My Red Eared Sliders from Myrtle Beach!!!!!

[Bunnylady]

There's a guy in Myrtle Beach that will sell you all equipment for turtles, but will tell you repeatedly that it's illegal for him to sell you one less than 4" long. Wave enough money under his nose, and he'll sell them to you "under the table," or out the back door. He knows the law, but he also knows how to get around it. I know this, because I have two that came from him. They were given to me by a guy that bought them for his kids, but the kids' interest waned and he got tired of cleaning up their tank. I've had them 4 or 5 years (don't remember exactly), they have grown from about 2" long to around 6" now. I recently switched them from a growth formula pellet to a maintenence formula, since their dietary needs do change as they grow.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Put the turtle in an outdoor pond for the summer.
Make sure it has access to both sunlight and shade.
It will grow.

UV light(or lack of) is the single leading cause of death for pet turtles.
UV light allows the turtles body to process calcium and phosphourous into usable calcium for bones and shell growth.

If you choose to use a light bulb, make sure it is within 12" of the turtle, and power compact floros are best.

I think the sun is the absolute best way.

The law about 4" turtles is dated and Ive never seen it enforced.
This is my 1st year in 10 not having my booth at all the Ca reptile shows this year . . .
Those shows are full of all species of turtles, sold at hatchling size.
People buy red-ears because they are sooo cute as babies, but they grow to large adults within about 4-5 years, and need to be in a large pond.

I do frogs . . .