1. Males can get up to about 10 inches and females to about 12 inches long. But you won't be able to tell the difference between a male and female until they are at least 4 inches long.
2. They can live about 20 to 25 years some have been reported to live up to 40 years!! So this is definetly a long term pet and you must be dedicated to it and don't be surprised if it out lives you.
3. If you are talking about 12x12x12 (inches) then definetly not because that is only 7 gallons! You need
at least 10 gallons per inch of turtle. So if you have a 3 inch turtle you need
at least
a 30 gallon tank. But if you get a hatchling and you want to start off with a small tank I would recommend starting with a 20 gallon tank not a 10 gallon. It is always to get the largest tank possible not the smallest. Remember that in the future you may need a 100-120 gallon tank if not a pond outside. You save more money getting a bigger tank than upgrading to a larger tank every year or as it grows. When I bought my RES it was only 1.5 inches long it is now a year since I bought it and it is 3 inches in length. I bought it at 1.5 inches with a 55 gallon tank. Now I won't have to upgrade until it gets to 5.5 inches
That will be about November of next year
But Im going to make a D.I.Y 100-120 turtle pond in my backyard
4. No I don't believe they can scratch the glass (especially a hatchling).
5. They eat commercial foods (REPTIMIN), vegetables (not iceburg lettuce or spinach as it's bad for them), and meats such as worms (not waxworms) and crickets or fish, krill, shrimp, etc.
6. IMO, the best substrate is
no substrate as is my case. But if you MUST get substrate then you should get large gravel such as large river rock as they can be harmful and cause death if swallowed (NO SAND!!!). You should only get sand as a substrate if you want a Softshell turtle as they need the sand to burrow in.
I hope I answered all your questions, if you have anymore let me know or visit the website below.
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