You first have to figure out how to choose the right red eared slider. When you have a slider in mind, the first thing you have to do is decide what sort of dedication you want to have to your pet. Many people, seeing the little tiny baby red eared slider for the first time at the breeder or at a pet store will instantly fall in love and want one that size. This is perfectly acceptable, as long as you know what you are getting into. An adult red eared slider is also an equally great choice, and comes with significantly less worry as well.
If you want a red eared slider baby, you need to understand that it will grow—a lot. It won’t be that precious 2-inch little turtle for long! Red eared sliders can grow to be 12 inches, usually taking about 6-10 years to reach full size. It may take a while to get that big, but you should start out with at least a 20-gallon tank for your baby red eared slider, but go bigger if you can. This will give your turtle plenty of room to live and grow to full size.
Food is another concern for a baby red eared slider. You can’t just put whole worms and pellets in the tank and hope he eats them; his food will need to be chopped into a size small enough to fit in his mouth. Some people are a bit grossed out by chopping up worms and the like, but that’s part of the deal if you want a red eared slider baby.
Adult red eared sliders, on the other hand, are much easier to take care of. You will be getting your turtle when he is already a good size, so chances are whatever size of tank you go with will last for a long time, if not for the entire life of the turtle! Food is also much easier to manage. You won’t need to chop his crickets and worms and any pellets you give him will be just the right size! Sure, he won’t be as cute, but he’ll be a lot easier to take care of! Whatever the age of your red eared slider, make sure you follow proper care procedures and you’ll have your scaly friend for years. Choosing the right red eared slider is all about your dedication and eye for detail. Do you want something to coddle, or something that takes a bit more care of itself? These are the questions you have to answer.
