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Where to Get a Red-Eared Slider
You can purchase a red-eared slider commercially, adopt one, or catch one in the wild if you live within the turtle’s natural range and if it’s legal for you to do so. Regardless of where you acquire your slider, it’s
vital that you select a healthy specimen—and that the source is reliable if you don’t catch a slider yourself.
Captive-Bred vs. Wild-Caught Turtles
If at all possible, purchase a captive-bred turtle (one born and raised in captivity prior to sale) instead of a wild-caught one. Captive-bred turtles are typically healthier than wild-caught turtles, especially imported ones. Turtles caught in the wild often have parasites, illnesses, or even wounds that captive-bred turtles lack. Also, turtles bred in captivity have already adapted to domestication, so there’s much less of a chance that they will fail to acclimate to their new habitat.
The Four-Inch Law
In reaction to a number of publicized cases of salmonella poisoning that were linked to the improper handling of pet turtles, as well as cases of unsupervised children choking on baby turtles, the federal government passed the so-called four-inch law to make it illegal to sell turtles that are less than 4" (10 cm) long. When purchasing a turtle from a herp vendor, make sure that it is longer than this length. However, if you wish to, you can catch a smaller turtle in the wild, as long as capturing a wild slider is legal in your area, you live within the red-eared slider’s natural range, and you don’t intend to sell the turtle you catch.
How to Obtain a Red-Eared Slider
Red-eared sliders are available from a number of different sources: local pet shops, herp expos, and internet vendors.
Pet Shops
Acquiring your turtle from a local pet shop allows you the opportunity to observe the turtle for a longer period of time before buying it than you could at an expo. The store itself should have clean, neat enclosures and well-stocked inventories. If the animals are well fed and well housed, they are more likely to be healthy specimens. You should feel as though the dealer cares about his animals and that there are well-informed
employees on hand whom you can rely on for sound advice.
Internet Vendors
Red-eared sliders are widely available for purchase on the internet, and you should be able to find several potential sources within a relatively short time. These sources include breeders, people who broker turtles but do not breed them, and others who import them.
Ideally, you’ll purchase a captive-bred slider from a reputable breeder. You should be able to view photos of individual turtles that the breeder offers for sale and also have access to records that indicate the age and sex of the turtle, its diet, and other important details. Once you make your purchase, a good internet vendor will make himself available to answer any questions you have about your new pet. The internet is a better source than pet stores for specific slider variations.
Herp Expos
Buying a red-eared slider from a herp expo reduces your initial cost compared to buying over the internet because you can avoid paying shipping expenses. At an expo, you’ll find breeders, brokers, and importers of red-eared sliders, and you will be able to inspect individual turtles to determine which you want to take home. If you are looking for a slider of a specific size, age, or appearance, you’re more likely to find it at an expo than at a pet store.
Buy your red-eared slider from a seller who completely answers any questions you have and whose turtles appear to be healthy and well cared for. You should also be able
to get contact information from the seller so that you
can reach him if you have other questions, or if something unfortunate occurs with your pet.
How to Catch a Red-Eared Slider in the Wild
Although most people acquire them through pet stores or other sources, red-eared sliders are one of the few reptiles you can catch in the wild. They are still fairly common in the Deep South, and you are likely to find one in a ditch or a shallow body of water during the summer months. However, wild sliders will remain common only as long as people care about their welfare in the wild and their habitats remain intact.
Follow these guidelines if you want to try to catch a wild slider to keep as a pet. (These guidelines assume that you live within the natural range of red-eared sliders.)
- Make sure that it’s legal for you to collect sliders in your area. Contact your state’s fish and game department, ask whether permits are necessary to collect sliders for personal use, and obtain one if they are. In some states you may need a permit to keep a native amphibian, while in others you must have a valid fishing or hunting license. Also determine whether there are any size restrictions on the sliders you can legally collect.
- Know the status of slider populations in your area. If you live near the limit of the red-eared slider’s range, don’t collect your slider from the wild. The population at the limit of the range is typically small and doesn’t tolerate much disruption. In short, don’t collect red-eared sliders in the wild unless they’re common where you live.
- Don’t give in to the temptation to collect multiple sliders from the wild just because you can—no animal does well in captivity when crowded, and the more turtles you take from the wild, the more of an impact it has on the population. Only collect as many red-eared sliders as you have the means to properly care for.
How to Select a Healthy Red-Eared Slider
Choosing a healthy red-eared slider is one of the most
important aspects of successfully keeping one as a pet. Because most people don’t collect their sliders from the wild, the following tips will help you select a healthy turtle from a pet store or a different source.
- A healthy turtle is appropriately heavy for its size. If a turtle feels lighter than it should, it probably isn’t healthy, and you should purchase a different one.
- The turtle you purchase should be active, pushing on your hands to get away as you handle it or pulling in its legs when you lightly tug on them.
- Check the shell for sores, wounds, and other injuries.
- The eyes should be clear and responsive. Don’t purchase a turtle with eyes that are sunken, closed, or crusted shut.
- Examine the mouth for thick deposits of film or paste on the tongue or back of the throat—these are signs of an infection. Look at the nostrils as well—any crust or discharge around the nostrils is a sign of poor health.
- Look for signs of leeches, which appear as flattened worms stuck onto the turtle. Don’t bring home a slider that shows signs of a parasitic infestation. If you discover after you bring it home that your slider has leeches, use tweezers to gently pull the leeches off, then drop them in a small container of rubbing alcohol.
Because all turtles can carry salmonella, always remember to wash your hands after handling a turtle or anything in the turtle tank. Until you can wash your hands, don’t handle food, rub your eyes, or put your fingers in your mouth. Never eat or drink anything while handling a turtle.
| Text & Photos Copyright © 2007 TFH Publications, Inc. | Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
