# Red Eared Slider Woes!



## gonathan85

Right around the beginning of fall, I reluctantly decided to "take in" a red eared slider water turtle that my buddy was going to feed to his dog. Yes, you heard it correctly, feed it to his dog.

The setup came with a ~40g turtle tank, undersized HOB filter, heater, heat lamp, and floating styrofoam "log" for him to bask on.

I had no idea this guy was going to grow so freaking fast. When I adopted him, his shell was roughly 3 inches front to back. Now, he's sitting at a wopping 9+ inches. I've checked around for options to house him, and I really can't afford it right now.

I'm considering releasing him into a pond that is connected to the local river. On the MANY kayaking trips up/down the river behind the parent's house, I've seen quite a few slider turtles.

What are his chances of doing ok? He's just become a major pain (super super dirty), and I'm afraid that he'll eventually break the tank with his enthusiastic swimming! 

What would you do?

PS- not a fan of turtle soup..never had it..never want to. 

-Nate


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## gonathan85

Here are a few pictures of Doug the turtle, and his shabby apartment.


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## Karebear

Hi gonthan85

I would not let your turtle free on the river system for several reasons, the first being the time of year right now. It is too late in the year to survive winter without acclimation to the cold. You can also introduce disease to the native wildlife. If you want to get rid of the turtle try rehoming it on craigslist, or call a pet store and see if they will take it


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## wi_blue

Donating to a local zoo is another option.


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## flashbang009

Yeah, red eared sliders get very big, upwards of 12 inchesm I have two of my own in a 150 gallon tank, but they're only 6 inches right now. Don't know if this is an option for you, but I'd be willing to take him off your hands for you, the only problem being the shipping cost, but we could work something out if you wanted. He'd be going to a very good home. Pm me if you're interested or have any other questions. Btw I commend you for saving him from your friends dog!


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## Dielectric

who the heck feeds a turtle to a dog.


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## cah925

I'm mostly curious how the turtle grew so fast for you. I adopted a red eared slider 3 years ago and he/she grew from 3" to about 6".


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## freshyleif

I have had a couple of RES in the past. PLEASE do NOT release them into the wild unless you are sure they would be native there anyways. Sliders are excellent at adapting and have been documented in many cases overrunning native turtle populations. Here in Santa Cruz one of our local wildlife refuges had to do a RES removal project because they were so over populated and the western pond turtle, the local native was being starved out because they are not as aggressive eaters. I have heard of RES populations as far north as lake Michigan. You should be able to give it to your local pet store if they have other reptiles.


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## gonathan85

Thanks for all the replies.

On the many kayaking trips that I have been on, I have seen confirmed red eared sliders. 

I have decided not to release him, and will be bringing him to a local wildlife zoo/habitat that takes turtles when such occasions arise. 

As far as why they were going to feed it to the dog, some people were born without part of their brain. I happen to know someone with this issue :wacko:

How did he get so big so fast?

Answer: His died consisted of 2inch baby crawdads from the local river, along with various veggies and leafy greens. 

Thanks Flashbang for the generous offer!

-nate


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## Aquaticz

I have been keeping turtles for about 25 years- mostly RES. They need a pond. Do not release into the wild- you have the possibility of releasing pathogens which potentially can adversely affect other species. Contact Turtlehomes.org or the CTTC and see if you can adopt out.
HTH


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