![]() A turtle is probably the worst choice known to man, and if you must have a turtle, an aquatic turtle is an even worse choice! It does not live very long, it is very small, does not require much space or much care: all good reasons to "start" with a goldfish, a mouse, a hamster, etc. What these people are thinking is beyond me. I have frequently heard/seen them recommended as "starter pets". However, in spite of these endearing qualities, the Red-Eared Slider should be taken into your home with extreme forethought and planning. My turtle knew both how to "beg" and how to play "fetch" (he didn't get another pellet until he'd hunted down and caught the last one, then came racing back with his tail twitching like a puppy). They are also personality-abundant animals, another reason they are so popular. Yes, they are hardy and tolerant to a wide range of temperatures and pH levels. While red-eared sliders are by far the most popular turtle choice for pet in the nation, they are not good pets. They are extremely sensitive to vibrations in their surroundings, and will make a quick escape when things do not "feel right", sliding off their basking spot and diving below the surface (hence the name). Once they're born, any number of fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, birds, and mammals are partial to a meal of hatchling, and have found ways around that shell. Nests are frequently robbed by egg-stealing predators like skunks and raccoons, while insects and molds attack the eggs and prevent maturation. A slider's greatest dangers, of course, come as an egg and a juvenile, when anything and everything seems out to get them. Like many aquatic animals, it does not produce its own saliva and must be in the water to be able to swallow.Īdults have fewer predators than juvelines, but may still fall prey to crows, raccoons, coyotes and other large predators. Juvenile turtles are more dependent upon a carnivorous diet than their elder counterparts, but both will happily gobble down aquatic insects, fish, amphibian eggs and larvae, aquatic snakes, and an extensive variety of aquatic plants and algae. Generally omnivorous, a pond slider will eat almost anything it can catch. Natively, the red-eared slider originated in the southern central region of the United States, from Navada in the west, as far north as Illinois, and stretching on the east coast as far as parts of west Virginia and Georgia. As, however, it does not list them in either the Bronx or Manhattan, and I can personally attest to large established populations at both the Bronx Zoo and the Resevoir in Central Park, I can only assume this to be "at least" where they can be found in NYC. Males have a much longer, thicker tail, a v-shaped shell, and noticeably longer laws that are used in courtship and mating.ĭark red streak between the eye and the general vicinity of the "ear".īelow is a map of recorded collection areas from the US Geological Survey. Colors dim with age, juveniles being a brilliant, almost apple green, while adults can appear almost black.įemales are distinctly larger than males, and their shells are more rounded in shape. ![]() The red-eared slider is easily distinguished from the more sedate colors of his yellow-bellied cousin by the dark red streak extending from behind the eye to the relative location of the ear. Medium-sized aquatic turtle, ranging from 6-8" in length for males, 10-12" for females. ![]()
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