Yellow bellied sldier

Question
I have a one year old turtle and i wanted to get another turtle to put in her tank to keep her company and also mate. How old are turtles before they start laying eggs or mate? Also my turtle is about 3 in. wide in shell and I don't know if getting a 6 in shell turtle would hurt my turtle. Would that be safe? Thank you                          Kacee

Answer
I wouldn't put a much larger turtle in with a younger one, because you may end up with bullying.  Look for one that's closer in size to yours.  When they mature, a size difference won't matter as much (females are much bigger than males).  You will need a larger tank to house two turtles--at least 100 gallons--so keep that in mind.  Breeding goes by size, not age.  Your female will need to be about 7" before she's big enough to carry eggs--and you really can't sex them before they're about 5".

I would consider carefully before you decide to breed.  Breeding is more complicated and expensive in terms of space/nesting area, incubation, and housing/feeding hatchlings--and of course you have to take very good care of your female.  You may easily have far more hatchlings than you can find good homes for, so think about where and how you'll house any hatchlings you end up keeping.  Sliders will lay multiple clutches and you could potentially end up with 50 or more eggs in any given year.  Hatchlings are cute, but they're also a lot of work and a responsible breeder will be choosy about the homes they go to.  So be sure you really are up to the task before you go ahead with breeding.