RED EARED TERRAPIN (Trachemys scripta elegans)

FAMILY     Emydidae

DISTRIBUTION     The Red Eared Terrapin is found from central America through to southern America and can also be found in Mexico through to brazil.

SIZE      The baby Red Eared Terrapins start of about the size of a 10p piece but grow to be approximately 8-10ins in length when adult.

LIFESPAN      Under the proper conditions the lifespan in captivity is about 40 years although 30 is more common.

INTRODUCTION    The Red Eared Terrapin is probably the best known terrapin kept in the reptile hobby and is also known by a couple of other names: these are the Red Eared Slider and the Red Eared Turtle.

HOUSING     The Red Eared will need two main areas in their terrarium, one for basking and one which is mainly water. An adult terrapin should have a tank that is about 50 gallons with two needing a tank which is about 75 gallons. The water part of the tank will need to have a filtration system as well as a heating system. The basking area should have a spot lamp with a reflector above one side of it. You could also place some decor such as logs and plants on this area.

SUBSTRATE     A lot of terrapin keepers now use a turtle dock as the basking area in their tanks and as such don't really use a substrate, but those who divide the tank up and make like a land bank can use potting compost with some gravel and sand mixed in covered with bark on top.

HEAT & LIGHT      With Red Eared Terrapins you have to temperatures to control, the water temperature and the basking area temperature. The water should be kept slightly warm at around 22°c-24°c (72°f - 75°f), this can be done by using a underwater heater which comes with a thermostat on. You can keep track of the temperature by using an aquarium temperature gauge attached to the tank. The basking area should have a temperature of around 28°c - 30°c (82°f - 86°f). Using a reflector with the spot lamp will keep the heat mainly concentrated in one place. The spot lamp needs to be connected to a thermostat to prevent overheating and should also be turned off at night.

There are no special lighting requirements for the Red Eared Terrapin, as natural daylight is sufficient.

FEEDING     Terrapins are omnivorous and as such should be given a varied diet of vegetation and meat. They will happily take greens, berries and other soft fruits as well as worms, insects, shrimps, koi pellets and minnows. The should be fed 3 -4 times a week with the food being supplemented with a calcium supplement at least twice a week.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS     The only problem really with Red Eared terrapins is providing them with the correct size housing other than that they are extremely hardy.