Red-eared slider turtles are a popular pet in the U.S because of their small size and large population numbers. They soon grow quite large and outgrow what most pet owners can provide for them. The most common solution, even though it’s illegal, is to release these pet turtles into nearby lakes, streams, and ponds.
Originally their native habitat was in freshwater systems in warm climates in the Southeastern United States. This species is now found all over the U.S., and there are feral populations on almost every continent. The red-eared slider is included in the list of the world’s 100 most invasive species published by the IUCN.
Image by Dani Jensen
Red-eared Sliders are sexually mature at a young age and therefore reproduce rather quickly. They are more aggressive and grow to be quite a bit larger than most other native turtles, which leads to food and basking area competition which the native turtles usually lose. This can cause many health and resource-related issues for native species.
The Western Pond Turtle, a West Coast native, is now listed as “threatened” by the IUCN because of invasive slider pets being released in their territory. The Blanding’s Turtle, found in Canada and the Northern United States, is endangered in its native range due to being outcompeted by sliders.
Image by Dani Jensen
At Discovery World in Milwaukee, we have 7 red-eared sliders on exhibit that were all previous pets that outgrew their homes. Asking your local animal facilities for help in rehoming your pet turtles is a great option. There’s a lot of time and effort that goes into making sure our turtles have the best quality of life with us.
At Discovery World, they have a 5000-gallon exhibit with plenty of UV and heated basking spots to eliminate competition for those areas. Turtles need UV light to keep their shell healthy and utilize the nutrients they eat. They get an extremely diverse diet of proteins, fruits, and veggies, as well as supplemental vitamins.
Image by Dani Jensen
As the primary turtle keeper, I make sure that each turtle is getting everything it needs. One of my favorite parts of my work week is climbing into the turtle exhibit and feeding each turtle individually, this is called target feeding.
It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s worth it to make sure that they don’t become overweight, and that excess food doesn’t sit in the water and ruin the water quality. I feed them a big variety including; shrimp, unflavored gelatin, earthworms, smelt, strawberries, blueberries, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and carrots.
Along with target feeding them, I’ve trained the turtles for voluntary body inspections. They swim up to my hand, then I pick them up and look over their shell, limbs, and bottom side. After a good look, I give them a piece of food and send them on their way. I want them to relate these bodily checks with food to keep them willing to participate in their health care and reduce the stress that comes along with being handled.
The red-eared slider gets its name from the small red stripe around its ears and from its ability to slide quickly off rocks and logs into the water. Working with these turtles daily means I get to see this sliding in action quite often. These turtles might not seem like it, but they are also excellent climbers.
My favorite thing about this species is their eyes. They might be small, but they are so pretty in the light and have so much personality that radiates from them. It’s great to have this species on-site because we can really educate and connect the public with conservation issues that the turtles cause right in our backyard.
Image by Dani Jensen
If you are considering a pet turtle, all I can ask is that you do your research. Know what the turtle needs, and know what it will need in 30 years (yes, that’s how long they can live). And feel free to reach out to local animal professionals for guidance, we love sharing our passions.
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who had been doing a little research on this. And he actually ordered me lunch simply because I discovered it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this matter here on your blog.
I like it when folks get together and share ideas.
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