Difference in gender: The males have extremely long nails at the forepaws. The nails are supposed to be long, so you must never cut them off. The female can also be recognised by her size, she can grow to be about 10 centimetres longer.

Size: Males will not grow to be longer than 20 cm, while females are sometimes 10 cm longer and weight about two kilos heavier.

Cultivation: The cultivation of red-eared sliders is relatively simple, but we think that we should not really go into it, because the problem of looking after the turtles will be much bigger then. Our advice is: preferably, do not cultivate with red-eared sliders.

Age: 35 years and sometimes even older

Details: It is the most popular turtle in the world. Unfortunately, too many are still sold by people who are not specialised in turtles, and who sell them, sometimes knowingly, to parents and children without giving them proper information on how large they can grow and how unhealthy such an animal is for your own health. Turtles are the cause of a very high percentage of illnesses in America, such as diarrhoea and stomachache at playing children due to the salmonella bacteria that are abound. Their bite behaviour is often underestimated. When a turtle is in distress, it could do two things. It could draw his head in or it could bite off the finger of its enemy, and it will often choose for the latter!!

And another Red-eared slider

Temperature: Water 25°C, the air must not differ too much from this.

Food: If you give your turtle a richly varied menu from the beginning it will eat everything. Give your turtle only fruit and vegetables that are 100% free of herbicides, because they cannot take it. Do not give them any lettuce and preferably not any kind of cabbage. The turtle food that can be bought in the shops, is merely additional food, despite the statement 'Complete nourishment'. Doesn't your turtle deserve the very best? Give your animals daily very nutritious, high-quality granular cat food, such as for example, lams or Hills. Give them one granule per 200 grams of their body weight. Besides this, give them also little pieces of apple, cucumber, tomato and banana.

Further nursing: Make sure that you accommodate your turtle in a very spacious, well-warmed and draught-free space. A very powerful and good filter is necessary, so the water will be cleaned continually. But even then the water needs to be changed weekly. They also need a piece of land where the turtles can climb on easily so they can warm themselves under a lamp a few hours a day. Do mind that the temperature of the lamp will not be over 40°C. You will notice that the turtles will climb on the land long before the lamp will go on, so they are ready for their favourite hobby, sun-bathing!

© 2006 Foundation Turtle