My basic info
Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Please read the description completely before contacting MATTS. Many of your questions will be answered below.
I am an adult aquatic slider turtle for adoption in the York and Baltimore area. I'm about seven inches long. MATTS isn't certain how old I am, since I was dumped at an animal shelter, but I'm probably between 8 and 10 years old, which means I could live another 15 - 25 years old. I'd make a good "first" turtle, because sliders are hardy, and males stay smaller than females. I would like a 55 gallon tank of my own (although larger is nicer). If there are two of us, it's a good idea to have a larger tank. I can live outside starting in the summer, and if your backyard pond is fenced in and dug below the frost line, I might be able to live outside all year. I'm a "Cumberland" slider, a subspecies of slider similar to a red-eared slider, and I'm just as hardy as a red-eared.
An indoor tank will need a basking area, heat light, and UVB light, as well as a strong external canister filter or a good DYI filter.
I eat Mazuri, Reptomin, and Zoo Med turtle pellets and other brands of pellets, dark leafy greens, thin slices of sweet potato, and enjoys weeds like clover, chicory, or plantain if you have it in warmer weather. I'm for adoption because I was getting too big for my first home, so I was dumped at a shelter.
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, the turtle can't go outside for the first time until 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
You can also get the book Red-Eared Sliders (Animal Planet Pet Care Library) at Amazon or other on-line outlet.
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. There is no adoption fee for sliders.
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 Fells Point in Baltimore, Parkton, or Timonium, MD, or York/Red Lion, PA, as we foster from our homes and do not have a central shelter.
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?
MATTS accepts tax-deductable donations at MATTS, P.O. Box 22321, Baltimore, MD 21203, or through PayPal at https://www.matts-turtles.org/support.html
We help nearly 100 displaced pet turtles a year!
