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Red Ear Turtles

    Red ear turtles make wonderful pets. These exotic turtles have green skin with bright yellow marking and a red mark behind their eye. Red ear slider turtles are more complex than you think, therefore an adult should take care and be responsible for their care and not a child. Red ear turtles primary needs are clean water, staying warm and being fed their proper diet. Red ear turtles are fascinating creatures and this article will introduce you to the basics of Red ear slider turtle care.

     Red ear turtles are only one inch long when they are born but as they age they can grow up to 12 inches in length as adults. Red ear turtles can live to be as old as 50 to 70 years, but they reach sexual maturity at 2 to 4 years and will be fairly large creatures by then. An adult Red ear slider turtle needs a 55-gallon aquarium with an air temperature of about 75F and a water temperature of between 75 and 86F. A reptile lamp is recommended to maintain the air temperature for your red ear turtles habitat and a submersible heater will be needed to keep the water warm. If the water gets to cold digestive problems as well as other health problems could develop for your red ear turtle.
                                                                                                                                                             Red ear slider turtles must not be placed in an area that will receive direct sunlight as this could overheat the water and air making your Red ear turtle sick. Baby red ear sliders are carnivorous but become omnivores as they age. Red ear turtles require a balanced diet of meat and vegetables. Raw beef or cooked chicken is good and will supplement commercial turtle pellets and green, leafy vegetables.
Red ear turtles can make a mess so it's best if your turtle has a separate container to eat but they should be in water when they are eating. You should allow about 15 minutes for  them  to eat before returning them to their tank.  Young Red ear turtles should be fed daily but older Red ear slider turtles can be fed every other day. Their water should be changed on a regular basis to keep your Red ear turtle happy and to prevent health problems that will arise from dirty , polluted water.

Your Red ear turtles habitat should only have to cleaned about once a week if you feed them outside of their home.  When you clean their tank you should siphon off between 25% and 50% of of the water and vacuum away debris and then add fresh warm water back to the tank. About once a month you should clean the entire tank. If you want to hold your Red ear turtle grip it firmly since dropping your turtle could seriously injure it and even cause death. Children under the age of 5 should not hold a  Red ear slider turtle since they could easily drop the turtle and possible frighten it causing the turtle to bite or scratch. After handling a red ear slider turtle you should  rinse your hands well to prevent disease.

Red ear slider turtles are not all that expensive but they do take time to care for and money to feed them and if they become ill there could be a trip to the vet. Always monitor your red ear turtle for signs of illness on a daily basis and try to take care of them so you can prevent them from becoming sick in the first place. If you do this you will be able to have many years of joyful experiences with your red ear slider turtle.

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Red Ear Turtles - Did You Know?

 Red Ear Turtles  are one of the most popular turtles in the turtle pet industry today. These fascinating creatures make great pets for the young and old alike. The scientific name for a red-eared slider is Trachemys Scripta Elegans, they are freshwater turtles. You can find red ear turtles all over the United States. They actually get their name from the red line that runs along the side of their necks. Female Red Ear Slider Turtles are larger than the male Sliders. The female Slider can grow
up to twelve inches in length and the males can grow eight to ten inches in length.

    A female Red Ear Turtle has a shorter clan than the Male. The Male Red Ear Turtle uses his claws during mating. He will wave is claws in front of the Female Slider to show her he is a good
candidate for breeding. The Female Red Ear Turtle will reach her sexual maturity around the age of seven years whereas the male will reach his sexual maturity at a much younger age of about five years.  Red Ear Turtles mate between March and June, and the Female Red Ear Turtle will lay as
many as 15 eggs.

    Red Ear Turtles are omnivores, feeding on plant matter and animal matter within their habitat but  they especially love to feed on insects and leafy vegetation in their environment. Red Ear Turtles are
ectotherms and you will often find them basking in the sun on logs  in lakes and ponds for long time periods of time.

    Most pet owner will tell you their Red Ear Slider does not hibernate but actually in the wild they do, around October when the temperature falls below fifty degrees. Red Ear Slider Turtles can live to be fifty to seventy years of age.

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