Turtles: Yellow belly slider

This page last edited on

01 August, 2008

Turtles

Yellow Belly Slider

Fun Facts

Yellow belly sliders are omnivores. When young they eat a primarily carnivorous diet but as they age they begin to include plants. It is important for them in captivity to get enough calcium and protein. They do well on turtle chow but need greens, veggies and occasional fruit to supplement their diet. They should be fed crickets or earth worms for protein. Yellow belly sliders are native to the United States and are found in lakes, rivers, ponds and marshes east of the Rocky Mountains, primarily in southeastern states.

For my information on housing, food and care for the yellow belly slider please visit the links on the left. Be sure to visit the worm page from the link on the left to see video and pictures of how I set up the worm box as well as the turtles eating the worms in the pond. Stumpy, pictured to the left is the only yellow belly slider that I have. I raised him from a hatchling. Stumply lives in the 1200 gallon pond with the red ear sliders and the Malayan box turtle. Stumpy is aptly named because he is missing his right front leg. Probably some animal, may be another turtle bit it off but I have no way of knowing exactly what happened. At first he lived in the pond but after I noticed the missing leg I housed him indoors for a while until he got big enough to go back into the pond. Since then he has grown double in size, may be even more and has thrived! Despite his amputation, he gets around like all of the other turtles. You would never know by watching him swim, climb up the ramp and then onto the blocks on the pond edge that he is missing a leg. He is really an amazing little guy!

Stumpy is very skittish though and is hard to spot in the pond. If he sees me at the edge of the pond he will duck back down in the water. I see him surfacing to eat sometimes but once he spots me he disappears. I do see him laying out quite a bit on the edge of the pond with the other turtles though. Stumpy loves to eat worms as well as the pellets and greens/veggies I give them.

This is Stumpy on the right, basking on a branch in the shallow part of the pond. As soon as I walk out the front door though he dives back into the water. Turtles are quite skittish, even if they know you. Only when I come out with food in the morning do they swim over to me. Notice the yellow markings on his head. I think he is a very handsome turtle! Yellow belly sliders are related to the red ear sliders and both are endemic to the United States.

Due to the pet trade both the red ear and yellow belly sliders are abundant in canals, ponds, streams and lakes now because people tire of them and dispose of them in these waterways. This is unethical! The majority of my turtles are 'throwaways" from people who did not do their research on their care before they got them and tired of their maintenance. I have one not so great video of Stumpy on the ramp in the pond in the player below.

As I said on my turtle page, I do not recommend keeping turtles indoors unless they are hatchlings which should be kept indoors until they are big enough to live outside, or if you live in a cold winter climate, then they should be housed indoors until the summer. If you house a yellow belly slider indoors you will need a large enough tank, a basking area and UV ray lights. A trip to the local reptile shop will get you set up. If you can, adopt one from a rescue group and put it in an outdoor pond.

Thanks for visiting the yellow belly slider page! I hope that you enjoy the video and pictures on this page.

Click on Playlist to view the movie of the yellow belly slider.

Turtles Page | Turtle Housing | Turtle Feeding | Turtle Care | Central American Woods

Florida Boxes | Malayan Box | Red Ear Sliders | Yellow Belly Sliders | Worms

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DISCLAIMER: This website was set up to SHARE my OWN experience with my reptiles, guinea pigs, ponds/fish, gardens and local wildlife and to post pictures and video of them. It was NOT SET UP to offer my opinion or expertise on ANY QUESTION that I am asked and what I post on this website should not be taken as "EXPERT ADVISE" or how to take care of reptiles, guinea pigs, ponds/fish, gardens or local wildlife. I AM NOT A REPTILE RESCUE GROUP, GUINEA PIG RESCUE GROUP, VETERINARIAN, REPTILE EXPERT, GUINEA PIG EXPERT, PONDS/FISH EXPERT, GARDEN EXPERT OR WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR! I have limited experience with reptiles, guinea pigs, local wildlife, ponds/fish and gardens, therefore, I am NOT QUALIFIED to give out advise or answer questions and you, as a visitor to this website, should not take anything on this website as expert advise or accurate information. I present this website for fun and fun only - NOT as a reference website to instruct anyone on how to properly take care of reptiles, guinea pigs, local wildlife, ponds/fish or gardens. I share how I DO THINGS for my reptiles, guinea pigs, local wildlife, ponds/fish and gardens and this is not intended for others to take as expert advise or to mimic. Furthermore, my political views are my own and not intended to offend, annoy, hurt or demean any person, entity or organization. I express my views as an American who has the right to free speech under the Constitution of the United States of America. Please feel free to set up your own website and express your views, post your pictures and video and share with the rest of us in cyberspace what your little corner of the world is like. Thank you very much for your kind understanding in appreciating the value and contents of this website.

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