Turtle ID please.

[Lily Pad]

Hello. My turtle is 5 1/2 years old. We got her when she was the size of a 50 cent piece. I was told she was a Yellow Eared Slider which I have sense learned there isn't that type of slider. Thank you for any info you may have!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Yellow bellied Slider T.s.scripta... they are from the Southeast and yours is big and beautiful! Does look like a female too.

 

[juli11]

I don't think it's scripta scripta. It looks more like a kind of pseudemys.
Trachemys has a wider head than this one.
Bit I'm not an expert of ID American water turtles

 

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Peninsula Cooter - Pseudemys peninsularia

 

[Moozillion]

Whatever she is, she's a BEAUTY!!!

 

[diamondbp]

It's without a doubt a peninsula cooter

 

[diamondbp]

And a female

 

[KevinGG]

Looks more like a female cooter than a yellow belly.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Peninsula Cooter - Pseudemys peninsularia

Yes, I jumped in too quick and didn't really look at the markings on the head. I did wonder how a yellow bellied slider got that big...
Hanging my head in shame...

 

[lismar79]

Beautiful color!

 

[Jlant85]

Just beautiful! Such a vibrant color! >.< I want her! Lol

 

[Lily Pad]

Thank you everyone. So she is a Peninsula Cooter. I wonder if they get bigger than sliders? We bought her in Daytona Beach, Fl. I really wish she was a male. I hope she never lays eggs. I don't have a dry space other than her floating dock. Here is a pic of her set up.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I always have loved how they put their back feet when basking. I wouldn't worry about eggs.

 

[Yvonne G]

No, if she does decide to lay eggs, she more than likely will just poop them out in the water. Then sometimes they eat them, sometimes not. But they won't necessarily lay eggs without a male. Then again, some do, some don't

 

[Anthony P]

They do get larger than Sliders :-/

 

[Lily Pad]

That is good news that she may never lay eggs. I heard somewhere that if she laid them in water, it could cause her to become sick & possibly die.
Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[Anthony P]

That is good news that she may never lay eggs. I heard somewhere that if she laid them in water, it could cause her to become sick & possibly die.
Thanks everyone for your help.

They were referring to "egg binding," which happens when a gravid female will retain eggs inside her too long, while she searches for an appropriate nesting sot that she never finds. This is less likely to happen when a turtle is carrying infertile eggs, but is still a possibility.

 

[shanu303]

WOW!! what a beauty!