Feeding
Habitat
Subspecies
Many people think that they can just feed their painted turtle lettuce. This is a terrible idea! Lettuce has really no nutritional value at all so if your turtle gets addicted to it there is a possibilty it will starve. This could happen because it will never become full because of the low nutritional value of the lettuce. Food that is high in nutritional value is the reason why after you eat you are full.
So a good thing to feed your turtle is carrots or celery, but mostly turtle pellets. You want to feed it something nutritious and healthy so you can have a turtle that is big and healthy.
Painted turtles naturally come from the United States, but you can locate them in a some parts of Canada. You can find them in creeks, lakes, marshes, and ponds. They like to live in humid area's ,but they also like to also bask in the sun. Differerent kinds of painted turtles live in different places in the United States. The Midland lives near the middle of the United States. The Eastern lives on the east side. The Western lives on the west side and in the midwest. The Southern lives in southern United states.
It is good to know what the climate is in your area year round. The climate can impact what kind of turtle lives in your area.
There are four different kinds of painted turtles. The Midland, the Western, the Eastern, and the Southern. They all live in the United states. Athough they do look different they are the same species. the species of the painted turtle is related and simalar to the Cooters, Sliders, and Maps. So no matter the kind they all are about the same. If you ever find a painted turtle try to find what kind the painted turtle it is! You can find the what each looks like on the More Facts subpage or the Resources page.
If you are wondering what the other subspecies of pond turtles are on the other species of the turtles. Like the Map turtles, the Sliders, or the Cooters. You can find more about them in different websites on the Resources page.
Lighting
Life span
The lighting needed for painted turtles in captivity is not regular lighting. You need a certain bulb that is called a UVB light. This light helps the turtle's shell grow and stay healthy. It also helps keep the turtle shell hard so it will not start to crack. If your turtle's shell starts to crack this means you are not using the light needed for the turtle. If you take it to the vet he or she can help you. Using UVB light can help and make your painted turtle a happy turtle.
There is more stuff you need to know than just the lighting. You need to have a very wet area prefeably a pond area and they also need a totally dry area for basking. If you can't find a place for a totally dry area your turtle will start growing mold and bacteria in it 's shell.
The painted turtle's life span is usually around 15 to 20 years. In the wild fewer survive because of the predators, but the ones that do live longer, closer to 50 years.
Baby painted turtles may not make it past the first day. This happens because of the predators that eat them when they are trying to make it to the water and because many predators eat the eggs before they hatch. When they do reach adulthood, barely any of them die. It is a proven fact that one of every hundred painted turtles die at adult hood. So owning the painted turtle can be great but you have to consider they are going to be around for a while. Overall, painted turtles can be great pets but they will be around for a while.
Painted Turtles
