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Pond Slider

Trachemys scripta

Class
Reptile
Family
Emydidae
Genus
Trachemys
Also known as
Red-eared slider, Yellow-bellied slider

Pond Slider care at a glance

Adult length
15–30 cm (6–12 in)
Adult weight
0.3–1.5 kg (0.7–3.3 lb)
Lifespan
20–40 years
Basking / warm side
32–35 °C (90–95 °F)
Cool side
24–27 °C (75–81 °F)
UVB
Essential
Diet
Omnivore: aquatic pellets, greens, occasional fish and insects
Activity
Diurnal
Lifestyle
Aquatic

Cool side is water temperature. Length is carapace length.

Typical values from common keeping practice, not yet reviewed. Individual animals and setups vary.

Pond Slider research

626 published papers in the HerpAtlas library. Most cited below, or see the latest research →

Pond Slider natural history notes

Field and captive observations published in Herpetological Review's Natural History Notes. Each is a single observation, summarized by us, with a link to the original.

Alien nesting

  • Borja Baguette Pereiro · 2020 · Herpetological Review 51(2): 318–319 · Read the note

Basking behavior

  • Lana Harriott, Thomas R. Rainwater, Wayne E. Mcfee, Steven G. Platt, Robert N. van Zalinge, and Ekgachai Jeratthitikul · 2024 · Herpetological Review 55(3): 432–435 · Read the note

  • Eric Munscher · 2016 · Herpetological Review 47(3): 455 · Read the note

Cleaning symbiosis

  • Steven G. Platt and Thomas R. Rainwater · 2021 · Herpetological Review 52(4): 848–849 · Read the note

Coloration

Diet

  • 2023 · Herpetological Review 54(2): 286–287 · Read the note

  • Elizabeth Yohe, Kelley A. Fritz, and Tyler Bening · 2022 · Herpetological Review 53(4): 673 · Read the note

  • Lawrence G. Bassett and Ivana Mali · 2021 · Herpetological Review 52(2): 400 · Read the note

  • Scott Mcrobert and Jodi Mindell · 2021 · Herpetological Review 52(3): 638 · Read the note

Disease

Epibionts

  • Yunhan Yang and Leyna Stemle · 2020 · Herpetological Review 51(3): 586 · Read the note

Foraging association

  • Thomas R. Rainwater · 2025 · Herpetological Review 56(4): 433–434 · Read the note

Intergeneric courtship behavior

  • Leslie Koenig · 2025 · Herpetological Review 56(4): 420–422 · Read the note

Kyphoscoliosis

Kyphosis

Long distance movement

Maximum basking duration

  • Carl Qualls · 2009 · Herpetological Review 40(1): 80 · Read the note

Maximum male size

  • Gerald R. Johnston, Stacie Snipes, Nicole Salvatico, Kimberly Titterington, Lameace Hussain, and Tabitha Hootman · 2024 · Herpetological Review 55(1): 89–90 · Read the note

Maximum size

  • Joseph C. Mitchell, Gerald R. Johnston, and Eric C. Munscher · 2017 · Herpetological Review 48(3): 624–625 · Read the note

Mortality

Movement

  • Sean C. Sterrett · 2014 · Herpetological Review 45(2): 321 · Read the note

Predation

Reproduction

Reproductive behavior

  • Brian M. Leatherman and Mark R. Jennings · 2007 · Herpetological Review 38(3): 327 · Read the note

Scavenging

  • Hannes Botha, Thomas R. Rainwater, Russell H. Lowers, Benjamin B. Parrott, and John A. Bowden · 2020 · Herpetological Review 51(4): 840–842 · Read the note

Seed dispersal

  • Carl J. Franklin and Mayra G. Oyervides · 2016 · Herpetological Review 47(3): 450–451 · Read the note

Thai nesting record

  • Dai Suzuki, Mari Taniguchi, and Ekgachai Jeratthitikul · 2024 · Herpetological Review 55(4): 560–561 · Read the note

Urban population density

  • Geoffrey S. J. Giller · 2015 · Herpetological Review 46(2): 242–243 · Read the note

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