Geraldine Y Slider (Water Turtle) Turtle Yellow-Bellied Slider Baltimore, MD

Please read the description completely before contacting MATTS. Many of your questions will be answered below.

I would be a good first turtle for someone wanting an aquatic turtle, so long as I have at least a 55 gallon enclosure, although larger is always appreciated. A Rubbermaid stock tank would make a good home, and those are cheaper than aquariums. A 100 gallon plastic stock tank from True Value or Tractor Supply Company is usually about $85.

I'm a female yellowbellied slider (aquatic turtle) in the Baltimore, MD, area, but transport is available to York and Harrisburg, PA. I'm about 6" and 8-10 years old. That's kind of young for a turtle (sliders can live 20-30 years typically. I eat Mazuri, Reptomin, and Zoo Med turtle pellets and other brands of pellets, dark leafy greens, and thin slices of sweet potato. I won't turn up my nose at a piece of plain cooked chicken, either. I'm for for adoption because the vendor lied to the family that bought me as a hatchling, and the family soon realized that caring for me would cost more than they could afford. I was dropped off at an animal shelter, then brought to MATTS.

Sliders can live for 20-60 yrs, and can grow to be 5-8" for males, and 8-11" for females. We need large indoor aquariums or ponds, a basking spot, and water filtration. Indoor ponds and aquariums require a haul-out spot, a.k.a. basking spot, a heat light over a basking spot, a UVB light over the basking spot, a high-powered filter, and usually a water heater. Outdoor ponds must be in an escape-proof yard or the pond itself must be escape-proof. If you have a backyard pond, I can't go outside for the first time until the end of May, but in southern MD I can live year-round outside after that. Since I'm a yellowbellied slider instead of a red-eared slider, I can't live outside all year unless it's in southern MD or DC. Any farther north and I'd need to come inside for the winter. Babies shouldn't go outside until they're about 3", so they don't become bird food. If using an aquarium, a good rule of thumb is at least 10 gallons per inch of turtle (straight carapace length). So, a 6" turtle will need at least a 55 gallon aquarium.

For ideas on how to prepare an aquarium or pond, visit www.turtleforum.com to chat with other keepers. Review the slider care sheet to learn more about caring for a slider. http://nebula.wsimg.com/ae4cb36565545a257b1ff6f17a885dc2?AccessKeyId=A3E784782F81D21389AD&disposition=0&alloworigin=1
You can also get the book Red-Eared Sliders (Animal Planet Pet Care Library) (on Amazon or in some stores).

REQUEST AN ADOPTION APPLICATION from matts_adoptions@hotmail.com. Please INCLUDE YOUR CITY AND STATE when contacting MATTS. An application will be e-mailed to you. Once completed, the application can be returned, and if approved, you'll then have to submit pictures of your set-up before picking me up or having me shipped. MATTS will meet adopters in central locations such as Fells Point in Baltimore, MD, Parkton, MD, and in York and Harrisburg, PA, as MATTS fosters from our homes and does not have a central shelter. Shipping is possible if temperatures allow, if you're willing to pay for shipping, and if it's legal to have a slider in your state. I cannot be adopted to VA.

PLEASE HELP OTHER TURTLES by spreading the word - baby turtles grow into big turtles! They do not stay small - they do not grow to the size of their enclosure! Please don't buy hatchling turtles at vacation tourist spots. It's illegal in ALL 50 states to sell a turtle this small.

Like turtles but can't have one? Want to help?
1) You can share my profile on social media and share www.matts-turtles.org so people can take better care of their turtles and help wild turtles stay wild.
2) MATTS has educational fliers (photos) to share on social media if you email matts_adoptions@hotmail.com to request them.
3) Share our "Monster You Made" video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_935eZl84k on social media.
4) MATTS also accepts tax-deductible donations at MATTS, P.O. Box 341, Highland, MD 20777, or through PayPal at http://www.matts-turtles.org/support.html
Rescue is funded by donations only, and we find homes for over 100 animals a year.
Thank you!