Housing a Red Ear Slider
April 30th 2009 13:36
When caring for any pet, you want to make sure that you can create the proper housing environment that will keep your new pet happy, safe, and healthy. This is the same whether you are getting a new puppy, a bird, or a reptile. You will find that with most reptiles, the enclosure setup is one of the most important aspects of a healthy pet. Setting up an aquatic turtle habitat isn't really that hard, but in a way, it is like setting up a fish tank.
Enclosure Size:
Red ear sliders need a lot of room, so even though you may be getting a very small juvenile red ear slider, they do grow, and they do need more room than that small kritter keeper you may have initially purchased. Generally, you want to keep about 1 inch of shell per 10 gallons of water, meaning a 4 inch turtle needs at least a 40 gallon tank. This may seem like a lot of water or a large enclosure, but it's really not considering the these turtles are rather wide and need room to turn around and swim.
It's a good idea to stick with a glass or acrylic enclosure, but you can consider ponds, stock tanks, or storage containers. You just want to make sure that you can include an escape-proof lid to protect the turtle from predators. It's good to use a screen lid with at least 1/2 inch grids, so that the UV rays will not be obstructed.
Temperature:
The water temperature needs to be around 78-80F for hatchling and younger red ear sliders, while adult turtles prefer it to be around 72-76F, which can be measured with an underwater thermometer.
The daytime air temperatures, should be around 75-80F with a basking temperature around 85-90F. You can monitor these temperatures with a digital thermometer with a probe. Sometimes the stick on thermometers will work, but usually, these just measure the enclosure wall temperatures.
It's a good idea to use multiple thermometers, so that you can ensure that the temperatures are accurate in all parts of the enclosure.
For heating the water, you can use the submersible water heaters.
Light:
Red ear sliders need UV lighting for proper calcium metabolism and skeletal development. You can easily provide this with a mercury vapor bulb or a fluorescent UV tube with at least 5%-10% UVB output. The UV tubes should be replaced every 4-6 months, even if they still turn on; the UV will wear down in them.
You should also consider adding a ceramic heat emitter, in order to get the best results of lighting the enclosure and heating the water.
Substrate
You do not need to have substrate in the enclosure. It is easier to clean without the added substrate, and it helps improve the filter performance if you don't have the substrate. But, if you want a more natural environment, you can use large river rocks or sand. NEVER use gravel because your turtle can ingest the pebbles, which can cause blockage and a prolapsed rectum.
Overall Red Ear Slider Habitat:
When setting up your red ear slider enclosure, you want to make sure that you have a good filtration system. Generally, you want the filter to be at least 3 times more powerful than what's used for fish.
You want to include a good and sturdy basking area, so that the turtle can climb out of the water and onto bricks, a cinder block, cork bark, driftwood, grapevine, fixed PVC, or a wide array of commercially produced aquatic turtle basking products.
If you have a female, you may consider adding an area of moist soil for her to dig in and lay eggs. Typically, this is not a dire concern unless you're breeding, though.
And, as for any other decor that you may need in the enclosure, you should consider providing at least one or two good hiding areas for your turtle. Just make sure that the hiding space can not trap the turtle, causing it to drown.
Starter Enclosure for a 2-inch turtle (20 gallon tank); Turtle in this tank is too big for the tank space
Enclosure Size:
Red ear sliders need a lot of room, so even though you may be getting a very small juvenile red ear slider, they do grow, and they do need more room than that small kritter keeper you may have initially purchased. Generally, you want to keep about 1 inch of shell per 10 gallons of water, meaning a 4 inch turtle needs at least a 40 gallon tank. This may seem like a lot of water or a large enclosure, but it's really not considering the these turtles are rather wide and need room to turn around and swim.
It's a good idea to stick with a glass or acrylic enclosure, but you can consider ponds, stock tanks, or storage containers. You just want to make sure that you can include an escape-proof lid to protect the turtle from predators. It's good to use a screen lid with at least 1/2 inch grids, so that the UV rays will not be obstructed.
Temperature:
The water temperature needs to be around 78-80F for hatchling and younger red ear sliders, while adult turtles prefer it to be around 72-76F, which can be measured with an underwater thermometer.
The daytime air temperatures, should be around 75-80F with a basking temperature around 85-90F. You can monitor these temperatures with a digital thermometer with a probe. Sometimes the stick on thermometers will work, but usually, these just measure the enclosure wall temperatures.
It's a good idea to use multiple thermometers, so that you can ensure that the temperatures are accurate in all parts of the enclosure.
For heating the water, you can use the submersible water heaters.
Light:
Red ear sliders need UV lighting for proper calcium metabolism and skeletal development. You can easily provide this with a mercury vapor bulb or a fluorescent UV tube with at least 5%-10% UVB output. The UV tubes should be replaced every 4-6 months, even if they still turn on; the UV will wear down in them.
You should also consider adding a ceramic heat emitter, in order to get the best results of lighting the enclosure and heating the water.
Substrate
You do not need to have substrate in the enclosure. It is easier to clean without the added substrate, and it helps improve the filter performance if you don't have the substrate. But, if you want a more natural environment, you can use large river rocks or sand. NEVER use gravel because your turtle can ingest the pebbles, which can cause blockage and a prolapsed rectum.
Overall Red Ear Slider Habitat:
When setting up your red ear slider enclosure, you want to make sure that you have a good filtration system. Generally, you want the filter to be at least 3 times more powerful than what's used for fish.
You want to include a good and sturdy basking area, so that the turtle can climb out of the water and onto bricks, a cinder block, cork bark, driftwood, grapevine, fixed PVC, or a wide array of commercially produced aquatic turtle basking products.
If you have a female, you may consider adding an area of moist soil for her to dig in and lay eggs. Typically, this is not a dire concern unless you're breeding, though.
And, as for any other decor that you may need in the enclosure, you should consider providing at least one or two good hiding areas for your turtle. Just make sure that the hiding space can not trap the turtle, causing it to drown.
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