Mixing slider water turtles

[Thetortoiseguy93]

Can you mix red ear sliders and yellow bellied sliders together. Or is it the same rule as a tortoise that you cant mix them. I would think generally you cant mix them but thats why im asking cause they are both sliders. I wanted to buy two sliders one for me and one for my girlfriend. Im would be getting them as babies.

 

[Len B]

I don't have any yellow bellied, but I have painted, red ear, red bellied and common snappers in the same pond and never had a problem or cross breeding. They all are local to my area and coexist in the wild here.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Ya you shouldn't have a problem as long as they get along together. The two would require the same care. I have 4 in the same tank that have red ear, yellow belly, and Cumberland slider traits.

 

[SteveW]

As a bit of a counterpoint, I think aquatics too are better off kept as individuals. A lot of very experienced and smart people keep multiple individuals and different species together, but I have tried it and don’t like it. (Caveat- I’ve never had my own pond). Here’s what I mean- an well-fed, individual red belly or painted will calm down to the point of leisurely swimming to you and gingerly taking food from your hand. The same species in a populated tank will be grappling with the sliders for every morsel. To me that seems an unnecessary stress and agitation. It does seem like species with different niches, like a musk and a painted, may just ignore each other given enough room.