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red eared slider growth

22 16:20:32

Question
hello, i am just curious, i have a red eared slider that my husband and i saved from a horrible situation when it was about the size of a half dollar. know he is the size of your hand outstreched. we have only had him for 5 months. is that normal growth? how big do they normally get? how do i tell the sex of the turtle? and one more question if you dont mind, he is constantly shedding, is that because he is growing so fast? he loves to eat meat, we try to give him veggies of all types, but doesnt touch them. he prefers to hunt the feeder fish and crayfish(his favorite) he acts more like a snapper than a red eared. thank you for your time.

Answer
Red-ear Sliders get to about 9" (male) and 12" (female). I would have a clearer picture of the growth if it was stated in inched or centimeters of what we call 'straight-line' length- the shell from behind the head to above the tail measured in a straight line rather than over the curve.

Adding a couple inches in 5 months would be a bit quick- to the point that I would wonder about overfeeding or too rich of a diet... which would lead to excess shedding.

The diet sounds OK- veggies are more for older turtles, but the portions may be a bit off.

Give this link a try for a good article on diet:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm