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Atlas / Library / Emydidae / Red-eared Slider
BeginnerDiurnal · active nowIUCN LC
Emydidae

Red-eared Slider

Trachemys scripta elegansเต่าแก้มแดง

Traceable. The figures above appear in the page we cite, which we opened on 10 Aug 2026. That means you can check them, not that we have confirmed they are right. petco.com

Photograph: Vaiasgaea · CC BY-SA

Photographed by an observer on iNaturalist and published under a Creative Commons licence; the photographer and the licence are named under the image. It is not an animal of ours, and no animal was handled by us to produce it.

14:00
Day

Drag the sun. Red-eared Slider is diurnal, so what it is doing changes with the light.

Aquatic · temperateFrom the sheet: 24–27°C

The way of life is written in this sheet, word for word. The climate words summarise the two figures above them, they do not add to them.

National law is not global, and we hold no national wildlife law for any country, Thailand included. Check your own authority before buying or selling.

Check your setup against this sheet I keep one 102 plants usable with this species
Back to the globe My keep

https://keepr.pet/husbandry/en/trachemys-scripta-elegans

‹ All husbandry guides
Temperature24–27°C
Enclosure≥ 100 gallons adult (~10 gal per inch of shell)
UVBOver basking dock; replace ~6 mo
DietTurtle pellets + leafy greens + occasional protein
Adult size20–30 cm carapace

The numbers

Temperature

152025303540 °C
24–27°Ambient

One ambient band, 24–27°C. This sheet states no warm side, no cool side and no night figure, so none are shown. Same scale on every sheet here, so two species compare by eye.

The sheet states24-27 °C (75-80 °F); hatchlings warmer

UVB

Requiredrequired

The sheet statesOver basking dock; replace ~6 mo

Enclosure
≥ 100 gallons adult (~10 gal per inch of shell)
Diet
Turtle pellets + leafy greens + occasional protein

Identity

Adult size

1.75 m20–30 cm
1520100400 cm
20–30 cmNose to tail, adult

The size the sheet states for a grown animal.

Why

Two drawings, because they answer two questions. The silhouette is at true scale against a 1.75 m person: it says how big this animal actually is, which no number does for someone who has never seen one. The bar under it is logarithmic and shared by every sheet here, so a 2 cm isopod and a 4 m python both stay readable on the same axis and two species can be compared at a glance.

Family / Order
Emydidae / Testudines
Origin
Adult size
20–30 cm carapace
Lifespan (captivity)
20–40 yrs
Activity
Diurnal; aquatic
Temperament
Hardy, active swimmer: but a decades-long commitment

Enclosure and conditions

Water temperature
24–27 °C (75–80 °F); hatchlings warmer
Basking dock
32–35 °C (90–95 °F) dry platform
UVB (required)
Over basking dock; replace ~6 mo
Tank size
≥ 100 gallons adult (~10 gal per inch of shell)
Filtration
Powerful filter essential (they're messy)
Note
Dry basking platform to fully haul out

What your climate adds

This sheet states a range to hold. Your local climate decides how much work holding it is. Pick the nearest city: nothing is sent anywhere, the choice stays in this browser.

Diet

Diet type
Omnivore — carnivorous young → herbivorous adults
Staple
Turtle pellets + leafy greens + occasional protein
Calcium
Cuttlebone / calcium block
Note
Don't overfeed — fouls the water

Behaviour and handling

HandlingMinimal: aquatic; may bite/scratch
CohabitationPossible with space + filtration; watch aggression
DefenseBite / scratch
NoteNEVER release: a serious invasive species
ChildrenObserve; supervised feeding

Reproduction

Life course

Day 0Hatch
5–7 yrSexual maturity
20–40 yrLifespan in care
60–90 dIncubation
2–30 eggs (laid on land: need nesting area)Clutch
20 yrMinimum commitment
~13 yrReproductive window

Read from the lifespan and maturity the sheet states, for animals in care and not in the wild.

Why

The minimum commitment is the low end of that lifespan, and the reproductive window is what is left after maturity: both are subtractions on stated figures, not figures of their own.

Sexual maturity
♀ ~5–7 yrs
Clutch
2–30 eggs (laid on land: need nesting area)
Incubation
~60–90 days; temperature sets sex

Common health problems

Shell rot / MBD
Signssoft or pitted shell
PreventUVB + calcium + clean water
Respiratory infection
Signsfloating lopsided, open-mouth breathing
Preventwarm water + air; vet
Vitamin A deficiency
Signsswollen eyes
Preventbalanced diet
Ammonia / dirty water
Signslethargy, infections
Preventstrong filtration + water changes

When to see a vet

This is not veterinary advice. If red flags appear (open-mouth breathing, months of weight loss, 'stargazing', persistent regurgitation) consult a qualified exotic (herp) veterinarian. Quarantine new arrivals 30–90 days.

Good to know

  • The world's most traded pet turtle: and a major invasive species (never release!).
  • Males have long front claws used to court females.
  • Lives up to ~40 years: a decades-long commitment behind a cheap price.
  • The world's most traded pet turtle — and a major invasive species (never release!).
  • Lives up to ~40 years — a decades-long commitment behind a cheap price.

Common questions

Can I release it if it gets too big?

NEVER: invasive and illegal in many places.

How big does it get?

Dinner-plate size (25–30 cm).

Why so much water & filtration?

They're messy: a big filtered tank is a must.

What it needs

A thermometerbecause temp — 24-27 °C (75-80 °F); hatchlings warmer
UVB, stated as requiredbecause uvb — Over basking dock; replace ~6 mo
Not stated: The size of the enclosurethis sheet describes the enclosure without a figure: « ≥ 100 gallons adult (~10 gal per inch of shell) »

Every line above is deduced from a value this sheet states, and names which one. Nothing here is a general recommendation. What the sheet does not state is listed too, rather than left out: a kit that looks complete is worse than one that names its gap.

  • Large aquarium/tub ≥ 100 gal
  • Powerful canister filter
  • Basking dock
  • UVB + basking lamp
  • Water heater + thermometer
  • Turtle pellets + cuttlebone

Sources

Petco — Red-eared Slider CareThe Bio Dude — Red Ear Slider

Others in this group

marginatedTestudo marginataYellow-bellied SliderTrachemys scripta scriptaPainted TurtleChrysemys pictaCommon musk turtle (Stinkpot)Sternotherus odoratusEastern mud turtleKinosternon subrubrumMalayan Box TurtleCuora amboinensisChinese Box TurtleCuora flavomarginataEastern Box TurtleTerrapene carolina

What this sheet states

69%
TemperatureHumidityEnclosure sizeActivityOriginDietSourcesUVB

This sheet states 5 of 7 of the fields this product runs on. What is missing turns something off: humidity instrument and audit, enclosure size audit. We show the gap rather than fill it with a plausible number.

UVB is measured but does not count: it is absent from 421 of 678 sheets, and on most of them that is not a gap, since a nocturnal snake's sheet has no reason to state a UV index. Counting it would call the library incomplete without cause.