Red eared sliders don't like being touched although some red eared sliders will tolerate being touched and handled occasionally.
But mostly red eared sliders prefer to be left alone.
Red eared sliders do not like to cuddle and do not enjoy being petted or handled and they prefer being left alone.
Red eared sliders hate environmental changes, poor diets, low temperatures, poor water quality, rough handling, petting and loud noises.
Red eared slides prefer to be left alone and don't like being handled either.
Red eared slider turtles need several hours of sunlight to keep them healthy and happy.
Red eared sliders should be out of the water and in the sun several hours a day as they are semi aquatic animals and need time to dry off and digest food on land.
Red eared sliders need to be able to bask in the sun and be out of the water when they need too but they need a minimum of 2 hours a day out of the water and the longer the better.
Many red eared sliders tend to spend around 8 hours or longer out of the water and in the sun.
Red eared sliders naturally love basking in the sun even on their own and the sunlight provides the red eared slider with vitamin D which is essential for calcium and phosphorus assimilation and the sun also helps the red eared slider regulate their body temperature.
Sunlight also dries the red eared sliders shell which helps prevent parasites and also improves the red eared sliders appetite.
When kept as pets the read eared slider needs a warm and dry area and also a large pool of warm water.
The temperature that red eared sliders can live in is between 85 F to 95 F for the basking area and the water temperature should be between 75 F to 85 F.
Red eared sliders are ectothermic, which means they rely on their environment to regulate their body temperature.
You can keep a red eared slider in your backyard as long as your climate is warm enough and you provide them with a pond and an enclosure.
In colder climates you will need to bring them inside and keep them in a tank with a basking area.
If the red eared slider is native to the area you live in then it should be safe to keep it outside.
Red eared sliders require both a warm, dry area of land and a large pool of warm water.
Red eared sliders live in freshwater habitats such as ponds, marshes and slow moving streams and they spend most of their day basking in the sun on rocks which stick out of water and forage for food.
Then at night red eared sliders will retreat to the bottom of the pool.
Red eared sliders do need a tank when kept as pets as red eared sliders require water for swimming and a separate area to dry off and bask.
Red eared sliders should be maintained in at least a 50 gallon tank which has a pool and an area to allow the red eared slider to crawl out and keep warm and dry.
Red eared sliders do need a heater in the water to maintain the proper water temperature of between 75 F and 85 F for proper health and growth.
The basking area temperature for red eared sliders should be between 85 F to 95 F.
You should also use thermometers to monitor the temperatures.
Red eared sliders need between 12 hours to 13 hours of light per day with a proper/day and night cycle which includes both UVB and UVA lighting to mimic natural sunlight and support their health.
Red eared sliders are high maintenance and require a lot of care and can live up to 20 to 40 years in captivity.
Red eared sliders are a serious long term commitment and they need proper upkeep to remain healthy and happy.
The water in the red eared sliders tank needs to be filtered and at least a quarter of the water should be changed each week.
Once a month the red eared sliders tank should also be cleaned.
Tap water is OK and safe for red eared sliders although it's best to filter out the chlorine but not absolutely necessary.
The ideal water chemistry for red eared sliders is a water with pH of 6.0 to 8.0 and with ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels at 0 or near 0.
To maintain good water quality for your red eared slider you should change the water frequently and use a high quality filter.
A fully grown red eared slider requires a minimum tank size of 50 gallons although 100 gallons is better.
Adult red eared sliders need a tank as big as 100 gallons for enough space although a 50 gallon tank is required at minimum.
Ideally though a 100 gallon tank to 120 gallon tank is best to allow the red eared slider enough room.
You should ideally provide the red eared slider with 10 gallons of water per each inch of shell length for each red eared slider.
Young red eared sliders need a minimum of 20 gallon tank.
Red eared sliders also need a lot of space and can grow to be 10 inches to 12 inches long so they need a large tank with at least 10 gallons of water per inch of their body.
A good size tank for a red eared slider is between 100 gallons to 120 gallons for enough room.
It takes a red eared slider 5 years to 7 years to reach full size, depending on whether it's male or female.
Male red eared sliders often reach full size at 4 inches in length after 3 to 5 years and female red eared sliders often reach full size at 6 inches in length to 7.5 inches after 5 to 7 years.
Red eared sliders also grow rapidly and reach 2 inches within their first year.
However fewer than 30 percent of all the red eared slider eggs and hatchlings survive beyond their first year.
A red eared slider is a good pet as long as you're willing to meet their specific needs and provide for their long lifespan.
Red eared sliders can be friendly and intelligent pets and some red eared sliders may even recognize you as their owner.
However if scared or handled roughly red eared sliders can bite.
Red eared sliders also have a long lifespan of around 30 years to 77 years so you should be prepared for a long term commitment when choosing a red eared slider as a pet.
Red eared sliders also need a lot of space and can grow to be 10 inches to 12 inches long so they need a large tank with at least 10 gallons of water per inch of their body.
A good size tank for a red eared slider is between 100 gallons to 120 gallons for enough room.
However red eared sliders sometimes don't do great in captivity and as pets because they're not given the correct diet and may not have the proper UV light or don't have a filtration system for their tank.
Also red eared sliders don't like to be handled frequently so they can bite when they are held too often or feel frightened.
When handling a red eared slider or other turtle you should hold them safely by their shells and be sure to monitor the turtles head at all times when handling them to avoid getting bitten.