Red-eared Slider Turtle

The Red-eared Slider Turtle is an American species. It's illegal to keep in Australia because it's an invasive feral pest in multiple states.

Red-eared Slider Turtles have been found twice in the ACT. One was an escaped pet, and another was living in a dam near the Murrumbidgee River.

It's important to prevent this species spreading through the Murray-Darling Basin. The pest species poses a major threat to native Australian turtles and fish.

Red-eared Slider Turtle characteristics

• They retract their head by pulling it straight back into its shell.
• Male Red-eared Slider Turtles have long claws on their front feet.
• Most have pale yellow stripes on their faces and front legs, and often have a red patch behind each eye. The red may fade with age.
• Those found in the wild are often covered in algae or mud.
• Their underbelly has exactly 12 'scales' arranged in pairs, with dark patches.

Understand the differences between Red-eared Slider Turtles and native turtles [PDF 2.5 MB].

Report a sighting

If you see a Red-eared Slider Turtle in the ACT region, please contact Access Canberra. ACT Parks and Conservation Service (ACT PCS) officers will assess and investigate your report. If it is a Red-eared Slider Turtle, it will be trapped or netted as necessary.