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"I had a red eared slider for 5 years. We've been through alot. First I purchased him he was 2 inches and he was placed in a tiny plastic container with no heating source, I only put him by the window for natural sunlight. The tank only had 1 cm of water and one small rock. It was a very poor habitat and I kept him there for a few months and he survived. Then I put him in a 9 gallon aquarium with 1 cm of water and the same rock. Still no heat source. He was fed pellets and shrimp. After a few years I went on the Internet and searched information on how to take care of them, and I found out they need a very large tank, a basking area, UVB basking bulbs, very clean water and a very strong filter, and lots more. Then I realized the mistake. I quickly told my parents how to take proper care of them. I always try to tell them how to take proper care of red eared sliders but they think its unnessecary. So I still had him in a poor habitat. But the past few months I tried my hardest to give him a proper habitat by myself. Right now he's still in a 9 gallon, but he has a turtle dock, a water depth of 4 inches, and a desk lamp for basking (I put him under the window on warm days for UVB). He is currently 5 inches and although he was in a terrible habitat for such a long time, he survived and for some weird reason shows no sign of illness. Now I'm going to give him a very large tank with a large basking area, a UBV basking light, a filter and water changes. I just wish my parents could be more considerate and put more effort into taking care of pets as they are a huge commitment. I'm only 11. "