General Information About Red_Eared Sliders

Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta) are found throughout the United States east of the Rockies. These fresh water turtles spend much of their time in the warm waters of their native habitat. While they are strong underwater swimmers, these sliders spend much of the warmer hours of the day on logs or rocks basking in the sun. All of the sliders are omnivores, eating both animal protein and vegetable/plant matter. Adult turtles feed more heavily on vegetation. In the wild they begin by eating tiny fish and amphibian larva, water snails and a variety of plants growing in the water and on land.

It is illegal in the U.S. for pet stores to sell turtles less than four inches in length. The ones sold legally will be at least four inches long from the neck end of the carapace (top shell) to the tail end of the carapace. You will be able to tell male from females: males are smaller than females in overall body size but have longer tails.

If maintained at the proper temperatures, fed a healthy varied diet and kept in a stress-free active environment, your turtle may outlive you: some individuals have lived more than 100 years.

Source: http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html