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Can red-eared sliders breed with other turtles?
Red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) are medium-size turtles popular for beginner keepers because of their social personalities and hardy nature. These turtles can be housed with other turtles of their own species and with other similar species, such as map turtles, painted turtles and cooters.
Can different types of turtle mate?
The invasive and native species often mate with each other, creating offspring. This mixing of two species genomes through crossing, that is, hybridization, can have a profound effect on the evolution of these species and on ecosystem health.
Are red-eared sliders and yellow belly turtles the same?
Within this range there are two subspecies: The Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta) and the Red-Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans). In Florida, only the yellow-bellied is native and it is only found in northern Florida.
Why is it illegal to have a red-eared slider?
Since 1975, however, selling baby turtles that are less than 4 inches long has been illegal in the U.S., because some reptiles—red-eared sliders included—can harbor salmonella on their skin.
What turtles can breed together?
Some subspecies of box turtles can be bred together, such as the common Eastern box turtle, and the Three-Toed box turtle; but cross breeding can result in genetic abnormalities and are often viewed as undesirable specimens in the pet market.
Do turtles interbreed?
If you want to cross breed turtles, be cafefull as like with some other animal cross breeds, the offspring may not live long due to genetic disorders. All turtles produce simular estrus. In alot of animals, estrus produces a “scent” or “taste” that attracts the opposite sex into breeding.
Can red-eared sliders mate with yellow bellied sliders?
Red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) and yellow-bellied sliders (T. scripta), are subspecies of the turtle known as the slider. As such, they can cohabit, provided they’re kept in the correct environment.
How do you breed a yellow bellied slider turtle?
While under the water, the male will swim toward the female and flutter his long claws on and around her face, creating water currents that may entice her to mate with him. If the female is receptive, she will sink to the bottom of the water where the male will mount her to mate.
Can red-eared sliders mate with yellow-bellied sliders?
Is it illegal to own a yellow-bellied slider?
Are yellow belly sliders illegal? Yellow belly sliders are legal in most states, however there are some states where no turtles are legal. In Hawaii for example non native turtles are illegal. Additionally federal law in the US states that turtles cannot be sold below 4 inches in shell size.
Can you release a red-eared slider into the wild?
Whatever you do, do not release a pet red-eared slider turtle back into the wild. In fact, don’t buy a pet turtle unless you have a plan for what to do with it when you no longer want it.
Are baby turtles illegal?
It’s illegal to sell or distribute pet turtles with shells less than 4 inches long because they spread salmonella. Forty years ago, the U.S. outlawed the sale of small turtles as pets because they harbor salmonella, a bacterium that causes a highly unpleasant and occasionally deadly illness in humans.