Do red eared sliders grow faster than yellow bellied slider turtles?

I have 1 red eared slider %26amp; 1 yellow bellied slider. When I first got them the red eared was smaller. And now in about a month it is bigger than the yellow bellied. I do think the red eared is a female, though. Her stripe is orange/brown %26amp; has a thick neck %26amp; head. I can't tell what the yellow bellied is yet. Also, my red eared loves to eat the hatchling food %26amp; the fish I give, but the yellow bellied doesn't like the hatchling food. It will only eat fish, especially shrimp. Why is that? And is there anything else I could try feeding to help it grow?

Do red eared sliders grow faster than yellow bellied slider turtles?
Pelet food. This MUST be a staple in their diet. Maybe try adult food instead of hatchling food and cut back on the amount of fish you give them. You don't state how big they are so that's about all I can give ya. Once they become about 4" in diameter then you can feed them greens too (mustard, cilantro,collards, etc with the exception of iceburg and romane lettuce due to lack in nutrition). If you're worried about them growing, food is only 1/2 of the equation. They also need UVB and UVA lighting. With out this, they will become very unhealthy and then die. They need the UVA for heat and the UVB for metabolizing vitamin d3 and metabolizing calcium. The proper lighting mixed with the proper food will allow them to grow and be happy (along with the proper habitat too). This is happening because you give it too much "junk" (shrimp, etc). You may also try separating them when feeding so that they both get the right amount of what they need. Being hatchings, you can't tell what sex they are. This usually insn't acurately done until they are 4" in diameter. This is done by looking at the cloca (anus). A males is farther out on the tail (about 1/2 way) and a females is close to her body. Some tell tell signs are that a males claws are longer and his bottom shell will be concave while a female has stubby claws and a flat bottom shell. The claws and shell things are only estimates and not to be used as a defining choice of sexing. The size of head, neck, and coloring has nothing to do with the sex. This is a myth just like the myth that says you can determine a turtles age by the number of rings on its upper shell. And, for the size, RES to tend to be a little bit larger than YBS.





Added: Your YBS is still considered a baby as your RES is reaching adult hood. Once they become 4" in diameter then they are considered adults and need to have a change in their diet. They will need 50% feeder fish (goldfish, rosy reds, barbs, minnows, etc), 25% adult pelet food, and 25% leafy greens (kale, mustard, collards, etc but never iceburg or romane lettuce due to lack in nutrients). I'd suggest getting them ZooMed's Aquatic turtle food Growth Formula. It's made specifically for aquatic turtles between 2 and 6 inches. This would be able to be given to both of your turtles and be very nutricious. Yes, baby turtles are more carnivorous than adults. I'd stop giving them the hatchling food because they're bigger than hatchings and have different nutrional needs. Being male has nothing to do with what they eat. Actually, you really can't acurately sex them until they are about 4" in diameter. The shrimp is ok for extra protien as long as it's limited amounts. The food you give them should have protein and not much more should need to be added. Shrimp, krill, and things of this nature are intended to be treats for them and not a permanent staple. And as far as tank sizes go, I have one of mine (the female) in a 180 gallon tank and my male in a 140 gallon tank, just to give you an idea. After they were in a 20 long tank I upgraded to the big tanks because gradually upgrading is more expensive and then you have numorous empty tanks. Males will grow to be 8-9 inches in diameter and females will be 12 or larger. A good rule of thumb is to have 10 gallons per square inch of shell. I hope I was able to answer your questions.



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