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Red-eared terrapins, turtles or sliders are found
throughout the United States east of the continental divide in the
Rocky Mountains.
The subspecies Trachemys scripta elegans, the yellow-bellied terrapin, turtle or slider,
is the one most often sold in pet stores in the UK. These fresh water
turtles spend much of their time in the warm waters of their native
habitat. They are strong underwater swimmers but they spend the warmer
hours of the day basking in the sun on logs or rocks.
The
species are omnivores. Young turtles need to get about a third of their
food from protein sources; adult turtles will feed more heavily on
vegetation. In the wild they begin by eating fish fry and amphibian
larva, water snails and a variety of plants growing in the water and
nearby on land.
Females reach maturity when they
reach 12cm. You will be able to tell male from females; males are
smaller than females in overall body size but have longer tails. If
kept at the correct temperatures, fed a healthy varied diet, kept in an
active environment and not stressed your turtle may outlive you. Some
have lived in captivity for over 100 years. Remember to think about
what will happen to your turtle should you believe it will outlive you.
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