Isadora R Slider (Water Turtle) Turtle Red-Eared Slider Baltimore, MD

UPDATE JUNE 2024: I was adopted to a fabulous home that has a HUGE, four-foot deep pond in a fenced yard for me! MATTS has other sliders like for adoption, although they might be quite as big as I am!

PLEASE READ THE DESCRIPTION COMPLETELY before contacting MATTS. Many of your questions will be answered below.

I'm a BIG adult female aquatic slider turtle who is available in the Baltimore area with transport available to York and Harrisburg, PA. I eat Mazuri, Reptomin, and other brands of commercial turtle pellets and dark leafy greens and edible weeds. I won't turn up my nose at a piece of plain cooked chicken or carrot, either. I ONLY eat in the water.

I'm for adoption because I was dumped into the wild after being a pet. While I did OK for several years, I ended up injured and have a hole in the edge of my shell now, but I'm healthy. I'm just really, REALLY big for a slider.

No one knows how old I am, but the best guess is around 15-30 years, which means I could live another 10-20 years. Although I'd love a FENCED-IN backyard pond of at least 300 gallons (dug below the frost line), I could make do with a 150-gallon Rubbermaid stock tank or a 125-gallon aquarium if I was indoors. My tank should come with a strong external canister filter or really good home-made filter, and a basking area under a heat and UVB light. A plastic stock tank would make a good home, and those are cheaper than aquariums. You can get them at True Value or Tractor Supply Company and "feed and seed" farm stores such as the Mill stores in MD and Red Lion, PA. In the summer, it would be great if I could live in a FENCED-IN, backyard pond (dug below the frost line so that the top won't freeze solid, if I'm spending the winter there, too).

I can also live outside all year if I go into a pond in the summer. I can even be adopted with another lady slider or two from MATTS if the pond is large enough. Pictures of sample enclosures are included with my profile pictures.

Sliders can live for 20-60 yrs, and can grow to be 5-8" for males, and 7-12" 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, the turtle can't go outside for the first time until the end of May, but can live year-round outside after that. 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

A great e-book for beginners is Red-Eared Sliders (Animal Planet Pet Care Library) (on Amazon or in some stores).

A more in-depth book, for FREE download, is https://www.lulu.com/shop/richard-lunsford/captive-care-of-north-american-water-turtles/ebook/product-17551523.html

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 up a turtle. We meet adopters in central locations such as near Fells Point in Baltimore, MD, Parkton, MD, and York and Harrisburg, PA, as we foster from our homes and do 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. We cannot place red-eared sliders in VA, WV, CT, FL, OR, or MT.

In NJ, since our adoption contract serves as a receipt for a permit (that can be obtained after adopting), visit https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/exotic_apps.htm

MATTS can show you ideas for making your own basking platform from PVC pipe and egg crate light diffuser.

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!