How many years do red-eared turtles live at home (in an aquarium) and in the wild

With proper care at home, red-eared turtles live an average of 30-35 years. Cases have been recorded when in captivity these animals lived up to 40-50 years. Approximately the same average life expectancy of representatives of this species in nature.

Comparison of the lifespan of the ruby ​​beetle with other species

Compared to other turtles, the red-eared turtle lives about the same as the marsh. The lifespan of many other species is longer:

• sea ​​turtles live an average of 80 years;
• Central Asian – 40-50 years;
• Galapagos for about 100 years.

Redworts will not live as long as a sea turtle. But when starting such animals, you need to immediately understand their lifespan at home. If the owner likes to change his habits often, leads an active lifestyle, is often absent from home, this companion will definitely not suit him.

The maximum life expectancy of a red-eared turtle in the wild is 100 years. However, this is an exception that can be recognized as a record for this species. Even if an individual has good health, it is forced to constantly hide from enemies – in the natural environment, these are birds of prey and animals (jaguars, foxes, etc.).

Life cycle of the red-eared turtle

The red-eared turtle lives for about three decades, and sometimes more. Therefore, by human standards, 1 year of human life is approximately equal to 2,5 years of reptile life at home. Then the life cycle of this animal can be represented as follows:

1. After mating, the female goes to land and for several hours makes a mink out of sand and soil.
2. She lays 6-10 eggs there and buries them in sand.
3. After that, she goes back to the pond (or to the aquarium, if she breeds at home) and no longer cares about the offspring.
4. After 2-5 months, little turtles hatch from the eggs. They are completely independent, but quite vulnerable to predators. The cubs immediately go to the reservoir to hide under water or in the thickets from enemies.
5. In the first 5-7 years of life, reptiles are very active. Every year they grow by 1-1,5 cm in length. Individuals feed daily, often 2 times a day, swim vigorously and do not hibernate (under favorable temperature conditions). By the standards of human life, a reptile turns 15 years old, i.e. this is a teenager.
6. Upon reaching 6-7 years, the turtles become sexually mature – at this time the first mating takes place. 2 months after courtship, the female lays eggs, and the cycle repeats again.
7. More mature representatives (10-15 years and older) are not so active, they can eat 2-3 times a week, they behave more calmly. This approximately corresponds to 25-37 years of human life, i.e. such a turtle is no longer a teenager, although it is still young.
8. Old turtles (over 20 years old) are rather lethargic, they sleep a lot both day and night. These are already mature individuals – in the human dimension they are at least 50 years old.
9. Finally, at about 30-35 years old, a turtle that has lived all its life even in the best conditions usually dies. These are already old people – by human standards they are about 75-87 years old.

Factors affecting longevity

The lifespan at home is highly dependent on the care of the pet. In nature, the red-eared turtle usually lives longer than at home. However, there she is at great risk of dying from predators or getting seriously injured. Therefore, statistics show that only 6% of turtles survive to puberty (8-10 years). And only 1% will live to a ripe old age, i.e. 1 individual out of 100.

At home, reptiles can live for a long time, and the risk of death from injury, and even more so from predators, is practically absent. However, improper care greatly reduces the life span – if the temperature is not high enough, the turtle can get sick and die quite quickly after a few years or even months.

Therefore, for the domestic red-eared turtle, you need to create the most comfortable conditions and maintain them for all years:

1. At home, red-eared turtles live in an aquarium. Therefore, special attention is paid to the selection of capacity. It should be strong, spacious and high enough.
2. To maintain a sufficiently high temperature (an average of 25-27 degrees), this container must be constantly illuminated with a lamp. Aquarium turtles like to get to the surface and bask, so they need to provide an island.
3. Redworts are waterfowl, so they need to be provided with water. It must always be kept clean – otherwise the reptile may get sick.
4. It is extremely important to provide the animal with a balanced, varied diet. It should contain not only fish, seafood, crustaceans, but also plant foods. Calcium and vitamins are also added to food, otherwise the little turtle will grow very slowly.
5. The pet should be monitored periodically. You can let her go for a walk without an aquarium, but in this case, control should be constant (no more than 2-3 hours). Otherwise, the turtle may get stuck, fall, get injured, etc.

Picking up a red-eared turtle, you need to immediately realize that this animal starts up almost for life. Therefore, the owner is required not only to have the appropriate knowledge and skills, but also the desire to keep the pet for as long as necessary. Then the pet can really live 30-40 years and even break the established longevity records when kept in captivity.