Red eared turtles are semi aquatic turtles and are also known as red eared sliders. These turtles are natives of South America. People love them as pets world over and in some countries it is a belief that these turtles bring luck along with it. Those people who want to keep these turtles as pets must remember that they will need to spend a lot of time over it.

These turtles are renowned for the red markings on both sides of the head. These distinctive markings are there in such a manner that it looks as if the turtle has two red colored ears, one on each side. Thus, it has been named as Red Eared Turtles. These turtles grow to a maximum of 10 inches in full length.

These turtles spend most of their time in water, except when they bask at the surface for feeling the sun or for the purpose of laying eggs. They are very possessive about their habitat and can even feel aggressive when there is an intruder trying to intrude. These turtles are known for being very fast especially as a predator. Quite interestingly the word ‘slider’ has been attached to their name because of their quality to glide without any efforts off the rocks to get into the water.

Red eared turtles fall in omnivorous category which means they can eat almost anything they catch hold off. Small fishes, slugs, insects, semi aquatic and aquatic plants all are eaten by the turtle.

A red eyed turtle should be kept in a big aquarium. The aquarium should be of the size that allows the turtle to play and swim easily. The aquarium should also be able to provide basking space to the turtle. Red eared turtles need warm water to swim and play and they also need a lot of exposure to UV rays. This exposure can be given to them using a UV lamp. To keep the water clean, which is a prerequisite for Turtles should be provided using a good filtration system. The diet should also be varied and have a good dose of calcium so that their shells can be enriched.

Precaution:

It is important to wash your hand after dealing with the red eared turtle because they might carry salmonella bacteria which can pose serious infections to the one who handles the pet.