A Survey of Amphibians, Reptiles and Insects Suitable for Maintenance in Outdoor Ponds – Part II, The Red-Eared Slider, Chrysemys scripta elegans

Hello Joseph, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interesting post.

I’m also often surprised at how cool the weather can get in places that, as a New Yorker, I consider to be mild in climate.

You can’t ask for much better than central California for keeping reptiles and amphibians outdoors year-round. A good starting point in species choice would be to look at other areas of the world with the same general latitude as your home, both north and south of the equator …you’ll have plenty to choose from.

Always great observations such as you mention when animals are kept outdoors. Dick Bartlett in Florida often surprises me with such; Burt Langerworth, who sadly passed on recently, was also well known for keeping lizards outside as much as possible. An alligator snapping turtle breeder recently told me that his turtles overwinter in ponds that ice up from time to time – they do range further up the Mississippi than most realize, but still…

Please let me know if you have any particular species in mind, and I’ll see if I can provide some information.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Joseph, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks very much for the interesting post. You make a very good point concerning local weather conditions – mountains, wind patterns etc. can make for some very unusual goings on…this was long a source of confusion to both professionals and hobbyists. Also, a species micro-habitat is important – perhaps the most common example of confusion regarding this is the extremely dry, desert-like exhibits that many zoos still use for Gila monsters. These lizards live in some of the most arid regions of the American Southwest, but spend over 90% of their time below ground, where humidity levels remain very high (this explains why they spend days on end in their water bowls in dry exhibits).

Why animals appear where they do (and how they got there) is a great study. Genetics is, as you mention, explaining quite a bit. Such will take on greater importance as
more and more reintroduction and similar plans are needed, especially where animals hailing from different populations will be mixed….for example, anoles from south Florida cannot take the winters in north Florida, etc.

Collared lizards are gorgeous, no doubt, and very interesting. I still remember the first image I saw of a collared lizard. It was a drawing of one grasping a horned lizard in its jaws, in The Golden Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians, written by my childhood hero, Herbert S. Zim (As you might imagine, having Herbert S. Zim as a hero, while growing up near Yankee Stadium, branded me as quite the “odd duck”!).

I’ve found that, in contrast to most similarly sized lizards, collards do best when other lizards (I used brown anoles, which are introduced in Florida) are provided as food on a regular basis. They are also rather high strung, and need a great deal of room. There’s allot of interesting research on genetic variations between populations isolated from one another on adjacent “habitat islands”.

Horned lizards are real gems. Texas horned lizards flooded the trade years back. As a child, I carried those I kept to ant hills throughout several summers (they refused certain ants) so that they could feed. They always did fine, but went downhill during the winters, even those that would take the limited fare available. Some time ago I noticed that someone was selling harvester ants as horned lizards food, so perhaps I’ll have another go at them someday. The Staten Island Zoo has a horned lizard species, the name of which unfortunately escaped me right now, which seemed to be doing quite well without ants.

Metal cattle watering troughs are used by many zoos as holding cages – they can be drilled to provide drainage for easy cleaning, and fitted with hinged lids at machine shops.

Here in the east, Norway rats are a real problem in outdoor exhibits – even to the point of killing baby mara (Patagonian cavies) and eating turtle eggs. Muskrats dig well and can demolish plantings overnight (but I’m somehow fascinated by muskrats, raised a few kits years back). Raccoons are our biggest concern, however – smart and strong. They are thriving even in Manhattan, and not just in Central Park.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interest in our blog.

I agree, crested newts are amazing…I never tire of seeing them. Unfortunately red eared sliders will attack newts and other amphibians. Also, crested and other newts produce powerful skin toxins; I know of several cases of turtles expiring immediately upon eating newts – so, both animals wind up dying!

Please let me know if you decide to set up the newts alone, and I’ll send along some information. In the meantime, please check out my article Breeding the Great Crested Newt.
Sorry for the bad news!

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio

Hello Cindy, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interest in our blog.

Sitting here in frigid NYC below 2 feet of snow, I cannot work up much sympathy for a turtle in southern California!….but seriously, a few days at 50 F is fine, and its normal for him to stop feeding until it warms up a bit. If you expect temperatures in the high 60’s-70’s for most of the season, you can leave him outdoors with a pond heater as a back up.

Sliders from the northern parts of their range may stop feeding in winter even if kept warm – they move about and bask, and lose little if any weight; most, however, will feed once temperatures pass 68F or so.

Hibernating semi-aquatic turtles is very difficult, and I would not recommend it.

If he does cease feeding entirely, you can house him indoors for the season – please write back for details. Just keep in mind that in cool temps he’ll be easy prey for raccoons, coyotes, dogs or other such predators that might have access to the pond.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Cindy, Frank Indiviglio here.

A heater would be a good idea – let me know if you have any questions re the models I referenced in the last response. Box Turtles do quite well outdoors, as long as they can dig in; yours will likely come out on warm days; in NY, the Eastern Box turtle hibernates quite close to the surface – they are protected by a natural “anti-freeze”.

Sliders usually just drop (or “slide” – that’s where the name cones from) from their basking sites and burrow under mud or plants; they don’t use caves as do some other turtles. You can weigh down artificial plants as a shelter – in water over 2 feet deep, not many predators will be able to catch an adult (unless an otter happens along!).

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best Wishes for a happy, healthy New Year,
Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Lalena, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interest in our blog.

Aggression in Red Eared Sliders is often associated with breeding attempts – males bite at females during courtship and may harass them continually in an aquarium where, unlike in the wild, the female cannot escape. Unrecpetive females (in captivity) may eventually be injured, as you describe.

As for the timing, sexual maturity and breeding behavior in general can be greatly affected by captive conditions; I’ve come across other instances of long-term cage/tankmates coming into breeding condition sporadically, and long after such would have occurred in the wild. It just may be that your male is only now becoming affected by hormonal changes.

Two males may also fight, but this is not so common; same as regards 2 females; but dominant animals may suddenly began to bully others for reasons that are not always clear – perceived need for more space, food perhaps. Do you know the sexes of the turtles involved?

If it is breeding related, you may be able to re-introduce them after a month or so. Unfortunately, however, captives often try to breed almost year-round, and so a permanent separation may be necessary.

Please write back with more details concerning their sexes if possible,

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Lalena,

Thanks for the kind words, my pleasure. Since breeding is not involved, you might want to try removing the aggressive animal for 2 weeks or so. This sometimes changes the dynamics – the submissive animal becomes the possessor of the “territory” – and such may result in a more harmonious situation. This does not always work, but may be orth a try….

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Incidentally, congrats on keeping your turtles so long…hopefully you are on the way to breaking the published longevity record of 41 years!

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Lalena,

My pleasure…thanks so much for the kind words. I think you are quite dedicated and made the best choice. Good idea to keep an eye on the tail, just incase of infection, but usually they heal just fine.

I think sliders have the potential for even longer lives than the record holder…a Fly River Turtle I cared for is still going strong at 62 or so, and there is a least 1 Box Turtle and 1 Radiated Tortoise that topped 100…well, you’re on the right track! Please check in from time to time and keep me posted,

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio

Hello Daniel, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interest in our blog.

I’m not sure where you’re located, but my article on Slider Habitats has a link to a map showing there range. You might also enjoy reading about some of the strange places I have found them.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Daniel,

Thanks for the feedback. They are found throughout California, but I’m not familiar with any specific sites. I would check any pond or waterway that looks as though it could support turtles of any type…often you have better luck in heavily used ponds – park and golf course ponds, for example – than in more “natural” areas, since that is where people tend to release unwanted pets.

Good luck and please let me know what you find…I’m interested to learn where they live in your area.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Daniel,

Thanks for the kind words. Well, Louisiana is a paradise for turtles, that’s for sure, but lots to see in California; keep an eye out for Pacific Pond Turtles and Western Painteds, neither is found in Louisiana.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Daniel,

Thanks for the update. Bullfrogs are, like sliders, introduced to CA. Originally they were found only east of the Mossissippi.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Daniel,

That was fast! Enjoy,

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Daniel,

Glad you found a site, enjoy and hope you see lots of interesting herps,

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Daniel,

Looks like they are doing fine in their adopted home!

Enjoy, Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Jeff, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interest in our blog. Well, you’ve hit on an interesting but difficult dilemma. That’s a good record for sliders, by the way – near to the published longevity.
Better lighting, diet, more water etc. can indeed spark mating behavior – unfortunately, in male sliders this can extend nearly year-round, unlike many turtles (which is one reason they are so well-established worldwide). But with any turtle species, it’s nearly impossible to house males with females once hormones kick in. A ½ acre exhibit I worked with proved too small for a pair of Af. Spurred tortoises,; female sliders in a 50 x 10 foot pond I maintained got by only because it was heavily planted and they were able to hide.

Unfortunately, manipulating conditions so as to “turn off” the male’s ardor would not likely be successful – too fine a line between good/poor care, and also, once started, male sliders seem to breed even under bad conditions. I’m going through that right now with turtles of different species – the mere presence of any female seems enough to stimulate the male. I think you’ll need to separate them – you can try re-introductions as cool weather arrives, especially if you keep the tank at room temperature, but this does not always work.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Hello Jeff, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your note, my pleasure.

Well, you’ve done something right…they are ultimate survivors, though – established in places as diverse as South Africa and Japan (I saw them in temple ponds in Kyoto – males chasing females, of course!). No danger with upgrades except radical changes in diet can cause problems. There are ways to maintain them in easy-to-clean plastic tubs..if you’d like to try that in order to temporarily house male, pleas let me know.

Good luck and please keep me posted.