I don't know if he'll be changing anything, he is apparently a massive breeder and seems set in his ways. Here's the response I received, along with my email:
Response:
thanks for your input on this caresheet,
I agree that most of the information that you have supplied is correct, however our caresheets are not as detailed simply because we are in the process of creating over 10,000 caresheets on reptiles and amphibians from all over the world, if we do come across additional info that we can add, we will do so.
The only part I disagree with what you said is that these turtles should not eat meat. Meat makes up about 1/3 of their diet in the wild if not more. Deformation in shell growth usually occurs due to a fast growth rate, meaning they grow faster then they are supposed to. which means they are over fed. Pellets do not have to be their entire diet. In fact, they do very well on shrimp now and again. I feed them pellets aout 3 days a week, shrimp twice and then other meats/fish on the other 1-2 days. Almost all pellets have some sort of meat in them.
In addition, I have never had any issues with red-ears being aggressive towards eachother in smaller enclosures, even with a few males in there. Many times you will find turtles that are raised together which are the same sex that will be non aggressive towards eachother at all...
I have about 1000 turtles right now and hatchlings do fine even without uvb. A uvb light is a bonus, but not everyone can afford to have these fixtures along with heat lamps on every enclosure they own. The most important issue with hatchlings is to have heat and oxygen flow in the water, and of course a basking area...
some of the other caresheets for turtles there include the canister filters, such as a fluval fx5.
My Email:
Hi, I found your website listed on my local Craigslist. So I was checking out your care sheets on red ear sliders. I think some information is incorrect.
Sex: Males can get upwards of 9 inches, well into the size range of females. Size is not an esp. good indicator of gender.
Lighting/Filtration: UVB isn't just a must in their opinion, it is a must as a rule. Otherwise, the turtle will not live a long, healthy life. The basking temp should be more in the range of 85-100, depending on the turtle's preference. It mentions internal filters, but it should definitely mention canister filters as well. With a canister filter, water changes are drastically lessened because a canister filter can handle the amount of waste much better.
Housing: It would be useful to mention that it is recommended 10 gallons per inch of turtle. That helps to determine the tank size. And bigger is always better, as it mentions. As for the basking area, rocks aren't recommended, as often the abrade the bottom of the turtle's shell, leading to infection. Also, improperly set up rocks can topple, trapping the turtle underneath. The water temp listed is way too high. 86 degrees will send a turtle into metabolism overload, and they will shed too much. Normally you want as close to 76 degrees as possible, with hatchlings closer to 78-80, as well as sick turtles. A screen top with a mesh hole size less than 1/2" has been proven to block up to 70% of UVB waves, so that should be mentioned.
Food: Commercial pellets should be the turtle's entire diet, not meat. Meat fed daily will cause pyramiding from excessive protein and will stress the turtle's organs. Meat is allowed as a once per month treat, as opposed to more often.
Breeding: It should be mentioned that breeding red ear sliders is a bad idea, as they are already vastly overpopulated and so many are sitting in foster care as it is. Also, breeding them isn't exactly a sound monetary investment, as they are sold for a few bucks and will cost significantly more to breed. And they are an invasive species, so unwanted turtles are killing off ecosystems due to overpopulation. As for hibernation, it's fine to mention, but it's not necessary for your turtle's health and not recommended unless you are an experience keeper.
One last category that wasn't mentioned is Multiple Turtles. Red ear sliders are notoriously aggressive, so often they will kill any other turtles kept with them if the basic needs of food and space aren't met. If any aggression occurs in the form of fluttering or biting, they need to be separated ASAP.
We have a great turtle forum over at
www.redearslider.com/forum if you would like any additional information.
