Additional Resources

Several of these sources were helpful in the creation of this guide and can be used by the reader as additional sources of red-eared slider-specific information:

General Sources

RESTO-Aquatic Turtle Owners (All Species Welcome)— (Facebook group) This group is my go-to when I have a specific question about aquatic turtle care. Their Files section is very well fleshed out, and the admin team is passionate about improving the standard of living for pet turtles. Read the files and take advantage of the Search function first, but this is a great forum/community to use as a sounding board for your turtle-related questions.

Aquatic Turtle Owners World Wide-Outdoor Ponds — (Facebook group) Thinking about building your pet red-eared slider an outdoor pond to enjoy? This is the group for you. This community of experienced pond builders will help you do it right the first time.

Health Care and Rehabilitation of Turtles and Tortoises by Amanda Ebenhack — Great book on chelonian care with some husbandry tips thrown in as well. Includes lots of helpful photos.

My Turtle Cam — This little site was designed as a comprehensive resource for learning the details of good aquatic turtle husbandry. I found their information consistent with ReptiFiles’ standards, and their insights and recommendations were very helpful.

Turtleholic.com — Although this site doesn’t look particularly impressive at first glance, it actually contains a variety of surprisingly comprehensive articles with good information. The site contains helpful articles on red-eared sliders as well as aquatic turtle keeping in general.

Turtles of the World Vol. 2: North America by Holger Vetter (pp. 88–94) — Contains multiple pages of photos of wild Trachemys scripta. Published by Edition Chimaira, so you know it’s good.

Virginia Herpetological Society — Offers very helpful detailed descriptions and ecological data on each species of Trachemys scripta: T. s. scripta, T. s. elegans, and T. s. troosti.

Relevant Scientific Research

  • Acierno, M. J., Mitchell, M. A., Roundtree, M. K., & Zachariah, T. T. (2006). Effects of ultraviolet radiation on 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 synthesis in red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans). American Journal of Veterinary Research, 12, 2046–2049. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.67.12.2046
  • Baines, F. M., Chattell, J., Dale, J., Garrick, D., Gill, I., Goetz, M., Skelton, T., & Swatman, M. (2016). How much UV-B does my reptile need? The UV-Tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, 42–63. http://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150
  • Christensen-Dalsgaard, J., Brandt, C., Willis, K. L., Christensen, C. B., Ketten, D., Edds-Walton, P., Fay, R. R., Madsen, P. T., & Carr, C. E. (2012). Specialization for underwater hearing by the tympanic middle ear of the turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 1739, 2816–2824. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0290
  • Díaz-Paniagua, C., Pérez-Santigosa, N., Hidalgo-Vila, J., & Florencio, M. (2011). Does the exotic invader turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, compete for food with coexisting native turtles? Amphibia-Reptilia, 2, 167–175. https://doi.org/10.1163/017353710×552795
  • Fraser, K. P. P., Houlihan, D. F., Lutz, P. L., Leone-Kabler, S., Manuel, L., & Brechin, J. G. (2001). Complete suppression of protein synthesis during anoxia with no post-anoxia protein synthesis debt in the red-eared slider turtle Trachemys scripta elegans. Journal of Experimental Biology, 204, 4353–4360. https://jeb.biologists.org/content/204/24/4353.short
  • Kaiya, H., Sakata, I., Kojima, M., Hosoda, H., Sakai, T., & Kangawa, K. (2004). Structural determination and histochemical localization of ghrelin in the red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. General and Comparative Endocrinology, 1, 50–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2004.05.005
  • LOEW, E. R., & GOVARDOVSKII, V. I. (2001). Photoreceptors and visual pigments in the red-eared turtle,  Trachemys scripta elegans. Visual Neuroscience, 5, 753–757. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0952523801185081
  • Nagano, N., Oana, S., Nagano, Y., & Arakawa, Y. (2006). A severe Salmonella enterica serotype Paratyphi B infection in a child related to a pet turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. Japanese journal of infectious diseases, 59 2, 132-4. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-severe-Salmonella-enterica-serotype-Paratyphi-B-a-Nagano-Oana/2b09b6720306bfecc40de493fa0dc969da2df6f8?p2df 
  • Rhodin, A., van Dijk, P. P., Iverson, J., & Shaffer, B. (2010). Turtles of the World, 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status. In Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises (p. 000.85-000.164). Chelonian Research Foundation. http://dx.doi.org/10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v3.2010
  • Tucker, J. K., Janzen, F. J., & Paukstis, G. L. (1998). Variation in Carapace Morphology and Reproduction in the Red-Eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans. Journal of Herpetology, 2, 294. https://doi.org/10.2307/1565315
  • Tucker, J., Maher, R., & Theiling, C. (1995). Year-to-Year Variation in Growth in the Red-Eared Turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. Herpetologica, 51(3), 354-358. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3893042

Keep reading:

  1. Introduction to Red-Eared Sliders
  2. Trachemys scripta Subspecies
  3. Shopping List: Supplies You Will Need
  4. How to Select and Buy a Pet Red-Eared Slider
  5. Enclosure Size & Roommates
  6. Lighting & UVB Requirements
  7. Heating Requirements
  8. Creating a Basking Platform
  9. Water Management
  10. Environmental Enrichment: Decorating the Enclosure
  11. Feeding Your Red-Eared Slider
  12. Handling Tips & Behavioral Notes
  13. General Health Guide
  14. Additional Resources