of her life and development. A prior commenter said that they also like eating insects.
I wouldn’t, however, pick them up from your garden unless you can be one hundred percent confident that they haven’t been exposed to any pesticides or herbicides. In that case, I would go ahead and do so. Your turtles should not be exposed to any chemicals.
Both mealworms and earthworms are great treats for your turtle. In addition to that, they will like the occasional feeder fish. If you plan to give them fish, feeder guppies are a better choice than goldfish for them.
Goldfish are devoid of nutritional value and, in certain cases, may even be harmful to the health of your turtle. If you want your turtle to have the best possible nutrition, you should mainly give it a prepared meal of high quality, and you should only give it worms and fish as treats.
Turtles that are still juvenile are often more carnivorous (eat more protein from animals) than adult turtles. As they age and become bigger, they transition from being meat eaters to become herbivores. Turtles that are kept in captivity have a specific preference for live meals, which also improves their overall quality of life.
The key to having success with captive red-eared sliders is to provide a broad selection of things for them to eat. Snacks, such as shrimp, chicken, cucumbers, or tomatoes, may sometimes be given to red-eared slider turtles kept as pets. Other possible threats include cucumbers.
The brains of birds and turtles are very similar to one another in many ways. However, unlike mammals and birds, turtles and other reptiles, in general, do not have a big cerebral hemisphere in their heads.
The region of the brain known as the cerebral hemisphere is responsible for controlling logic, as well as learning and thinking. Because they lack a pronounced cerebral hemisphere, turtles are unable to demonstrate intellect on par with that of a dog or cat.
The most common kind of turtle kept as a pet is a red-eared slider. They are known to recognize their owner’s voice in addition to their appearance, which demonstrates a certain level of intelligence on their part. They are able to find solutions to issues such as the problem of him wanting to escape while he is not in his tank.
He understands certain orders and can reply to his name. Turtles Are Able to Recognize Their Owners! The vast majority of people are unaware of this fact, yet many turtles are able to identify the owners’ voices and faces! … If you call your turtle, he may really come to you, which is something you probably wouldn’t anticipate to happen.
Use plastic tubs instead, such as those used for watering animals, or specialized tubs such as those designed for Waterland turtles. You may make a watertight drain hole in the bottom of the container and then set it on an elevated table that rolls and has a hole drilled in it that matches the one in the container. Because of this, you are able to roll the apparatus outdoors and give it a thorough cleaning once every few weeks.
You will still need to do it even if you have the most advanced filtering system. In contrast to fish, turtles just need clean water and do not care about the chemistry of the surrounding environment. Therefore, clean and disinfect on a consistent basis. (Also, you’ll need a gigantic canister filter—the largest one you can obtain, one that’s far larger than necessary for the volume of water you use.)
The red-eared slider may reach quite large sizes. Get the largest tubs you can get away with, particularly given that there are 2 of them. The general rule of thumb for turtles is that their tank should be 10 gallons for every inch of shell length. That would equate to a capacity of up to 120 gallons for an adult female.
It is not necessary to have that quantity of water, but the enclosure must be that large. And, as much as it pains me to say this, you should have a plan for what you will do in the event that one of these turtles gets violent against the other, since it is impossible for all of them to get along with one another, and you may need to separate them!