Data sheet yellow-eared turtle
Trade name:
Yellow-eared Slider / Yellow-bellied Slider
Latin name:
Trachemys scripta scripta
Order:
turtles
subordination:
Halsberger tortoises
Family:
New World terrapins
Genus:
Letter-eared turtles
Origin:
USA
Size (in cm:
15-30cm
Aqua terrarium size:
at least 100 x 150 centimeters
volume in liters
at least 0.75 cubic meters
Temperature:
27 degrees Celsius
Behave
Lining:
omnivore diet (both animal and plant food)
Behave:
diurnal
Number:
loner
Life expectancy:
40 – 55 years
Difficulty level:
medium John J. Mosesso, NBII, Yellow-bellied Slider 2, marked as public domain, details on Wikimedia Commons
key data
The yellow-eared turtle belongs to the group of Swamp and Aquatic Turtles. It is also known as the yellow-eared slider and yellow-bellied turtle. The yellow stripes on the belly and head characterize their name.
It is one of the most popular sea turtles and is widespread among enthusiasts. The older the yellow-eared tortoise gets, the harder it is to distinguish it from the red-eared tortoise. At a young age, the coloring is particularly noticeable. The armored animals are cold-blooded. Your body temperature adapts to the environment.
Yellow-crested turtles are best kept in an aquaterrarium, also known as a paludarium. Here the aquarium is combined with the terrarium. Turtles spend most of their lives in the water. She rarely leaves this one. Therefore, this area should be sufficiently large.
A 400 liters Basin is the minimum. There must be a suitable land area in the aquaterrarium for the reptiles to sunbathe regularly. A size of about 0.5 square meters is recommended. If you keep sexually mature females, the soil should be designed with a sand-earth mix that is suitable for digging. In late spring and summer, the yellow-cheeked slider turtle can move to the garden pond. The water there should be at least 20 degrees.
In its youth, the yellow-eared turtle feeds omnivorous. It eats animal and vegetable food alike. With increasing age, the proportion of animals decreases more and more. Older animals eat mostly vegetarian food.
gender differences
The reptiles are among the larger aquatic turtles. Males reach a shell length of almost 20 centimeters. Females are slightly larger with a shell length of up to 30 centimeters. If you are considering keeping a yellow-crested turtle, you should consider the animals’ needs before you buy one.
Males are definitely lonerfemales may be in a small group being held. If you are not breeding, males and females should not share an aquaterrarium. The male would expose the female to great stress through his countless attempts to mate.
Determining the sex of the yellow-crested turtle is not easy. Juveniles in particular are difficult to tell apart. So you should wait until the tortoise is fully grown. The most striking feature is probably the long claws of males. These are much longer than those of the females.
In addition, the anal opening in males is far from the edge of the carapace. In female animals this can be found almost under the carapace. The male’s tail is thicker and longer than the female’s. Also at the tank shape you can tell what gender it is. Males have a rounded or inward-facing carapace; female turtles have a convex carapace. To find out the sex, the animals should never be turned over.
breed
The Yellow-eared Slider is one of those invasive animal species. If a keeper gets tired of his turtle, it may be abandoned. Sometimes this happens so often that the yellow-crested tortoise has already been found in the wild in Germany. It displaces other animal species and affects large parts of the flora.
Because of this, theirs Marketing, keeping and breeding prohibited in the European Union since August 2016. Livestock may be kept until the end of their lives. It must be ensured that they cannot multiply or break out.
socialization
Yellow-crested turtles are usually solitary animals. They only meet at mating season. Two males should never be kept together in one aquaterrarium. This means unnecessary stress for the animals due to territorial fights and rivalries. The losing male would be attacked and bitten incessantly.
Keeping two females can work. They avoid each other for the most part. In order to be sure which sex the acquired animal shows later, a young animal should be purchased individually.
In principle, it would be possible to keep several females with one male. However, the eggs would have to be regularly removed from the clutch and destroyed. This form is only possible if there are several females. Otherwise, the female animals would be under constant stress from the courtship behavior of the male.
Other questions / user questions
What Do Yellow-crested Tortoises Eat?
Specialist shops offer suitable turtle food. In addition, dried feed animals such as small crabs and insects can be fed. Fish and meat food are not well suited. Various aquatic plants such as duckweed and water hyacinth make up the plant-based diet.
Dandelions and lettuce are also popular. Yellow-crested tortoises are easily deficient in vitamin A. This should be supplemented accordingly. A grated carrot, which is added to the feed once a week, covers the necessary requirement.
Yellow-crested turtles need calcium for their shell and bones. Sufficient cover over the feed is rarely possible. A good source of calcium is cuttlefish. If necessary, the turtle can nibble on it in the tank.
How do yellow-eared turtles lay their eggs?
Yellow-eared turtles lay their eggs on land. For this reason, the aquaterrarium should have a sufficiently large land area. When the female is ready to lay her eggs, she will leave the water in the early morning or late evening.
The pregnant animal looks for a suitable place, if possible in the soft sand, near the water. There it digs a hole two to six inches deep and lays nine to nineteen eggs in it. The opening is then closed. The eggs are hatched in the ground.
The temperature plays an important role, because it determines the sex of the young turtles. At lower temperatures, more males develop and at higher temperatures, more females hatch.
When are yellow-crested turtles sexually mature?
As a rule of thumb, as soon as the yellow-crested turtle reaches almost 70 percent of its maximum size, it is sexually mature. Females are sexually mature with a shell size of about 16 centimeters, males with about ten centimeters.
Where do yellow-crested turtles winter?
In contrast to hibernation, the yellow-crested turtle hibernates. The body temperature drops and she no longer eats. In the aquaterrarium, hibernation must be artificially induced. Ideal for this is a low temperature refrigerator or unheated basement.
You should pay attention to this when buying:
Purchasing a yellow-crested turtle in Germany involves some effort. The yellow-crested turtle can no longer be bred or sold in the European Union.
Lovers often find their animals in sanctuaries or animal shelters. Reputable classified ads can also be a possibility.
A sea turtle is demanding in its keeping. In order for the yellow-crested tortoise to feel comfortable in its home, its needs must be considered. It should be noted that many animals are not fully grown at the time of purchase and have therefore not yet reached their final size.
An adult yellow-eared turtle needs lots of space. In just a few years, the palm-sized young animal will grow into a tortoise that is up to 30 centimeters tall. Under good keeping conditions, the yellow-crested turtle can live up to 55 years. So before you buy, ask yourself if you want to be in charge of the reptile for that long.
The correct posture of the yellow-eared tortoise is an expensive hobby. According to the offer, the reptile costs between 50 and 150 euros. The purchase costs include suitable equipment, the aquaterrarium, food, electricity and any visits to the vet. You’re quickly in the four-digit range.