redearslider.com

Hey everyone!

My name's David, I'm a biology major at a university in West Virginia and I am preparing to be a first-time red-eared slider owner. I have never owned a reptile before (a true first-time owner) and am here to attempt to learn as much as possible so I can provide an excellent habitat for my turtles and keep them healthy and happy for a long time to come. I've been wanting to own a turtle for some time now but have only recently had the disposable income to seriously look into it.

Right now I'm planning on owning one turtle to start so I can learn the process of taking care of it before I would consider expanding. Long story short -- I would like to passively read up and ask questions on the wealth of knowledge you guys can provide before I even think about going and buying my turtle. I have not yet purchased any of the habitation or maintenance equipment so I am a totally clean slate but I have a general idea of what I need. My biggest dilemma is being overwhelmed by what the rest of the internet has to say about what kind of equipment I need to buy so I would like to first get actual owner advice on what equipment and products a first-time red-eared slider owner will need before buying the actual animal. I could also use some recommendation concerning where to buy/adopt a truly healthy turtle specimen.

Any help you can provide is and will be greatly appreciated!
David

Welcome David! Glad you're doing research first... I guess there are two main rules in turtle keeping. 1) it will have a high startup cost but if you do it right, it'll last you for years and 2) captive RES are very dominant, so there will be a good chance you need to separate them, especially if one is a male.

People love hatchlings and they generally are illegal but easy to get and get away with. If you get a slightly larger turtle (like from adoption or rescue), then you will know its gender and can appropriately plan for it's home (and avoid costly upgrades).