![]() Shooting may also be an option if the sliders are present in high volumes.High abundance of invasive red-eared slider (RES) turtles ( Trachemys scripta elegans) in Japan has been a serious issue in freshwater ecosystems. Recommended eradication and containment options include capture by hand or handheld nets and trapping using Cathedral traps, or if conditions allow, Basking traps and landing nets. Adjacent waterbodies should also be surveyed if they are a likely pathway or refuge for the turtles. The most suitable survey options for detecting the presence of red-eared slider turtles include visual observations, intensive trapping using Cathedral traps, and motion sensor triggered cameras. Further information on this issue can be obtained from the following link: Prohibited Dealing (Pest Animal Management) Exemption Order 2017 (PDF, 161.86 KB) Red-eared slider turtles are classed as prohibited dealings throughout NSW and, if found in the open environment should not be dealt with except as part of a response program organised by the NSW DPI or in accordance with the National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement. Control techniquesĬontrol programs for red-eared slider turtles should only be undertaken by trained practitioners as part of an approved pest animal incursion program. Let us know by completing the Report a biosecurity risk form.It is an offence to keep this species unless authorised, for example under the Exhibited Animals Protection Act 1986 or Animal Research Act 1985. LegislationĪs a reflection of the biosecurity risks it presents, the red-eared slider turtle is classified as a Prohibited Dealing under the Biosecurity Act 2015. In the wild red-eared slider turtles can live for about 30 years but in captivity they are able to live for up to 75 years. As many as five clutches may be oviposited per year. Breedingįemale red-eared slider turtles lay 2 - 23 eggs per clutch in a cavity dug out of the soil with hatchlings emerging 60 - 75 days later. ![]() Once available habitat is found the species can rapidly colonise a new area. Red-eared slider turtle may wander far from water and are able to survive cold winters by hibernating. They are highly adaptable and can tolerate anything from brackish waters, to man made canals, and city park ponds. Adults tend to be more herbivorous than juveniles, but both will opportunistically eat aquatic invertebrates, fish, frog eggs and tadpoles, aquatic snakes, and a wide variety of aquatic plants and algae. Red-eared slider turtle have an omnivorous diet. Consequently in some parts of Australia, wild living populations are now found in urban and semi-rural areas. Red-eared slider turtles have been smuggled into, illegally kept and illegally released in Australia. Consequently, they now occur in freshwater ecosystems in many developed countries with high densities in urban wetlands. However, the animals grow rapidly into large adults and are capable of biting their owners, resulting in them being dumped or released from captivity. They are often obtained as pets when they are very small and look attractive. Red-eared slider turtles became a popular pet animal because of its small size (as a juvenile), simple husbandry requirements and reasonably low price. The red-eared slider turtle has been exploited by the pet animal industry and since the 1970s, with massive numbers being produced on turtle farms in the USA for the international pet trade. ![]() Infection of humans caused by the handling of turtles has led to restrictions on the sale of it in the USA. Red-eared slider turtles are recognised reservoirs for the Salmonella bacterium. It is considered an environmental pest outside its natural range because the species competes with native turtles for food, nesting areas and basking sites. The red-eared slider turtle is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as ‘one of the world’s worst invasive alien species’.
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