Feeding

RES are essentially carnivorous, but they incline toward plant food in adult age. The most important thing to remember is that turtles need a rich and various diet. Turtles in captivity are especially prone to obesity and obesity-linked diseases, due to the almost sedentary way of life and too much food. Hatchlings should be fed once a day and adult turtles once in two days.
There are various categories of food you can offer to your turtles:

• Commercial food
  
• Live food
  
• Plant food
  
• Meat and cat/dog-food
  
• Supplements
  

The essential diet of most turtles in captivity consists of commercial food formulated especially for turtles. There are numerous brands of sticks and pellets and many owners believe that they satisfy all the needs of their turtles. However, some turtles (especially hatchlings and wild-caught turtles) refuse to eat canned food and this can be a source of frustration for many owners. In any case, the commercial food should be only the base of a turtle's diet.

Offering live food to your turtles is the best way to implement their diet. It is usually given as treat as most turtles simply adore it. However, there is no reason live food should not be included in the everyday diet of turtles. Insects, worms and feeder fish are excellent sources of proteins, and they can be obtained without too much trouble. The most popular insects offered to turtles are certainly crickets. They can be bought in pet stores or you can simply catch them in your back yard (provided you have one, of course). Locusts will also be accepted by turtles with great eagerness as a number of other insects.
Earthworms, mealworms and other kinds of worms have a high nutritional value as well. So, don't hesitate to offer them as often as you can. Some pet shops keep the, so called, "feeder fish" which can be placed in the tank and turtles will feed on them. That's also a good idea, especially if you want to provide some exercise to your slider.

Many owners complain that their sliders avoid plant food. RES are essentially carnivorous, although they tend to become herbivorous in adult age. However, some of them readily accept plant food even as hatchlings. It is a good idea to offer your slider carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, dandelion leaves and other vegetables.

Turtles are extremely fond of meat and you can give it as a treat from time to time. It is important not to exaggerate because most types of meat are too fatty to be given regularly. Cat and dog-food can also be given to sliders, but not too often because of their high caloric value.

Vitamin and calcium supplements are an essential part of the diet of turtles in captivity. Vitamin D is especially important because turtles can't synthesize it if not exposed to direct sunlight (or full-spectrum lamp light). As a consequence they develop a condition known as shell softening which is usually deadly if not treated. The deficiency in vitamin A can lead to eye damage and permanent blindness. It is, therefore, important, to provide vitamin supplements in the diet of turtles.
Calcium can be given in the form of powder or block. The most natural, and maybe best source of calcium is cuttlebone.

FAQ

1. Your little cute turtle has grown above all your expectations.

First, what NOT to do. Most owners simply decide to release their pets in the wilderness thinking that they are making a good deed. That's really a wrong decision. Most captive turtles are unable to adapt to such a drastic change in the enviroment and die. They are also a potential risk for the native populations of turtles because they can spread diseases which can erase whole populations of turtles in wilderness.
The best thing to do would be to build an outdoor pond and place the turtles there. This is not such a big task as it seems, provided you have a back yard or something similar. There are some good sites with directions for building ponds. Check my "Links" section...
Alternatively, there are organisations which help finding new homes for turtles.
Sometimes ZOO's and/or other similar organizations will accept overgrown turtles. Give it a try....

2.You found a wild turtle.

Well, first of all, check her health condition. If you notice that she is in bad condition, hurt or ill, you should consider taking her home or to a wildlife rescue center. The best thing to do would be to find a qualified help (a vet).
If the turtle is healthy and obviously wild, leave her where you found it. You'll do a favour to her and to yourself. Wild turtles rarely if never adapt to captivity and they suffer a great deal more then any captive-bred turtle. Wild turtles (as most wild animals) spend a miserable and sad life in captivity and there is really no reason why should anyone take a turt from nature when you can easily buy or adopt one.

3.Your sliders are fighting all the time.

RES are very territorial turtles and this can cause lots of problems in captivity. Turtles of same sex (especially males) are prone to fight, and very little can be done to solve the problem. Keeping two adult males in the same, average sized, tank is not advisable and the best thing to do would be to separate them permanently. Females are less bellicose, although they might compete over basking space too.

4.My turtles are shedding. Is that normal?

Turtles, as most reptiles shed regulary, with the difference that turtles can shed their shells and their skin. There is a substantional difference between these two tipes of shedding; while shell-shedding is a normal process, skin shedding can be rarely seen in nature. It is believed that skin shedding in captivity happens for two main reasons: overfeeding and overheating. Too much food and too high temperature of the water lead to faster growth. It is thought that this can shorten the life-span of turtles. Some people confuse skin-shedding with the symptoms of fungal infections.