How To House Painted Turtles

Painted turtles are one of the most popular types of turtles that are kept as pets. Within the species, there are four different sub-species that are available, Southern, Midland, Eastern, and Western. The Southern Painted Turtle is known for having a stripe down its back. Painted turtles get their name from the red and yellow stripes that can be found on their head, and patterns found on the bottom of their shells. They are from 4 inches (10 cm) to 10 inches (25 cm) long, and are found in water throughout the United States in the wild.

If you have or are planning on getting a young painted turtle, you need to keep it in a 20-40 gallon (75-150 liter) tank that has enough water that they can freely swim around. As your turtle matures, or if you are getting an adult turtle, you will need at least 80 gallons (300 liters) of aquarium space, filled with about 7 inches (18 cm) of water.

It is also extremely important for them to be able to get out of the water, or else they could drown once they get too exhausted to swim. There are many commercial “docks” available, but you can also use old wood or even rocks. The important thing is that they have a space to get completely out of the water, and warm themselves under the heat lamp.

Turtles are cold-blooded, which means they cannot effectively regulate their own body temperature like mammals can. Therefore, they need a heat lamp under which they can warm themselves when they get cold. In the wild, Painted Turtles are commonly seen sitting out on logs, warming themselves in the sunlight. By having a heat lamp and a dry area for them to sit, you are recreating this for them.

When it comes to what to feed them, it depends a lot on the age of your turtle. Painted Turtles are omnivores which means they do eat both meat and plants, but the different ages have different requirements. Younger turtles need more protein as they grow, so they need a lot of meat in their diet. You can feed them live cricket and mealworms that you buy at the pet store, and even the occasional earthworm, so long as it’s small enough for your turtle to swallow.

Older turtles will have a much more diverse diet, and will require leafy vegetables and other plants along with different meats. In the wild, Painted Turtles will eat just about anything they can find, so it’s important to give them a good variety of foods to choose from to keep them interested and healthy.

By: Alan Stables

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Alan Stables is interested in many animals including mini turtles. His investigation work into what do turtles eat, different types of turtles, and other turtle facts, helps Alan to produce useful fact sheets for the turtle enthusiast, and those looking for pet turtles.