baby red eared

[austinpetemo]

hey my friend found a small baby red eared slider the other day and wants to keep it as a pet. i told him id let get him some info on what to do for it. can you guys tell me what all he needs for it. its about the size of a golf ball

[Vicious_Fish]

Best RES care sheet out there.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

[cellodaisy]

Oh, goodness. Turtles are awesome, but they're not easy to care for and they're a big commitment. He's going to need a fairly large tank, a basking spot, a heat lamp, a UVA/UVB lamp, a high quality, varied diet...

This is a fairly complete reference for RES: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

Where did your friend get this turtle? If he can't provide the setup a turtle needs, can he take it back?

[cellodaisy]

Haha... great minds think alike, Vicious. :p:

[paperdragon]

40 years to devote to turtle care, a 110g tank (gotta think ahead you know, rule is 10g per inch of shell), 10x filtration, basking area with a decent heat lamp plus a separate UVB lamp, cuttlebone for calcium. the Tetra Reptomin turtle pellets are pretty good, he'll also need to provide fresh greens such as leaf lettuce or turnip greens (no iceburg lettuce or spinach, those aren't good for turtles), although it's hard to get them to actually eat the greens at that age. If you have extra pond snails you can give him, tutles love those.
Check out http://www.redearslider.com (http://www.redearslider.com/) for more info.

Really though, unless the turtle was in serious danger, its better to leave 'em where you find 'em.

Edit: I don't type fast enough. lol

[Vicious_Fish]

Another note, depending on where the baby was found in Texas, it could be a Rio Grande Slider also called a Big Bend Slider (Trachemys gaigeae).

[austinpetemo]

he found it while golfing and he wants it as his pet if he cant provide for it i can put in it in my pond or he can take it to the pond at the golf course. i doubt he will be able to provide all of that. but if he is serious about keeping the turtle i think he might invest in the equiptment to keep it as a pet. i havnt seen it but he described it and the discription fitted the red eared. plus they are the most common of turtles in this area. now what kind of RES i have no idea. i didnt know there was more than one lol. ill have to show him this.

[Vicious_Fish]

A Red Ear Slider is just one of the many subspecis of Trachemys scripta.

Trachemys scripta callirostris (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_callirostris&action=edit&redlink=1) - Colombian Slider
Trachemys scripta cataspila (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_cataspila&action=edit&redlink=1) - Huastecan Slider
Trachemys scripta chichiriviche (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_chichiriviche&action=edit&redlink=1) - Venezuelan Slider
Trachemys scripta elegans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachemys_scripta_elegans) - Red-Ear Slider
Trachemys scripta emolli (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_emolli&action=edit&redlink=1) - Nicaraguan Slider
Trachemys scripta grayi (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_grayi&action=edit&redlink=1) - Gray's Slider
Trachemys scripta hartwegi (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_hartwegi&action=edit&redlink=1) - Nazas Slider
Trachemys scripta hiltoni (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_hiltoni&action=edit&redlink=1) - Fuerte Slider
Trachemys scripta nebulosa (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_nebulosa&action=edit&redlink=1) - Baja California Slider
Trachemys scripta ornata (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_ornata&action=edit&redlink=1) - Ornate Slider
Trachemys scripta scripta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachemys_scripta_scripta) - Yellow-Belly
Trachemys scripta taylori (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_taylori&action=edit&redlink=1) - Cuatrocienegas Slider
Trachemys scripta troostii (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachemys_scripta_troostii) - Cumberland Slider
Trachemys scripta venusta (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_venusta&action=edit&redlink=1) - Belize Slider
Trachemys scripta yaquia (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trachemys_scripta_yaquia&action=edit&redlink=1) - Yaqui Slider