Red-Eared Slider Turtle Care Guide

Fierce and Interactive

Setting up Your Red Eared Slider Turtle Habitat

1. Glass tank
2. Tight-fitting tank cover
3. Light fixture for
   • Basking light
   • UV-B Light
   • Ambient Lighting
4. Thermometer
5. Hygrometer
6. Appropriately-sized gravel or sand substrate
   • Gravel must be too big to fit in the turtle’s mouth
7. Dock or dry area
8. Décor for hiding and enrichment
9. Live or artificial plants
10. Heater
11. Filter

Habitat Setup

• Pick your setup: A large glass tank is ideal. For RES, you’ll need to create a basking dock above the waterline.
• Size matters: Follow the general rule of 10 gallons per inch of shell length— and increase this if housing more than one turtle. Remember, your adult turtle may need a 125-gallon tank depending on its size when full grown!
• Substrate options: Use sand or gravel larger than your turtle’s head to avoid ingestion. Going substrate-free is also safe and easier to clean but limits natural digging behaviors. Substrate may also help maintain water quality since it is another surface for beneficial bacteria to grow on.
• Décor and enrichment: Add large rocks, sturdy plants, driftwood, or turtle-safe ornaments. Make sure your turtle has plenty of hiding spots and places to climb out of the water. Turtles need a place to leave the water and dry out at times.
• Lighting and heating: Install a UVB bulb and basking bulb above the dry dock. Turtles need a 12-hour day/night cycle, so use a timer to automate it.
  • Two thermometers should be used above the water: one in the basking area and another in a cooler above water area.
• Filtration and temperature: Choose a filter rated for your turtles appropriate for your tank size, and use an aquarium heater to maintain water at 75–86°F
  • Another thermometer should measure your water temperature.
• Cover securely: Use a tight-fitting lid and leave at least 6" of vertical space between the tallest point in the tank and the top to prevent your turtle from escaping.

• Prepare your space: Place the aquarium on a flat, stable surface that can support its full weight - water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon.
• Rinse and place décor: Rinse all substrate and decorations with tap water (never soap), then add to the tank.
  • Substrate must be either sand or gravel larger than your turtle’s head. If the gravel is too small, your turtle may accidentally eat the rocks and this can cause a gastrointestinal blockage, potentially requiring surgery to resolve.
  • You can choose to have no substrate in your turtle tank and instead use turtle safe decorations that can be removed during cleaning.
• Add water and conditioner: Fill with tap water and use a water conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramines. If your home uses a water softener, use a tap source that bypasses it.
• Install and test equipment: Set up the heater, filter, and thermometer per manufacturer instructions. Add the hood and lighting and set lights on a 12-hour cycle using a timer for consistency.
  • Turtles need a UV-B light and a heat source in addition to ambient lighting for your tank.
• Let the tank stabilize: Run the system for at least 24 hours to ensure all equipment works and the water temperature is stable.
• Begin cycling the tank: Add a beneficial bacteria starter and follow a fishless cycling process to reduce stress.
  • Learn more about fish-less cycling in Setting Up an Aquarium.
• Monitor water quality daily: During cycling, test water regularly. Perform a water change if ammonia or nitrite is above 0 ppm or if nitrate exceeds 20 ppm. Always add water conditioner after each change.
• Quarantine new additions: To protect your turtle, quarantine new additions for 30 days in a separate, cycled setup.

• Red-Eared Slider turtles are avid swimmers in the wild and their water should be at least 2x the turtle’s shell length for safety and mobility.
  • The minimum depth of water in your Red-Eared Slider habitat is twice the length of your turtle’s shell. So, if your turtle’s shell is 7” long, you need water at least 14” deep so they are able to turn and flip in the water. This ensures that your turtle is able to right themselves in the water reduces risk of drowning.
• Water depth should be 6–8 inches, mimicking the shallow habitats these turtles prefer in the wild.
• Change 50% of the water weekly; larger changes (75–90%) may be needed to maintain adequate water quality.
• Ideal levels for water quality parameters:
  • Ammonia and Nitrite: 0 ppm
  • Nitrate: Less than 20 ppm
• Use a water conditioner with every change.
• Test water weekly to track parameters and ensure excellent water quality.

• Reptile & Amphibian Heating & Lighting
• A Set-Up Guide for Reptile Habitats
• Aquarium Maintenance
• Aquarium Water Quality

What do Red-Eared Slider Turtles Eat?

• PELLETS
  • Pellets are your turtle's primary food source. Remove any uneaten pellets after 15 minutes
  • Offer pellets once a day for young turtles
  • Offer pellets every other day to every 2-3 days for adults
• VEGETABLES
  • Feed your turtle dark leafy greens and vegetables 3-4x a week.
• INSECTS AND FEEDER FISH
  • Offer earthworms, crickets, mealworms, waxworms or feeder fish 1x a week
  • It is important to “gut-load” your feeder insects and/or fish. Gut-loading involved feeding your feeder insect or fish a high quality diet designed to support your turtle’s health for 24-48 hours prior to offering to your pet.

• Turtle is sluggish, near the bottom of the tank
• Turtle is at the top or spending a lot of time out of the water
• Turtle is not eating
• Sudden behavior changes in your turtle
• Water is cloudy
• Water smells funny

• Runny droppings for more than two days
• Eating or drinking less; weight loss
• Swollen joints or reluctance to move
• Discharge from the eyes, nose or mouth
• Shell abnormalities or defects
• Skin discoloration
• Avoidance of the basking area; more time spent hiding
• Increased basking time
• Decreased frequency of droppings
• Abnormal swimming or swimming on side

Shopping list

• Appropriately sized aquarium/turtle tub
• Screened lid
• UV-B bulb and fixture
• Basking bulb and fixture
• Aquarium heater
• Aquarium substrate and gravel vacuum if using substrate.
  • Substrate must be either sand or rocks larger than your turtle’s head
• Habitat thermometer and aquarium thermometer
• Canister filter
• Water testing kit or strips
• Water conditioner/dechlorinator
• Beneficial bacteria starter
• Algae cleaning pad or scraper
• Sturdy turtle dock
• Branches and non-toxic plants
• Pelleted food
• Earthworms, crickets, mealworms and waxworms, feeder fish

• Setting Up an Aquarium
• Aquarium Water Quality
• Aquatic Plants