ClassyTurtles
Sliders
Description
Slider turtles are very friendly turtles with great personalities in and out of the tank. Sliders can be found in southeastern America, central america, and for some species as far south as Mexico. Sliders make great starter turtles and are fairly easy to take care for. Color morphs and deformities shown up in sliders more than any other type of turtle. Some common morphs are Albinoism and Pastel, while some deformities are two headed turtles and siamese turtles.
Size
Most female Sliders will grow from 10 - 13 inches (give or take an inch depending on the turtles diet and enclosure). Males are quite smaller reaching from 7 - 9 inches. Sliders hatch with a one inch streight carapace length.
Enclosure
Sliders love tanks with deep water for them to swim in. Uvb bulbs and a basking space are a requirement in a Sliders aquarium. All water in a Sliders tank must be heated to 78-80 degrees F and de-chlorinated with water conditioner. Their preffered substrate is thich sand and river rocks. A 75 gallon aquarium should be large enough for up to two adult sliders. Remember: Sliders love plants and decorations to play in and rest on.
Diet
Sliders are omnivorous creatures. As babies, they eat a more carnivorous diet, but feed mostly on plant matter as they grow larger. My favorite commercial diet follows:
-Ropto-Min (Select - a - food)
-HBH Turtle Bites
- NutraFin Max
-Hikari Frozen Shrimp
Slider turtles also love many fruits and veggies such as apples, carrots, pears, tomatoes, grapes, and Romaine Lettuce.
WARNING: If a uvb bulb is not offered to Slider turtles, seriouse shell diseases may result...
Slider turtles are very friendly turtles with great personalities in and out of the tank. Sliders can be found in southeastern America, central america, and for some species as far south as Mexico. Sliders make great starter turtles and are fairly easy to take care for. Color morphs and deformities shown up in sliders more than any other type of turtle. Some common morphs are Albinoism and Pastel, while some deformities are two headed turtles and siamese turtles.
Size
Most female Sliders will grow from 10 - 13 inches (give or take an inch depending on the turtles diet and enclosure). Males are quite smaller reaching from 7 - 9 inches. Sliders hatch with a one inch streight carapace length.
Enclosure
Sliders love tanks with deep water for them to swim in. Uvb bulbs and a basking space are a requirement in a Sliders aquarium. All water in a Sliders tank must be heated to 78-80 degrees F and de-chlorinated with water conditioner. Their preffered substrate is thich sand and river rocks. A 75 gallon aquarium should be large enough for up to two adult sliders. Remember: Sliders love plants and decorations to play in and rest on.
Diet
Sliders are omnivorous creatures. As babies, they eat a more carnivorous diet, but feed mostly on plant matter as they grow larger. My favorite commercial diet follows:
-Ropto-Min (Select - a - food)
-HBH Turtle Bites
- NutraFin Max
-Hikari Frozen Shrimp
Slider turtles also love many fruits and veggies such as apples, carrots, pears, tomatoes, grapes, and Romaine Lettuce.
WARNING: If a uvb bulb is not offered to Slider turtles, seriouse shell diseases may result...
Map Turtles
Description
Most species of map turtles are frequent baskers and active swimmers. Map turtles are very shy out of the water, but when in the water are loving turtles with great personalities. There are 11 main types of map turtles that come from rivers in South-Eastern american river systems.
Size
Most female map turtles range from 7-11 inches as adults, whereas males are considerably smaller reaching from as low as 3 inches for some species up to 6 inches for others.
Enclosure
Map turtles love clean, de-chlorinated water with a descent flow. Powerfull filters should be used to keep your tank as clean as possible. Water pumps can be added for a river-like flow, but if you have a filter such as a Fluval U4, a water pump won't be needed because of it's strong output flow. Map turtles are avid baskers, so a basking area, such as driftwood, should be added with a UVB bulb. Add decorations and plants if there is more than one turtle in the tank, because map's (especially adult females) can get a bit aggressive toward smaller tank mates. Water heaters should be used (78-79 degrees for hatchlings, 74-76 degrees for adults). Preffered form of substrate is thuroughly rinsed playsand or large turtle pebbles.
Diet
Map turtles are omnivores, and eat more plant matter when babies. As they grow, their jaws strengthen which allows them to feed on mollusks feeder fish and other meaty foods. Some of my favorite turtle foods for maps follow:
- Hikari Frozen Krill
- HBH Turtle Bites
- Nutrafin with D3
A Map turtles diet should be diverse, but those are my personal favorite commercial brands that are very healthy and highly trusted.
WARNING: If a uvb bulb is not offered to Map turtles, seriouse shell diseases may result...
