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Online pet magazine.
Almost everything you need to know about pet care.
Reptiles - Turtles and Terrapins
Yellow bellied terrapins, turtles or sliders - Trachemys scripta or Chrysemys scripta elegans 
Red-Eared terrapins, turtles or sliders - Trachemys scripta or Chrysemys scripta
Red-eared terrapins, turtles or sliders are found throughout the United States east of the continental divide in the Rocky Mountains.
The subspecies Trachemys scripta elegans, the yellow-bellied terrapin, turtle or slider, is the one most often sold in pet stores in the UK. These fresh water turtles spend much of their time in the warm waters of their native habitat. They are strong underwater swimmers but they spend the warmer hours of the day basking in the sun on logs or rocks.
The species are omnivores. Young turtles need to get about a third of their food from protein sources; adult turtles will feed more heavily on vegetation. In the wild they begin by eating fish fry and amphibian larva, water snails and a variety of plants growing in the water and nearby on land.
Females reach maturity when they reach 12cm. You will be able to tell male from females; males are smaller than females in overall body size but have longer tails.
If kept at the correct temperatures, fed a healthy varied diet, kept in an active environment and not stressed your turtle may outlive you. Some have lived in captivity for over 100 years. Remember to think about what will happen to your turtle should you believe it will outlive you.
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