Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, New York. At an early age, measuring claws and tails is among the simplest techniques to detect whether the gender of the baby red eared slider turtle is male or female. Full-grown female red-eared sliders usually weigh about 1.5 pounds, while males usually weigh only about a pound. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians, of Eastern and Central North America. Published by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) a specialist group of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Auckland, New Zealand. 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species: A selection from the Global Invasive Species Database. Female turtles reach maturity between the ages of 5 and 7, when they are around 6 inches long. Male red eared slider turtles reach maturity between the ages of 2 and 5 years, when they’re around 4 inches long. Distribution and activity season of the introduced Red-Eared Slider ( Trachemys scripta elegans) in Colorado. Red eared sliders are a standard size freshwater turtle where males are often bigger than females.

Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington.

Female red eared slider