red-eared slider growth

Question
i am curious as to when baby red-eared sliders will begin to grow. i purchased a red-eared slider about an inch and a half in diameter. i've had him for about eight months.  so far he has shown little if any sign of growth. i understand these turtles can grow up to twelve inches in diameter, so i am wondering when, or at what age, i will begin to notice an increase in size. he is in a very large aquarium and in good health receiving a proper diet and light source. any knowledge you can offer is appreciated, as i am very curious!

Answer
After 8 months, you should have seen some growth- usually between 1/2 to 1". Full growth takes 6 to 10 years.

When there is no growth, we have to wonder about the housing, cares, and diet. Saying yours is 'good' really does not tell me much- you might be following a very poor care plan very well.

Sadly, there is a lot of old, bad care info out there on Red-ears. For more accurate advice, I suggest either http://www.redearslider.com or http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

I would recommend reviewing your cares and diets against their plans and see how things are going.

I would also start measuring your turtle so you can chart the growth- I often find turtles that are growing well, it just does not always look like it. The right way to measure it is from the shell just behind the head to the shell just over the tail. You can either do "Curved Carapace Length" (CCL) or Straight-line Carapace Length" (SCL). Curved means you measure along the curve, straight means you use calipers or something to measure the straight line. SCL is considered more accurate for most turtles.

Millimeters are more accurate than inches, and weighing the turtle by grams is also a good idea. I measure my babies every couple weeks and yearlings every month.

Good luck!