I just want to let the thousands of people who are reblogging this cute picture know that this species of turtle (the Red-eared slider) does not make a very good pet. The sale of sliders at the size depicted above was made illegal in 1975 because Red-eared sliders very often carry salmonella which is pretty intolerable for adults and can be deadly to children. If the turtles pictured above are kept in that bowl then they probably are having a pretty rough time because Red-eared sliders need a dry area to bask as well as water that is twice as deep as they are long- otherwise they’ll hit their head every time they go to dive.
Also, the Red-eared slider is originally native to the Mississippi river area and is an invasive species throughout the world. Indigenous populations of the Painted Turtle in New Jersey and the European Pond Turtle in Spain are thought to have been damaged by the invasive Red-eared slider. The Red-eared slider is a fairly hardy species of turtle (why they’re often sold as pets) and it tends to edge out the competition.
That being said, Red-eared sliders are actually very hard to keep- I know from experience. They need a heat lamp that gives off both UVB and UVA light, a calcium block, when they’re young they need live meat in their diet, and a 50 gallon tank which has to be changed once a month. Although they start out small like the little cuties depicted above, healthy Red-eared sliders will grow to be about a foot in length and live to be around 35. However, most people’s sliders only live to be about two years old. This is because of soft-shell AKA when their shells slowly implode and crush their internal organs due to a lack of UVB, UVA and calcium. It’s a long and drawn out way to go and most people don’t think much of it because they are such a small animal.
Red-eared sliders are fun to watch in the tank but also pretty messy, smell kind of bad, and they tend to dive off of their basking dock as soon as you walk in the room. I had two males in my tank and they became violently territorial with one another once they got a little bigger.
In closing, please take these factors into serious consideration before deciding to keep Red-eared sliders as pets. You don’t have to believe my explanation as to why; do your own research before choosing to bring a Red-eared slider into your home.
