How to care for a red-eared slider? I'll teach you how to tell males from females and how to determine their age

Many friends like keeping turtles, because turtles are not only cute but also very long-lived. However, quite a few friends find that after keeping a turtle for a while, the turtle either dies or gets sick. Although turtles live a long time, they are also very prone to dying if you don't understand their living habits. I have been keeping turtles for over two years, and from knowing nothing at the start to now, I can say I'm something of a "half expert"! The most common pet turtle kept at home is the red-eared slider. Red-eared sliders are cute and have strong disease resistance, making them very suitable for keeping at home.

A turtle kept for half a year

A turtle kept for half a year

The red-eared slider is an aquatic turtle that likes to stay in water. But if you bought a hatchling, one only 2~3 cm long, it is recommended that you use less water, with the specific depth being just enough to cover the turtle's shell. Some friends don't understand: since the red-eared slider is an aquatic turtle, why is it afraid of deep water? Because hatchlings have just hatched, have poor resistance, and their various body organs are not yet well developed. Red-eared sliders breathe with their lungs, so if the water is too deep they can easily choke. So the water should not be too deep if possible. As the turtle keeps growing, you can appropriately raise the water level. At this point the turtle has stronger resistance and its body organs are also better developed, so a deeper water level is fine, but it is best to provide a turtle basking platform, because red-eared sliders do not like staying in the water all the time. Especially when sleeping, red-eared sliders like to find a platform without water, because turtles breathe with their lungs while sleeping, unlike fish which breathe with gills. However, turtles are very good at holding their breath in water, and can hold it for anywhere from half an hour to several hours per breath.

Turtles like a quiet environment, so it is best to place the turtle somewhere quiet at home, which helps the turtle rest and eat. Turtles are very intelligent animals, and like dogs they can remember their owner. If you feed it for a long time, it will remember you, and when it sees you it won't swim around in fright, but will swim hard toward you waiting for food. Turtles are fairly active animals, and as long as the temperature is suitable they will constantly swim around in the water.

Turtles are also very strict about temperature requirements. The temperature should preferably not drop below 10°C. At this temperature, turtles do not like to move and will not eat, and very easily enter a state of hibernation. The temperature should preferably not drop below 0°C, because at this temperature turtles easily freeze to death. It is best to keep the temperature between 25°C~35°C. At this range, turtles have a good appetite and like to swim around. If it is winter, it is best to buy a heating rod online and keep the temperature at 30°C. Turtles have the habit of hibernating, but it is best not to let a home-kept turtle enter hibernation, because after hibernation the turtle does not eat or move, has poor resistance, and very easily dies, so it is best to buy a heating rod to maintain a certain temperature. If you want the turtle to hibernate, it is best to let the turtle clear the food from its body first. The method is to raise the water temperature; turtles easily defecate at temperatures above 30°C, keeping the turtle's body clean, because if a large amount of food remains in the turtle's body during hibernation it easily rots inside, which can easily cause the turtle's death.

Next is the issue of feeding the turtle. Turtles have a very broad diet, such as: fish, shrimp, vegetable leaves, insects, etc. If you can, it is best to buy some professional turtle food, because this specialized turtle food gives the turtle a good appetite, and various nutrients are added to it, which can strengthen the turtle's constitution and make it less prone to illness. If the turtle does get sick, it is best to buy some specialized turtle medicine, commonly used ones such as Hugui Bao.

Large-pellet turtle food

Small-pellet turtle food

Hugui Bao

The turtle tank should be kept clean, and it is best to change the water once a week. Turtle droppings pollute the water quality, and if the water is not changed for a long time it easily breeds bacteria. If a turtle gets infected with a virus it easily dies, so it is best to change the water frequently. Finally, I hope all of you can succeed in keeping turtles!

 There are mainly three points for telling male and female red-eared sliders apart:

  1. Front claws: the male's are long, the female's are short.

  2. Tail: the male's is thick and long, the female's is short.

  3. Cloacal opening: the male's is outside the anal scutes, the female's is inside the anal scutes.

The method for calculating a turtle's age is generally based on the number of concentric ring marks on the scutes of the turtle's carapace.  Each ring represents one growth cycle, that is, one year.  Take the number of concentric ring marks on the scute, then add 1 (hatching from the egg counts as one year), and that is the turtle's age.