age of my red eared slider turtle

Question
we have a red eared slider that we got about 3 months ago, from a family who rescued it at about 2 inches long. they knew extremely little about turtles and could not even remember how long they had it. i am trying to find more information.

i figured out its a female, and now i am trying to figure out how old she is. she has a 7 inches shell. are there other characteristics that i can look at to determine her age? or when she might start to lay eggs?

Answer
Hi Raven,

There's no real way to tell age unless you know when the turtle was hatched.  At 7 inches, she's probably at least five years old and mature but will still grow more--up to 12", so you'll need a very large tank (75+ gallons) or outdoor pond for her.  She is big enough to lay eggs now, and may lay eggs without a male, but if you have a male turtle I strongly recommend you not house them together.  RES are the #1 turtle in rescues and it's extremely difficult to find good, lifetime homes for them.  A female can produce 20-30 offspring in multiple clutches a year, so they're very prolific breeders.  If you do decide to breed her, make sure you either have homes lined up for the hatchlings or are willing to keep them all...for 20-30 years.  RES are a big commitment!

Here's some links that will give you more information on care:

www.redearslider.com
www.austinsturtlepage.com (read the RES care sheet, plus the pages on housing, water quality, and health)