Raising a healthy turtle is crucial. Among all the exotic pets you could choose to own, the turtle care red eared slider is one of the most popular. When you purchase them as a little turtle, you may not know that they can grow to be a foot long and live for a very long time. Clearly, owning this kind of turtle takes long-term commitment.

If you want your pet to live to its full potential of 30 years, you need to know what proper red eared slider turtle care is. Your pet can stay healthy and truly thrive if you know what to do.

You can have a great experience as a pet owner, helped by a few important red eared slider turtle care tips. The first aspect to consider is space. Sliders require a lot of room to be active. The general rule is that, whether your turtle lives in an aquarium inside the house or in a pond outside, there should be six gallons of water for every inch your turtle is long. Also, there should be ample space for your slider to spend time on dry land for basking and eating. That means if your turtle grows to his potential twelve inches, he needs 72 gallons of water and still enough space to spend time outside the water! Make sure you plan for this kind of space before you buy your slider.

Turtles are cold-blooded animals, so they need outside sources of heat to keep them warm. Keep water between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Outside of the water, air should be kept between 90 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. These are exotic animals and are accustomed to warm climates. Natural sunlight is essential in proper red eared slider turtle care as well, so allow your turtle exposure to the sun every day.

The final and possibly most important part of red eared slider turtle care is the cleanliness of the water. Regular water replacement is needed because, even if the water appears to be clear, build up of harmful ammonia and nitrite can occur over time. If they reach levels that are too high, it can be unhealthy for your turtle. When you replace water, de-chlorinate it prior to filling the tank as chlorine can have adverse affects on the nitrogen cycle in an aquarium. Now that you know the basics of red eared slider turtle care, you can expect to raise a strong, healthy turtle from your own home.

Scientific Name Of Red Eared Turtle:
1.Kingdom – Animalia
2.Phylum – Chordata
3.Subphylum – Vertebrata
4.Class – Reptilia
5.Subclass – Anapsida
6.Order – Testudines
7.Family – Emydidae
8.Genus – Trachemys
9. Species – T. scripta
10.Subspecies – elegans
11.Trinomial name – Trachemys scripta elegans