RES water amount?

[Bluemonster107]

What is the suggested amount of water for a Red Ear Slider? basically I have mine housed indoors and am now thinking of creating an outdoor water pond/feature for them and wondered about how much water is suggested to have for them to swim in? Like is it based of size? or a general rule of thumb. thanks!!!

 

[wellington]

As deep as you can go. I would say no less then 3 feet

 

[tglazie]

It really does depend upon the size of the animal in question. For a hatchling to three inch size juvenile, I would use a smaller container, say a twenty gallon long aquarium filled to near the top or a large, sturdy cement mixing bucket. Having heated water at that early stage is also essential, so I would get a shatter proof water heater. You have to consider how red ear babies live in the wild. Typically I find hatchlings in heavily planted shallows, rich in invertebrates and underwater hiding spots from which they can escape both predators on land and those swimming about in the open water. A baby turtle swims out into water over four feet deep with minimal plant cover, that baby will either be picked off by predatory birds from the sky or large fish/crocodilians/other turtles from the deep. These planted shallows are also warmer than the rest of whatever lake, pond or river through which the adults swim and forage, so that must be considered. Additionally, babies are not as proficient at swimming, so the high flow filtration that is required for a large body of water can't be sustained by a small baby. This is why I always start my babies in either a shallow filled fifty five gallon or forty gallon breeder, or I start them, especially if there's only two or three of them, in a twenty gallon long. Change the water with aged water every week, or do multiple partial changes throughout the week, and you should be good.

Bigger ones are much less maintenance. If your red ear is past the three inch mark, it can safely be housed outdoors in a setup as large as you can make it. If that setup is less that, say, three hundred gallons, I would put a cover over it to ensure that no raccoons fish out your red ear in the evening. Also ensure plenty of hiding spots, but ensure that none of these underwater hiding spots can become drowning traps. I've made this mistake in the past, and it is very unpleasant to find a drown turtle that was trapped beneath a collapsed, unstable underwater hide.

It takes a bit to explain, but I presume you're past the "does my turtle need a basking spot" stage of basics. The great thing about red ears is that they're tough, and they're very forgiving so long as you get a handful of things right with their setup. I've always had one in my collection over the years. I swear, there have been times when I swore off keeping water turtles. I inevitably dust off the old DIY filters when someone comes to me asking if I can take care of their red eared slider. I'm currently keeping this one old female rio grande that is around thirteen inches in length. Her previous owner had her running about her back porch with only occasional soaking stints in a washtub that seconded as the lady's wool laundry tub. I have no idea how this turtle survived, on a diet of chinese cabbage, strawberries and the occasional bit of fish. Poor girl, when I got her to my house, I had to soak her in a bus tub (I use bus tubs for everything; transporting tortoises, rehabilitating red ears, providing temporary housing for newly hatched babies and sleeping quarters for juveniles that need to sleep indoors). This helped get her bladder regular so she could start improving her swimming skills. I kept her for the first year in a large kiddie pool, which was perfect, given that she hadn't yet grown accustomed to swimming. After she brumated in the leaf litter that fell into her pool in the fall, I refilled my outdoor pond and introduced her to the deeper water. Before, she didn't know how to bask, do regular turtle behaviors given the years she spent under such unnatural conditions. But like I said, red ears are tough. Now, she basks on these makeshift booeys that I put out into the pond. I see her out there nearly every morning, and she eats what my tortoises eat, wide variety of greens along with some prekilled roaches and mazuri for turtles. Red ears are incredibly adaptable once they get bigger. Like I said, you just have to provide certain things, and they will thrive, no problem.

T.G.

 

[Bluemonster107]

Well, mine are older... I got them as little hatchlings.... and they have been inseparable... problem is that the female has grown more than double the males size.... and their home has become too small .... well too small for the female! And she completely hogs the basking spot and the smaller male hardly gets a chance to bask. I thought they were 3years old but when I looked at a baby pic it ends up they are 2... wow... seems longer
So I hate to have to put them outside, but if I must so they can have more room... so be it.
That is why I ask about the rule of thumb for swim space.... amount of water? So I can get a little pond built that will give them both room.
The female "EB" is about 10" and the male "Sal" is around 5". I have them in a 60 gal tank with a basking top and they live with 4 goldfish... same age... they grew up with them

 

[tglazie]

Alright, I see now. Yes, they should go outside. You can keep them indoors, but if you do that, I'd recommend something in excess of one hundred gallons. I keep six pink bellied sidenecks indoors, and I have them divided into two 300 gallon stock tanks. Trouble is, these are huge, but luckily I have a reptile room with some DIY sump filters installed, which is hardly practical if your indoor space is limited. I built an outdoor pond that I used to keep Southern painted turtles a while back, but now it is occupied by a singular red eared slider female. I may adopt her out to someone in the future, as I have a group of Northern red bellied turtles I just got, but they're all babies, so I have some time to ponder it.

Anywho, yes, your animals are well past the baby stage. I would recommend an outdoor setup at this point. Red ears are tough little buggers, and they should be housed in outdoor ponds whenever possible, in my opinion at least. It affords them the greatest amount of swimming space, and it is, overall, the least maintenance, as far as I'm concerned. Just my two cents on the matter. Do what is best for you. If you prefer them indoors, there's nothing wrong with that, but in every instance, try to maximize their swimming space.

T.G.

 

[dmmj]

just like with tortoises you're really do want to go as big and deep as you can I would also suggest no less than three feet they are very strong and active swimmers the bigger space they have the happier they will be

 

[Moozillion]

Well, mine are older... I got them as little hatchlings.... and they have been inseparable... problem is that the female has grown more than double the males size.... and their home has become too small .... well too small for the female! And she completely hogs the basking spot and the smaller male hardly gets a chance to bask. I thought they were 3years old but when I looked at a baby pic it ends up they are 2... wow... seems longer
So I hate to have to put them outside, but if I must so they can have more room... so be it.
That is why I ask about the rule of thumb for swim space.... amount of water? So I can get a little pond built that will give them both room.
The female "EB" is about 10" and the male "Sal" is around 5". I have them in a 60 gal tank with a basking top and they live with 4 goldfish... same age... they grew up with them

WOW!!!! BEAUTIFUL tank!!!!

 

[Bluemonster107]

through much deliberation..... I just am not ready to go 'pond'..... I might re-visit that subject as "EB" grows (the larger one)... but for now... I am not ready for them to go outside..... so I have decided to just go bigger. picked up a 125 gallon tank yesterday and already have the base re-stained.... cleaning it out today and then constructing another basking area. They currently have a single one and EB always hogs it.... so hopefully with 2 dry dock/basking areas.... they will BOTH get some good UVB and heat time

 

[Bluemonster107]

oh... also.... I did see somewhere on the web that a "rule of thumb" for size of tank/water for turtles is something like 10 gallons of water for every inch of turtle. if at all helpful for anyone