HI, I'm new here, and still wet behind the ears as an aquatic turtle keeper. 18 months ago, a friend gave my son a red eared slider the size of a quarter, in a little plastic cube with water in the bottom. I figured she wouldn't live long like that, and got on the internet to find out how to keep her properly.
150$ later, we had what turned out to be the perfect little set up, and in a ten gallon tank, I figured it would be several years before we would need to upgrade. WRONG. :glare:
Everything I read on the web said it would take a female RES two to four years to reach six inches shell length. Well, here we are at a year and a half, and our itty bitty little turtle is seven and a half inches long,
hmy: and inhabiting a 55 gallon tank with filtration, heater, dock, lighting etc.
So here's my question. Where does this go? I read that Red eared slider females max out at around twelve inches shell length, but it's supposed to take YEARS for them to get there. Somehow I don't see that (call me cynical, LOL!) So DO they max out? what happens? they just stop growing? But I've heard that turtles keep growning as long as they live (scary) In which case, in ten years, I'll be the proud owner of a DINOSAUR!!!:scared:
And while we're at it, I got a florida red belly through the mail to inhabit one of the smaller tanks my swimming salad plate has left behind, and she seems to be doing the same thing, at one year, she's over five inches across.:confused1: So what happens with these incredible growth rates?
any informed info appreciated.
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