Do you have an African Sideneck Turtles, and you’re thinking of getting a Red-eared Sliders or vice versa?
If that’s the case, you will want to know if both turtles are compatible.
Read on to find out if you can house your African Sideneck Turtle with the Red Ear Slider.
Can African Sideneck Turtles live with Red-Eared Sliders?
While they can live together, I will not advise it.
And there are several reasons for that. Let’s go through some of them.
Water depth:
They both require a different water depth, and neither will thrive in the environment of the other.
Red-Eared Sliders require water that is one and a half to two times the length of their shells, while the African Sideneck Turtles thrive in more shallow waters, precisely water that is only as deep as the Sideneck is wide.
African Sideneck turtles also prefer slow-moving water, while the Red-Eared Sliders prefer an environment with a mixture of water and land.
Temperaments:
Both of them have different temperaments.
While the African Sideneck Turtles are shy, the Red-Eared Sliders are more social.
The Sidenecks prefer to be alone and can be very territorial and aggressive.
They can attack the Red-Eared sliders, and both will fight each other. The fight can lead to severe injuries and can even become fatal.
It is best to keep the Sideneck turtles alone or separate them from the Red-Eared Sliders.
Diseases:
When you house the two of them, you increase the chances of one infecting the other with diseases.
One or both of them can have bacteria that are harmless to them but harmful to the other.
Housing them together will encourage the transfer of these bacteria.
How to safely house the African Sideneck Turtles and Red-Eared Sliders
Despite all listed above, you can still safely accommodate them together.
You only have to put certain things in place and ensure their environment is palatable for both of them.
Read on to know what needs to do to house the African Sideneck turtles and the Red-eared Sliders safely:
Tank Setup for the Red-eared Sliders and African Sideneck turtles
You need a tank that is at least 80 gallons in size if you are to house them together safely.
The tank should have a mixture of land and water areas, with one end having more depth than the other.
The Red-eared Sliders will occupy the deeper end of the tank, while the African Sideneck turtles will stay in the shallower area.
You should also filter the water constantly, as both animals are messy eaters.
Include a lot of logs and different areas for basking and hiding.
If possible, have them basking spots in both parts of the tank to avoid unnecessary confrontations.
The temperature of the tank should be constant at 75-85F. You can use a lamp to keep the temperature the way you want.
Maintaining a constant temperature will help both turtles to digest their food correctly.
It would help if you also created a visual barrier to restrict them.
This barrier will separate both turtles and reduce interaction between them.
Feeding the Red-eared Sliders and African Sideneck turtles
The African Sideneck and Red-eared Sliders have slightly different diets.
Although they are both omnivores, the African Sideneck turtles prefer eating plants to meat, while the Red-eared sliders, on the other hand, prefer meat to plants.
While they eat what they can see in the wild, you must provide a combination that meets their needs in captivity.
The ideal way to meet the needs of both turtles in the same tank is to feed them commercial turtle foods for both.
This food includes supplements and treats like earthworms and live insects. It has a combination of plants and meats that both will accept.
Remember, feeding your pet well helps them to be less aggressive and more accommodating of others in the tank.
It would be best if you also noted not to overfeed them, as this can lead to obesity and other health problems.
Animals that can be Tank Mates with a Red-eared Slider
While putting the African Sideneck Turtles and the Red-eared Sliders together is not advisable, there are other animals you can house with the Red-eared Sliders as long as you put some things in place.
Red Sliders are known to bully and harass smaller turtles.
Compatible turtles include Painted Turtles and River cooters (Pseudemys concinna).
While personalities also play a considerable role, Red Slider generally gets along well with Musk Turtles.
Fishes compatible with Red-eared Sliders
Red Sliders and fishes rarely work out well. The Red Slider will try to eat the fish.
If you have to put fish in the tank, go for small, agile fishes that swim very fast.
A good example is Guppies. You can also include cheap fish like Goldfish and Minnows.
You can also include invertebrates like crayfish and snails, but you have to provide a lot of hiding spots, or else the turtle will eat most of them.
Turtles You should not house with a Red-eared Slider.
Turtles like Soft-shelled Turtles, snapping turtles, and Alligator Snapping should not be in the same tank as Red-eared Sliders.
These turtles are very aggressive to other turtles of similar size and can even eat smaller turtles.
African Sideneck Turtle tank mates.
African Sidenecks tend to live relatively peacefully with other turtles of the same species.
You can keep several Sidenecks together in one tank, but you should avoid two males.
It would help if you only paired them with bigger fishes, as small fishes are part of their diet.
Conclusion
The African Sideneck Turtles are not a great tank mate for the Red-eared Sliders, but you can still make it work out.
It would be best if you took note to provide a tank that cares for both of their needs and give them food that packs the required nutrients without making one starve.
Moreover, provide physical barriers to limit interaction between them.
