​Yellow-Bellied Slider as a Pet

The Yellow-Bellied Slider is an attractive turtle that make terrific pets. Despite the fact that they are not as well known or as popular as the similar Red-Eared Slider, these animals are a good option for those who want to include a turtle to their family.

Yellow-Bellied Sliders feature an oval carapace and a rounded jaw. Females are generally larger than males. Likewise, males will have a thick, long tail and will display darker colors than females as they grow and develop.

Colors

The Yellow-Bellied Slider has distinct markings that make it stand apart. You will quickly see this turtle's lovely yellow stripes, which are found on the legs, neck, and head. There is likewise a brilliant orange, red, or yellow spot on the sides of the turtle's head.

The carapace ranges in color from brown to olive, and it also features yellow bars or stripes. Also, the plastron, which is yellow, can include dark blotches on the bony plates.

Environment

Yellow-Bellied Sliders are highly sociable animals.You will need to supply your Yellow-Bellied Slider with a large fish tank of a minimum of 60 gallons for a single turtle. Hatchlings need to not be housed in an aquarium that is smaller sized than 15 gallons. If you plan on housing more than one turtle in the very same enclosure, you need to add an extra 20 gallons for each turtle, as a minimum.

Always use a high quality water filtering system to guarantee the freshwater is kept pure at all times. Keep the water temperature anywhere from 75-80°F with the assistance of a submersible hot water heater. And make certain the water is deep enough that your turtle can absolutely immerse himself and swim around easily. A good recommendation for water depth is around 18".

Yellow-Bellied Slider Turtles delight in basking, so you will need to supply your pet with a basking area that is big and comfortable, writes aetapet.com. The product needs to be non-abrasive and your turtle needs to be able to dry off totally. Utilize a heat light to keep the basking area's temperature level anywhere from the high 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit. The rest of the air temperature level in the tank ought to be kept anywhere from the low to mid 80s Fahrenheit. Also established a UVB light bulb over your turtle's enclosure.

In regards to substrate, you can decide whether or not you would like to include it in your turtle's tank. Using a substrate might make your turtle's tank more difficult to clean up, and you will require an extremely effective water filtering system as well to help you keep the substrate tidy. If you are going to use a substrate, pick gravel that is bigger than what your turtle would have the ability to swallow.

In addition to filtering, you will require to carry out complete water changes regularly in order to preserve the water quality.

Care Requirements

Due To The Fact That the Yellow-Bellied Slider is a turtle that follows an omnivorous diet, you will have the ability to feed your pet a variety of foods. These include pests, fish, and non-toxic aquatic plants. Good choices are small feeder fish, crickets, wax worms, mealworms, chopped veggies, and a commercial turtle food.

Behavior

Yellow-Bellied Sliders succeed in community tanks, as long as they are housed with similar turtle breeds, such as Red-Eared Sliders, Painted Turtles, Cooters, and Map Turtles. Just make certain that you can offer your turtles a big enclosure in order to give each animal enough space and hiding locations, and always watch out for aggressive behaviors in between your turtles.

Overall, Yellow-Bellied Sliders are highly sociable animals, and even those turtles that are shy at the beginning will become more comfortable in a brief time period. It is constantly best to acquire turtles that have actually been bred in captivity, as they will be more comfy around human beings and you can rest assured that they were not taken out of their wild habitats.

Offering your turtle a high quality enclosure and keeping the handling of your Yellow-Bellied Slider to a minimum will help keep your pet happy and healthy.

Read more about the turtles here: https://aetapet.com/yellow-bellied-sliders/