Tropical Sliders

 

     Species

Species covered in this Care Sheet: (check the main care sheets page for sliders which are not listed here)

Baja California Slider Trachemys scripta nebulosa   Inagua Slider Trachemys stejnegeri malonei
Brazilian Slider Trachemys adiutrix Jamaican Slider Trachemys terrapen terrapen
Common Cuban Slider Trachemys decussata decussata Nazas Slider Trachemys scripta hartwegi
Cuatrocienegas Slider Trachemys scripta taylori Northern Orbigny's Slider Trachemys dorbignyi braziliensis
Dominican Slider Trachemys stejnegeri vicina Ornate Slider Trachemys scripta ornata
Fuerte Slider Trachemys scripta hiltoni Puerto Rican Slider Trachemys stejnegeri stejnegeri
Gray's Slider Trachemys scripta grayi Southern Orbigny's Slider Trachemys dorbignyi dorbignyi
Hispaniolan Slider Trachemys decorata Taco River Slider Trachemys decussata angusta
Huastecan Slider Trachemys scripta cataspila Yaqui Slider Trachemys scripta yaquia
         
     Description, Distribution and Size
 
 

Baja California Slider

Trachemys scripta nebulosa

DESCRIPTION

Carapace: The olive-to-brown carapace, oval in general shape, is weakly-keeled and has a slightly serrated back edge. The top portion of the shell usually lacks circles, but may have a pattern of black spots and irregular light marks.

Plastron: The plastron is solid, meaning that is has no hinge and it is cream-to-yellow and has a series of smudge-like medial blotches.

Head: Moderate in size with a protruding snout and notched upper jaw. The skin is green to olive brown with with yellow stripes. They have an orange or yellow stripe that does not reach the eyes and ends as a large, oval spot well-behind the eye and the neck is marked with numerous stripes with a central chin stripe runs backwards and then divides to form a Y-shaped marking

Additional: The legs and tail are green to olive brown and have numerous narrow, yellow stripes.

Size: 15"

DISTRIBUTION Freshwater bodies in southern Baja California
 
 
Brazilian Slider
Trachemys adiutrix
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Known only from Santa Amaro, Brazil
 
 
Common Cuban Slider
Trachemys decussata decussata
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Restricted to central and eastern Cuba
 
 
Cuatrocienegas Slider
Trachemys scripta taylori
DESCRIPTION

Carapace: The olive-to-brown carapace, oval in general shape, is weakly-keeled and has a slightly serrated back edge. It also has small, scattered, elongate or ovoid dark spots.

Plastron: The plastron is solid, meaning that is has no hinge and it is cream-to-yellow and has an extensive black pattern with all parts interconnected.

Head: Moderate in size with a protruding snout and notched upper jaw. The skin is green to olive brown with with yellow stripes. There is a stripe that stops abruptly on the neck behind an expanded, red, very elongated stripe behind the eye.

Additional: The legs and tail are green to olive brown and have numerous narrow, yellow stripes.

Size: 9"

DISTRIBUTION Cuatro Cienegas basin of Coahuila, Mexico
 
 
Dominican Slider
Trachemys stejnegeri vicina
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Lives only in Hispaniola
 
 
Fuerte Slider
Trachemys scripta hiltoni
DESCRIPTION

Carapace: The olive-to-brown carapace, oval in general shape, is weakly-keeled and has a slightly serrated back edge. It has black smudge-like spots on the upper and lower surfaces of edges and some pleural scutes.

Plastron: The plastron is solid, meaning that is has no hinge and it is cream-to-yellow and has a dark center blotch surrounding a narrow yellow area in the middle.

Head: Moderate in size with a protruding snout and notched upper jaw. The skin is green to olive brown with with yellow stripes. This turtle has an orange stripe on the side of the head that can be either untouched by anything else at the front of the back, or is connected at the back with a narrow stripe.

Additional: The legs and tail are green to olive brown and have numerous narrow, yellow stripes.

Size: 11.5"

DISTRIBUTION Restricted to the Rio Fuerte drainage in Sonora and Sinaloa
 
 
Gray's Slider
Trachemys scripta grayi
DESCRIPTION

Carapace: The olive-to-brown carapace, oval in general shape, is weakly-keeled and has a slightly serrated back edge. It has dark-centered circles on the pleurals and marginals.

Plastron: The plastron is solid, meaning that is has no hinge and it is cream-to-yellow and the dark marking is diffused, fragmented and faded in adults.

Head: Moderate in size with a protruding snout and notched upper jaw. The skin is green to olive brown with with yellow stripes. It has yellow stripes which reaches the eye and all of the head stripes are thin.

Additional: The legs and tail are green to olive brown and have numerous narrow, yellow stripes.

Size: 24"

DISTRIBUTION Pacific coastal plain of Tehuantepec, Mexico, southeastward to La Libertad, Guatemala
 
 
Hispaniolan Slider
Trachemys decorata
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Restricted to the island of Hispaniola, ocurrin in the water bodies in the Cul de Sac-Valle de Neiba plain in both the Dominican Republic and Penninsula of Haiti, and on the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti
 
 
Huastecan Slider
Trachemys scripta cataspila
DESCRIPTION

Carapace: The olive-to-brown carapace, oval in general shape, is weakly-keeled and has a slightly serrated back edge. It has dark-centered circles on the pleurals and marginals.

Plastron: The plastron is solid, meaning that is has no hinge and it is cream-to-yellow and has a figure in the middle that does not extend to the rear edge of the plastron.

Head: Moderate in size with a protruding snout and notched upper jaw. The skin is green to olive brown with with yellow stripes. The yellow stripe on the side of the head is wide on the temples.

Additional: The legs and tail are green to olive brown and have numerous narrow, yellow stripes.

Size: 9"

DISTRIBUTION Gulf Coastal Plain of Mexico from northern Tamaulipas to the vicinity Punta del Morro, Veracruz
 
 
Inagua Slider
Trachemys stejnegeri malonei
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Found on Great Inagua Island, Bahamas
 
 
Jamaican Slider
Trachemys terrapen terrapen
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Jamaica, and has been introduced on Cat Island, Eleuthera and South Andros in the Bahamas
 
 
Nazas Slider
Trachemys scripta hartwegi
DESCRIPTION

Carapace: The olive-to-brown carapace, oval in general shape, is weakly-keeled and has a slightly serrated back edge.

Plastron: The plastron is solid, meaning that is has no hinge and it is cream-to-yellow and has a series of smudge-like medial blotches.

Head: Moderate in size with a protruding snout and notched upper jaw. The skin is green to olive brown with with yellow stripes.

Additional: The legs and tail are green to olive brown and have numerous narrow, yellow stripes.

Size:

 

 

 

Interanal seam longer than the interabdominal seam; each upper marginal has a bold, dark-centered circle and possibly other indistinct patterns on the carapace; Orange postorbital stripe is large, nearly oval and separated from the orbit. Plastron patten consists of small, dark marks on the hular, humeral and pectoral scutes.

SIZE 12"
DISTRIBUTION Rio Nazas drainage of Durango and Coahuila, Mexico
 
 
Northern Orbigny's Slider
Trachemys dorbignyi braziliensis
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Inhabits the Rio Guaiba of Rio Grande do So Luis, Maranho, in northern Brazil
 
 
Ornate Slider
Trachemys scripta ornata
DESCRIPTION

Carapace: The olive-to-brown carapace, oval in general shape, is weakly-keeled and has a slightly serrated back edge.

Plastron: The plastron is solid, meaning that is has no hinge and it is cream-to-yellow and has a series of smudge-like medial blotches.

Head: Moderate in size with a protruding snout and notched upper jaw. The skin is green to olive brown with with yellow stripes.

Additional: The legs and tail are green to olive brown and have numerous narrow, yellow stripes.

Size:

 

 

 

Orange postorbital stripe usually starts at the orbit, expands over the temple and continues to the neck; carapace has dark-centered circles on the pleurals; plastron has 4 concentric, faded medial lines which do not extend to the anal notch.

SIZE 15.5"
DISTRIBUTION Pacific coastal plain of Mexico from northern Sinaloa to central Oaxaca and from Guatemala through Central America to Columbia
 
 
Puerto Rican Slider
Trachemys stejnegeri stejnegeri
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Puerto Rico and has been introduced on Marie-Galante, French West Indies
 
 
Southern Orbigny's Slider
Trachemys dorbignyi dorbignyi
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Northeastern Argentina and Uruguay
 
 
Taco River Slider
Trachemys decussata angusta
DESCRIPTION  
SIZE  
DISTRIBUTION Western Cuba, Isla de Pino and the Caymen Islands
 
 
Yaqui Slider
Trachemys scripta yaquia
DESCRIPTION

Carapace: The olive-to-brown carapace, oval in general shape, is weakly-keeled and has a slightly serrated back edge.

Plastron: The plastron is solid, meaning that is has no hinge and it is cream-to-yellow and has a series of smudge-like medial blotches.

Head: Moderate in size with a protruding snout and notched upper jaw. The skin is green to olive brown with with yellow stripes.

Additional: The legs and tail are green to olive brown and have numerous narrow, yellow stripes.

Size:

 

 

 

Postorbital mark is yellowish orange and only moderately expanded; the pleural scutes have only poorly defined circles with jagged black centers and the medial plastron marking is extensive but usually fades in adults.

SIZE 12.5"
DISTRIBUTION Lower parts of the Sonora, Yaquai and Mayo drainages in Sonora, Mexico
   
     Distribution

 

     Captive Care Information

TEMPERATURE RANGE (°F)

  • Air Temperature:  Low to mid 80's
  • Basking Temperature:  High 80's to low 90's
  • Water Temperature:  Low to mid 70's

Tropical Sliders are not able to handle the cooler temperatures of North America, especially in the northern states and Canada as well as those Sliders from North America. Because of this, it makes owning these turtles difficult. they get large - huge in some cases - and require a large, outdoor enclosure. The problem lies with the need to bring them inside during the cooler months. It is not advised that sliders from the tropical region (those listed on this page) are kept outside year-round because of the colder temps.

BEGINNER TURTLE

BEGINNER

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

Sliders are good beginner turtles, in the respect of their hardiness, however, planning for their adult sizes need to be paramount as they can be difficult to maintain as adults and just as difficult to rehome should the need arise and are therefore NOT recommended as beginner turtles.

CAPTIVE DIET

As in the wild, captive hatchlings and young sliders tend toward being carnivorous, although vegetation does make up a portion of their diet. As they grow older, meat plays less of a roll in their diet. In captivity, they do well on Mazuri and ReptoMin, Reptile/Pond 10, Cichlid Sticks, feeder fish, occasional ghost shrimp, aquatic plants (such as Water Lilies, Water Hyacinth, Duckweed, Anachris, Water Lettuce, Water Fern, Pondweed, Water starwort, Hornwort, Water milfoil, and Frogbit), veggies (such as Zucchini, Squash, Collard Greens, Beet Leaves, Endive, Romaine, Red Leaf Lettuce, Kale, Escarole, Mustard Greens & Dandelions) and some fruits, crickets, meal worms and blood worms.

CAPTIVE HABITAT

These are avid baskers, so a basking spot is required. UVB lighting is needed as well as a heat lamp over the basking spot. A submersible heater is recommended if the water temps fall below the recommendation. They are excellent swimmers and their captive habitat should have a water depth as deep as possible. Substrate should be anywhere from a sand to a fine-to-medium size gravel.

RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURE

Due to the large size of both male and female sliders of all species, it is not recommended that they be kept in indoor enclosures unless these enclosures can be in excess of 125 gallons for males and 150 gallons for females (minimum). While smaller, they made me maintained in smaller enclosures, but attention to size is important for water quality, health, aggression and quality of life reasons. Adding additional sliders to a habitat requires that you increase the size of the tank accordingly by half (ie; 1 male = 125 gallons, 2 males = 190 gallons, etc).Stock tanks also make great alternatives to glass an acrylic aquariums.

Sliders are aggressive baskers and as such, require a basking area where they can get completely out of the water and be able to dry off and absorb UVB lighting and heat. Habitats can be dirt, sand, gravel, smooth rocks or flat rocks, driftwood or anything that will support their weight and is non-abrasive.

WATER DEPTH

All species of sliders are accomplished swimmers, even as fresh hatchlings, and require deep water.

COMMUNITY HABITAT

Sliders make great community inhabitants with other species from the same region and other sliders as well, provided that adequate space is given. Additional males, even of other species, can be problematic in the form  of aggression even in large enclosures. Sliders have powerful jaws and can easily kill smaller turtles turtles, so only turtles of comparable size are recommended.

     Breeding and Incubation

Sliders can lay anywhere from 2 to 30 eggs at a time, dependant upon the size of the female. Incubation time lasts anywhere from 69 to 92 days at 77° - 86°F.

     Hatchling Care

 ENCLOSURE

A hatchling's captive habitat should mimic that which it would have as an adult. The requirements are the same pertaining to lighting, heat, basking and water depth. Some keepers worry that their turtle might drown in a deep water aquarium and opt to give the hatchling a shallow habitat. That is completely inaccurate. Hatchlings - even fresh day old hatchlings - do quite well in deep water. The temperature range for hatchlings and yearlings is a bit different, however, simply because of their high mortality rate. Hatchlings and yearlings should be maintained in the same range as the daytime and basking temperatures listed above, however, their water temps should be kept between 78° and 80°F.

DIET

Hatchlings are more carnivorous than their older counterparts. They do well on a diet of worms, fish, crickets, augmented by a quality turtle food such as Mazuri and ReptoMin. Veggies should be offered, although some hatchlings do not take to them until they are older.