Painted Turtle

The Painted turtle: Painteds are great beginner turtles. They are hardy turtles and very tame around keepers. The painted turtle is a small to medium sized turtle typically of lengths of 5 to 9 inches. The carapace is smooth and slightly domed. Its shell ranges from a olive green colour to black with a vestigial vertebral stripe. Painted skin colour is usually black to light green. The head and throat have prominent yellow lines running from the nose and mouth down across the face. These lines often are red as they progress down towards the neck. Male painteds are generally smaller and less domed than their female counterparts, reaching around 5 inches adult. Males have elongated front claws to aid in mating rituals. The tails are much longer than females. Painteds are omnivores and do well on a verity of diets. Adult male painteds would do well in a 55 gallon aquarium. Adult females need a minimum of a 125 gallon tank due to their larger size. This allows them plenty of room in addition to plenty of water to keep them in good health. Basking areas can be made of sand, gravel, smooth rocks or flat rocks, driftwood or anything that will support their weight.

Feeding in captivity, they do well on ReptoMin, Cichlid Sticks, feeder fish, occasional ghost shrimp, aquatic plants like Duckweed, Anacharis, Water Lettuce, Pondweed. veggies such as Collard Greens, Beet Leaves, Endive, Romaine Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce, Kale, Mustard Greens & Dandelions. crickets, meal worms, blood worms and lief worms are also good food for them.

TEMPERATURE RANGE (°F)

• Air Temperature: Low to mid 80's
• Basking Temperature: High 80's to low 90's
• Water Temperature: Low to mid 70's