General Care Discussion :: age - help!

[kiwigerman]

I was wondering if anyone can tell me what age/size a RES is considered to be an adult. All the info on feeding says young RES this, or adult RES that. I mean, if they live to 50yrs, then a 4 year old surely isn't an adult. Or is it? My turtle is about 4.5 inches and apparently about 4 years old. Aaaaarrrrrrrggggg!!!

[adam85491]

I consider hatchlings those under 2 years old. Young turtles under 4 years old. And adults ages 5 and up.

[SpotsMama]

Here's a classification system from this site. Look towards the bottom of the page:

http://www.redearslider.com/anatomy.html

[ice]

how old are RES typically sold at? like at petco or somethin? i forgot to ask when i bought mine

[SpotsMama]

I have no idea. It's real hard to tell a turtle's age by it's size because they grow at such different rates. Pet stores are not supposed to sell turtles that are under 4 inches long - which would be at least a year old, perhaps more - because it's illegal. But some of them do sell turtles a lot smaller than that.

[Rocky YBS]

sorry for going off topic, but if a turtle is 8" is it an adult how old will that be?

[SpotsMama]

It's an adult at 8". Hard to say how old - several years anyway. Male or female?

[marisa]

If your turtle is 4 years old, your turtle is considered to be an adult.