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Pet Care Sheets Search Animal-World Animal References Pet Links Site Map Team Members Special Features Animal Maps Pet Postcards Dr. Jungle Pet Facts Fish & Chips Marine Newsletter Aquarium Calculator Pet Supplies Herptiles/Reptiles Centipedes About Lizard Types Lizards - Agamids         Chameleons         Geckos         Iquanas         Venomous Scorpions Snakes Spiders - Tarantulas Tortoises Turtles Whip Scorpions   Herptile Information Basic Reptile Care Choosing a Turtle-Tortoise Box Turtle Care Choosing a Snake Choosing a Lizard Lizard Types Invertebrate Care Centipede Care Reptile Bookstore Herptile Glossary About Animal-World Contact Info Privacy Policy		Animal-World > Reptiles > Turtles > Painted Turtle Painted Turtle More Pictures of Painted Turtle Your Comments Turtles Index African Side-necked TurtleArgentine Snake-necked TurtleBlack Wood TurtleCagle's Map TurtleChicken TurtleEastern Box TurtleFlorida Box TurtleMatamata TurtleOrnate Box TurtleOrnate Wood TurtlePainted TurtlePig-nosed TurtleRed-eared SliderRinged Map TurtleSnapping TurtleSpiny Soft-shelled TurtleSpotted TurtleThree-toed Box TurtleYellow-blotched Map Turtle Turtles Articles About Turtles and Tortoises Guide to Box Turtle Care Painted Turtles Family: Emydidae Puzzles Postcards Chrysemys pictaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Joana Vistas Latest Reader Comment - See More The turtle pictured on the painted turtle page at the top is a common map turtle, not a painted turtle.   Biologist      Painted Turtles can can handle a wide variety of conditions and will become quite tame, making them wonderful pets! Painted Turtle Contents Distribution: Status Description: Care and Feeding: Environment: Handling: Breeding: Ailments / Health Problems: Availability:      There are four species of Painted Turtles and all of them are great for a turtle enthusiast. They are baskers and are very alert, plopping into the water at the approach of their keeper. However they will soon become tame, and though they dive off into the water of the enclosure, they will quickly surface to see if any food has been offered. Painted TurtleChrysemys pictaPhoto  © Animal-World      Painted Turtles have fairly modest requirements and can be quite hardy when provided with the right environment. Turtles don't instill the cautious concerns that some folks have when dealing with other types of reptiles. But Painted Turtles do get larger than most first-time pet buyers realize. Adults will reaching 10 -11" inches within five or six years.     Painted turtles are similar in appearance and behavior to the sliders and cooters. Though Southern Painted Turtles are less cold tolerant, as a group painted turtles make wonderful pets. They are hardy, become quite tame in captivity, and live a long time. For more Information see:Selecting and Caring for Your Turtle or Tortoise Geographic Distribution Chrysemys picta Data provided by GBIF.org Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Family: Emydidae Distribution:      Painted turtles are widespread throughout the United States from Canada to Mexico. Status     These turtles are not listed on the IUCN Red List. Description:      Painted turtles are some of the most beautiful turtles in the world and definitely in the United States. Depending on the subspecies, they have medium to dark green carapaces with amazingly fascinating peach to bright red plastrons with complex squiggles, swirls, and designs in black and pale yellow. Adult female painted turtles grow to 11" to 12" (13 to 15 cm) with adult males considerably smaller, usually 5" to 6". There are four subspecies of Painted Turtles: Western Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta bellii Photo  © Animal-World Western Painted Turtle C. p. bellii was described by Gray in 1831. They are found from Canada and the northwestern United States south to Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona. This species is the largest painted turtle, reaching 7" to 8" as adults.      They have a beautiful green carapace covered with yellow to yellow-orange reticulations and a striking reddish plastron. They lay 10 to 12 eggs in the late spring or early summer and in the colder portions of its range, the babies overwinter inside the nest, emerging with the appearance of heat and rain in the spring. Eastern Painted Turtle C. p. picta was described by Schneider in 1783. This species is very similar to the Midland Painted Turtle in both size and appearance though its range is essentially east of the Midland's range. They are found from Nova Scotia, Canada south through New England down to Georgia and eastern Alabama.They can be found in brackish waters along the coast.      Just slightly larger than the Midland Painted Turtle, the Eastern Painted Turtle reaches only 6". A unique trait of this turtle is that its has light bordered scutes arranged in basically a straight row, while the other Painted Turtles have scutes that alternate. Its plastron is solid colored and unmarked.      The Eastern Painted Turtle is very cold tolerant, and has been observed being active under ice (Pritchard, 1979). As with the other painted turtles, this turtle moves from a carnivorous lifestyle as a young turtle to an omnivorous adult. Midland Painted Turtle C. p. marginata was described by Agassiz in 1857. This species is just slightly smaller than the Eastern Painted Turtle, reaching about 5.75 " (14.6 cm). They are found from the Great Lakes of Canada south to Illinois, Tennessee, and Alabama. Females lay 3 to 7 eggs in the spring or early summer.      They have dark edges around their scutes, which are laid out in an alternating pattern, and the plastron develops a solid lengthwise dark blotch. Midland Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta marginata Photo  © Animal-World: Courtesy Russ Gurley Southern Painted Turtle C. p. dorsalis was also described by Agassiz in 1857. This species is the smallest and probably the most attractive of the painted turtles. It is found in Illinois, Alabama, and along the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.      It grows to about 4" to 5" (10.2 - 12.7 cm) and has a dark green carapace with an orange stripe down the midline. It also has beautiful markings along the marginals and a complex red, yellow, and black plastron pronouncing these wonderful turtles as truly being the "painted turtle". Care and Feeding:      Young Painted Turtles are carnivorous, eagerly consuming fish, worms, crickets, and floating turtle food. As they grow they become more herbivorous. Adults enjoy water lettuce, water hyacinth, and duckweed in addition to romaine lettuce, kale, and other greens.      In captivity most will also eat commercial turtle food and will eat large amounts of the aquatic plants found in their enclosures.They need a healthy and varied foods as they are prone to nutritional problems and shell defects when fed insufficient diets. Related Videos ‹...› By 5min PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Review 1 PlayClick to Play Turtle Knot PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Rreview 6 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Rreview 5 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Rreview 4 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Rreview 3 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Rreview 2 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 6 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 5 - P3 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 5 - P2 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 5 - P1 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 4 - P2 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 4 - P1 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 3 - P2 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 3 - P1 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 2 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Stage 1 PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time: 8 - Training PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time: 7 - The way Home PlayClick to Play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time: 6 - the WIld West Environment: Indoors:     A basic setup with a large tub will be sufficient to hold three or four adult painted turtles. Add an efficient filtration system, a shop light fixture with UVB-emitting bulbs, and a basking spot with a 100-watt spotlight mounted above.      For these sun-loving and warmth-loving turtles, you can add a 250-watt submersible heater to raise the water temperature a few extra degrees and maintain the water at 78 º to 82 º F (26 º to 28 º C).      A good beginning home for a small or baby Painted Turtle is an aquarium. Purchase at least a 20-gallon aquarium. Also required are a filter, a heater, a pump and airstone, a sandy or gravel substrate, live aquatic plants, chlorine remover and other water conditioners, and a small bulb to provide a basking spot for the young turtle.      None of these supplies can be left out of the proper baby turtle enclosure. Fortunately, these turtles are typically very hardy captives and thrive in proper conditions. Outdoors: The Painted Turtles do very well in outdoor ponds. In all but the coldest environments they are alert and active year-round. They are sun worshippers, so add plenty of branches and rock piles for them to climb out and bask. Also a lot of aquatic vegetation will keep these turtles happy.      The northern specimens will hibernate, so care must be taken that they have a planned terrestrial hibernation site with piles of leaves, mulch, and hay. Southern Painted Turtles are less cold tolerant and will need to be taken inside during the winter. They may become so slow-moving that they drown if they are caught outside and get too cold in deeper water.      Care must be taken that these, and any turtles, are not released into a wild habitat. The reasons are many. The introduction of non-native species can lead to the introduction of diseases and can lead to hybridization of introduced and native species. In addition, many turtles raised in captivity and released into wild situations are confused, unable to cope with extreme weather changes, and many surely fall prey quite quickly to the wary predators they may encounter. Handling:      Captive-hatched specimens, as always, are the best to keep as pets and most will become so docile that they can easily be fed by hand. These and all aquatic turtles should be considered wonderful display animals and not pets that are easily held. Breeding:      The captive breeding of Painted Turtles is simple and straightforward. Adults breed throughout the spring and a female can lay up to three clutches of 6-10 eggs each year. This species exhibits temperature dependent sex determination – eggs incubated at less than 81 ° F (27 ° C) produce males, 82 ° to 86 ° F (28 ° to 30 ° C) produce a mixed ratio, and above 86 ° F (30 ° C) produce females.      Hatchlings thrive in a warm environment with clean, filtered water and live plants, both floating and submerged. They will feed on a wide variety of insects, insect larvae, and small fish in addition to commercial turtle food. Ailments / Health Problems:      Not many, but shell and skin infections will arise in specimens kept in stagnant or dirty water. These and all turtles should be fed a varied diet consisting of thawed fish, worms, insects, plants, and commercial diets. Feeding only commercial turtle pellets will lead to obesity, fixation on a single food source, and even kidney stones, fatty livers, and other medical conditions leading to death. Ear abscesses occur from poor water quality and specimens kept in too cold conditions. Availability:      Painted Turtles are readily available from better pet stores, breeders at the larger reptile shows across the country, and on-line. A new keeper should try to find specimens that are captive-hatched and at least six to eight months old to ensure the turtle has been feeding well and is well on its way with a strong start. They are usually inexpensive to purchase but one must realize that the expenses of setting up a proper environment are considerable. Author: Russ Gurley Edited by Animal-World. Comments Add your comment! View All 22 comments! View all 6 questions Latest Comments The turtle pictured on the painted turtle page at the top is a common map turtle, not a painted turtle. Reply Biologist 2010-04-24 Click For Replies (2) This photo was contributed as a painted turtle and the red markings are visible, however its identity cannot be determined absolutely from the picture. We hope to replace it with a more definitive picture in the future.... Editor's Note Biologist? Where did you get your degree? Are you a turtle expert? I certainly am, and checked just to make sure I was not mistaken (quite thoroughly) so unless they change their picture since your post. I real must "beg to differ." common map turtles look NOTHING like the picture at the top of the page. maybe a false map, but even then no. Note the slight red coloration around the edges? You can't see the underside well, but judging by the pattern and the red tinted edges, I would say this site is accurate in that picture and you may want to stick to you basic biology, go back to school and get a more specialized degree in something. All this is being said very kindly compared to what I would like to say.... turtle rescue Hi I have a baby paint turtle named murtle all he does is eat. Reply sarah 2010-05-21 Click For Replies (2) Good for you sarah.... Anonymous Be careful I have a three year old turtle. He eats a lot but they could eat themselves to death they save the food, so don't feed him as much. Yea I learned that the hard way.... cesca Thanks for the info my girl friend and I were walking my dog and came across a baby paint my dog almost stepped right on it, but of course after my girl friend seen it we had to care for it.... we named it crush. Reply justin 2010-05-20 Hello. I was playing golf around ridley creek in pa. I observed the canadian geese sitting on the embankments chatting and eating differently. I walked over and to my surprise here were baby painters trying to make it to the creek but not many were making it. I scooted the geese and brought three baby turtles home this was 1991 now they have 150gal tank with areas for lying in shallow water with a platform that leads to an earth area ; to our surprise we had baby turtles hatch. Turtles are the sweetest animals. Thank you for info it has helped in their happiness. Reply NICK 2010-03-26 View All 22 comments!       Add your comment! Some of the bestest comments - here's the beef! Hello, I am from Orange county, New York. While out on a days outing, driveing down a back road, we came across a road that divided a bog. We were so distraught at the amount of painters that had been run over by cars. We did find one that was trying to cross the road. Thinking it would get hit we brought it home with us and name her lucky. Which we believe she was! as no way would she have made it to the other sde, or back again for that matter. There had to be at least 2 dozen turtles there that didn't make it! Lucky now has a place in our home with all the comfort's of a turtles paradise, she deserve's it after such an ordeal! WHAT AN AWESOME TURTLE SHE IS! We are planning on putting a sign up "!WARNING TURTLE CROSSING!PASS WITH CARE!!" CJ. Reply CJ 2009-11-06 Click For Replies (3) I was move to tears for the others turtles that didn't make it, but "lucky" was very lucky to find you, we "people" are the only ones who could care and take care of every animal species, well, also for the human species, we need to take care of each other and also for everybody around us, so I humbly ask everybody, please watch out when you drive around places where there's animal life, please slow down a little, and enjoy the wonderful view of the different animal species that thrive in our little and only planet!... martha e. Where was this bog? I live in orange county new york also and just found a baby painted I kept. I'm looking for another and that sounds like A GOOD place to rescue one.... derek I live in Orange County, NY. Yesterday a turtle emerged from my pond, walked across the grass (abt 30 yards). There she dug a "nest" and extended it with an underground "tunnel." After that she laid five eggs. She pushed each egg into the tunnel and some dirt after it. Then she covered the nest and went back to the pond and swam away. I'm wondering if you have any info re the turtles, their breading or otherwise. I've put up some protection for the nest. Any idea when the eggs will hatch? I'd like to make sure the babies get safely back to the pond. Thanks.... Max We live in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Imagine our surprise when we saw baby painters coming out of the ground in the Spring while there were still snowpiles around. Wondering why we saw these babies in the Spring, I looked at your web page and found that they hibernate in the northern climates. We really enjoyed watching them for two days. I even took three down to the pond which is East of our house. Thanks for the info. Reply Dianne 2008-06-27        Add your comment! Questions - Answers Hi I have a painted turtle I found it in the street. It doesn't eat at all and how can you tell if it was a boy or girl and how can you tell how old it is? Reply laina 2010-05-24 Click For Replies (2) I have a painted turtle and he loves live minnows. When my sons found him it was the first time that I ever saw a turtle up close, and I'm still in the learning process. My daughter watches anything on animals, and she told me that the males are brighter colored. I'm not saying that this info is the gospel, but she is usually pretty accurate. I have found some info on size, and that is the best predictor of age. A full grown painted turtle is about 10-11 inches long, and babies are about the size of a quarter. Mine is somewhere in between. As far as diet I suggest that you check out some websites. I started investigating because mine has some brown spots on his shell, and that is due to a poor diet. He loves the minnows, but he needs other things too. I also found out that they need sunlight, or a sunlamp. I live in Wisconsin, so a sunlamp is my only choice once winter sets in. There is a lot more involved in caring for a turtle than I thought. It's not just a plastic bowl, and a rock. If you want check out turtle times. I'm not sure of the exact web address, but you can google it. Hope I was of some help.... Robin Hi, i have three eastern painted turtles, one is a baby. If it doesn't eat that's ok, just supply food and it will eat when it is ready. If it's a boy the nails should be very long and the female would have short nails.... Kailey We have a little baby painted, about the size of a half dollar. His/her shell is still quite soft, how long before it hardens? It is quite active and is quite the eater. Just wanted to know if this was normal. Thanks Reply Ed 2010-09-20 Help! My Eastern painted turtle, Pearl, managed to get out of the pond and has not returned. The weather here is in the mid 90's. My yard is enclosed and she could not leave this area. She has been awol for one week. What are the chances that she is alive and will return? Reply Pam 2010-06-10 View all 6 questions       Ask a Question Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear! I am getting a painted turtle soon and this page helped me a lot! I know much more and am even more excited and informed to get my turtle! Thank You so much for the help and info! Reply CIERRA 2009-01-12 Click For Replies (1) That is the same thing I love turtles they are so fascinating creatures.... Dr.Brock Hello. We found a baby Western Painted turtle just 2 weeks ago, beside a lake that our city is draining. We're guessing he's about 2 weeks old. He still had his egg tooth up until today. :) He is very friendly and sweet. Thanks for your article!! Reply Lori 2009-09-28 Back to Turtles Popular Searches angel fish rainbow shark discus pleco sharks land invertebrate... betta shark oscar tetra My Content Dr. Jungle's Pets and... Flickr: drjungle's... YouTube... 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