MH Herpetology · CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons

Reptiles · Turtles

Painted Turtle

Chrysemys picta

Red-trimmed native basker with a glass-smooth shellIntermediate

Lifespan: 30-40+ years (can reach 50)
Size: 10-25 cm / 4-10 in (males much smaller)
Social needs: Solitary; best kept one per tank
Time: Medium-High; near-daily feed, heavy filtration
Cost: Medium-High
Diet: Omnivore (pellets, insects/worms, aquatic greens)

Overview

What is this animal?

The painted turtle is North America's most widespread native turtle, named for the red and yellow markings that edge its smooth, flat, dark olive shell.
It lacks the red ear patch of the red-eared slider and stays noticeably smaller, with males topping out around 10-15 cm (4-6 in) and females around 15-25 cm (6-10 in) depending on subspecies.
Of the four subspecies, the western painted turtle is the largest and the southern the smallest, so ask which one you are buying.

Among the common basking turtles it is the most manageable, but it is still a fully aquatic animal that needs a large filtered tank, heat, UVB and 30 to 40 years of commitment.
Buy only captive-bred stock, because wild collection is restricted or prohibited in many US states, and US federal law bans the sale of any turtle under 4 inches (10 cm) of shell length.
Never release an unwanted painted turtle, and never collect one from a local pond.

Temperament

The painted turtle is a devoted basker, and in the wild whole rows of them stack up on logs, so expect yours to spend hours flat out under the lamp.
They are alert and quick, splashing off the dock at any disturbance, but most settle fast in captivity and will swim to the glass begging the moment they associate you with food.
Courting males flutter their unusually long front claws in the female's face, a display you may see aimed at your fingers through the glass.

This is a watching animal, not a handling one, and being picked up is stressful even though painted turtles rarely bite.
Keep one per tank, because they do not need company, and cohabiting turtles multiply the waste load, compete for the dock and often harass each other.
One well-housed painted turtle in a big, clean, sunny-looking tank is the whole point of the species.

A good fit for

Keepers wanting a smaller native alternative to a slider
People who enjoy observing rather than handling
Homes with space for a 75-100 gallon aquarium
Keepers in cooler climates considering an outdoor pond
Those ready for a 30-40 year commitment

Common mistakes to avoid

Keeping a growing hatchling in a small starter tank
Wild-caught animals; collection is illegal in many states
Weak filtration and skipped water changes
Expired or missing UVB over the basking dock
Assuming a male-sized tank will fit a large female
Releasing an unwanted turtle into local waters

Enclosure

Minimum 285 litres (75 US gallons)

Must be housed alone. Solitary; best kept one per tank

A single adult male needs an aquarium of at least 285 litres (75 gallons), while an adult female needs 380 litres (100 gallons) or more, with water at least twice as deep as the shell is long.
Provide a completely dry basking dock under a heat lamp reaching 32-35C (90-95F), with a UVB tube mounted over it and replaced on the manufacturer's schedule.
Hold the water at 24-27C (75-80F) with a guarded submersible heater, keeping juveniles at the warmer end.

Painted turtles are messy, so fit a canister filter rated for at least twice the tank volume and do regular partial water changes.
Their natural range reaches well into Canada, so in much of the US a secure, filtered outdoor pond with a predator-proof perimeter is an excellent adult home.
The classic mistake is buying a coin-sized hatchling a 20-gallon tank and never upgrading, which guarantees stunting, poor water and illness.

Check your enclosure

Supplies

Setup

Enclosure
Heating and thermostat
UVB fixture and bulb
Thermometers and hygrometer
Substrate and decor

Ongoing

Quality aquatic turtle pellets (carnivorous formula for musk turtles)
Frozen or live earthworms, shrimp and snails
Leafy aquatic greens or romaine for the omnivores
Floating cuttlebone
Separate feeding tub
Fine net for removing uneaten food
Feeding tongs
Kitchen scale for tracking growth

Safe substrate: Topsoil and play sand mix · Coco fibre and coir · Cypress mulch

Work out the cost

Care routine

Daily

Check humidity and damp the substrate
Check temperatures and humidity
Fresh water bowl
Look the animal over
Spot-clean waste and uneaten food

Weekly

Feed to the species' scheduleevery 2 days
Check the basking dock
Hand-washing and food-area check
Test the water
Water change and debris vacuum

Monthly

Weigh-inevery 2 weeks
Deep-clean the enclosure
Rinse the filter media
Test thermostats, lamps and guards

Less often

Refresh the substrateevery 3 months
Replace the UVB lampevery 6 months

Vet: Annual exam and faecal check — every 12 months

Top resources for more info

Independent creators and organisations we would send a friend to. We have no affiliation with any of them, and nothing here is sponsored. Links checked 2026-09-19.

YouTubers

Garden State TortoiseAquatic and box turtle housing, ponds and seasonal care Reptiles and ResearchEvidence-led husbandry: enclosure size, UVB, thermal gradients, enrichment Clint's ReptilesWhich reptile suits you, with honest care and handling verdicts

Sites

Tortoise ForumKeeper community with aquatic and box turtle sections ReptiFilesLong-running, source-cited care guides for common pet reptiles Association of Reptile and Amphibian VeterinariansThe reptile vets' professional body, with a find-a-vet directory

Go deeper

Diet

Painted turtles are omnivores that can only swallow underwater, so all food must be offered in the water.
Base the diet on a quality aquatic turtle pellet, adding earthworms, crickets, snails and the occasional feeder shrimp for protein, plus aquatic plants such as anacharis and duckweed and dark leafy greens.
Juveniles are strongly carnivorous, while healthy adults should take roughly half their diet as plant matter.

Feed juveniles a small portion daily and adults every two to three days, removing whatever is uneaten within a few minutes.
Float a cuttlebone in the tank for self-serve calcium.
Feeding in a separate tub of tank-temperature water keeps the main tank far cleaner, and resisting the constant begging is essential because obesity is common in painted turtles.

Health

A healthy painted turtle has a hard, smooth shell, clear open eyes, a strong dive and an eager appetite.
The common problems are the standard aquatic-turtle set, namely shell rot from dirty water, soft shell and metabolic bone disease from missing UVB or calcium, respiratory infection shown by gaping, bubbling or lopsided swimming in cold water, and swollen eyes or ear abscesses linked to vitamin A deficiency.
Almost all of these trace back to poor water quality, a failed UVB bulb or an unheated tank, so check equipment before anything else.

Like all turtles they can carry Salmonella, so wash hands after tank work and supervise children closely.
A turtle that floats crookedly, refuses food or basks constantly without entering the water needs a reptile-capable exotics vet promptly.
Find that vet before you buy the turtle, because aquatic-turtle medicine is a specialist skill.

Is your enclosure big enough?

Minimum volume285 litres (75 US gallons)

CompanyMust be housed alone. Solitary; best kept one per tank

Length

Width

Height

Units

Is this urgent?

For aquatic turtles the water quality is half the medical history.

Go now

Swimming lopsided, or unable to submergeGo now. Usually respiratory, and a turtle that cannot dive cannot feed.

Now

Today

Soft or pitted shell, or white patches that lift awayBook, and test the water. Shell rot follows poor water quality or a basking site that never fully dries the animal.

This week

Puffy or closed eyesBook today and check the water. Often vitamin A deficiency plus dirty water.

Today

A turtle needs a basking site that gets it fully dry and properly warm. Half the common problems trace back to a dock that does neither.

This is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it — and the time to find one is before you need one.

Can a painted turtle eat that?

Reptile diets split hard by species. An insectivore and a grazing tortoise share almost nothing, so check the species guide as well as this list.

Check a food

The full list

Never (15)

AlcoholNo safe amount at any body weight on this site.

never

AvocadoPersin. Fatal to many reptiles.

never

CaffeineCoffee, tea and energy drinks. Cardiac and neurological toxicity at tiny doses for an animal this size.

never

ChocolateTheobromine and caffeine. Small mammals and reptiles cannot clear either.

never

CitrusToo acidic, and it interferes with calcium absorption.

never

Dog or cat foodProtein and vitamin D levels formulated for a mammal. In tortoises it causes irreversible kidney and shell damage.

never

FirefliesLucibufagins. A single firefly has killed adult lizards. This is the most dangerous item on any reptile list and it is the one keepers do not know about.

never

Fish caught from the wildThiaminase and parasite risk for turtles and aquatic species.

never

GarlicSame allium toxicity as onion, and more concentrated by weight.

never

Iceberg lettuceWater with no nutrition. It fills a reptile up in place of food that would have done something.

never

LeekAllium family. Same mechanism as onion and garlic.

never

OnionOrganosulphur compounds damage red blood cells. The whole allium family is out.

never

RhubarbOxalate load high enough to cause acute kidney injury.

never

Salty or seasoned human foodSalt, oil and seasoning. Crisps, chips, seasoned leftovers and processed meat are all out.

never

Wild-caught insectsPesticide residue and parasites, and the identification risk. Captive-bred feeders only.

never

Rare treats (1)

WaxwormsVery fatty. Useful for a underweight animal or for medicating, addictive otherwise. One or two, rarely.

rare treat

Occasional (5)

Bell pepperSafe, low oxalate, and the colour gets a refuser eating. A few small pieces a few times a week.

occasional

Butternut squashWell tolerated and a useful source of vitamin A precursors. Small cubes a few times a week.

occasional

KaleGood calcium, mild goitrogen. Rotate it. Twice a week.

occasional

MealwormsHard chitin shell and a poor calcium ratio. Fine as part of a varied feed, poor as the whole diet. A few, alongside better feeders.

occasional

SpinachOxalates bind dietary calcium, which is the last thing a reptile at risk of metabolic bone disease needs. A very small amount, rarely.

occasional

Everyday foods (6)

Black soldier fly larvaeUnusually high in calcium; one of the few feeders that does not need dusting. Several per feed.

everyday food

Collard greensOne of the best staple greens for herbivorous and omnivorous reptiles. Daily.

everyday food

CricketsA standard feeder. Gut-load them for 24 hours before offering, or you are feeding an empty shell. Sized no wider than the space between the animal's eyes.

everyday food

Dandelion greensExcellent calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and readily taken. Pick away from sprayed ground. Daily, for herbivorous species.

everyday food

Dubia roachesBetter calcium ratio and more meat per insect than crickets, and they cannot climb glass. Sized to the animal.

everyday food

Mustard greensGood calcium ratio; rotate with other greens. Several times a week.

everyday food

That food is not on our list. Reptile diets are narrower than they look — check the species guide, and ask an exotics vet before offering anything unfamiliar.

Dust feeders with a calcium supplement to the schedule in the species guide. A reptile can be eating well and still be starving of calcium.

What it really costs

Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.

Region

How many animals

Your electricity price, per kWh

Buying the setup

Bedding and substrate

Substrate choice follows the animal's natural humidity, not the look of the vivarium. Get that pairing right and most substrate arguments disappear.

Safe

Topsoil and play sand mixThe standard bioactive-ready base for arid and semi-arid species. Plain topsoil with no fertiliser, no perlite, no wetting agents.

safe

Coco fibre and coirHolds humidity well for tropical species. Rinse and check it is not bone dry, which makes it dusty.

safe

Cypress mulchGood humidity retention for tropical snakes. Cypress specifically, not general 'wood mulch'.

safe

Orchid barkLong-lasting, holds humidity, resists compaction. Common in tropical vivaria.

safe

Paper towel or newspaperNot attractive, but correct for quarantine, for a new arrival, and for any animal being monitored for output.

safe

Leaf litter over a soil baseCover, humidity and invertebrate habitat in one. Sterilised, from a known source.

safe

With a caveat

Reptile carpetSnags claws and traps bacteria in the fibres. If used, it needs replacing rather than washing, often.

with a caveat

Sand alone for desert speciesReal desert is packed substrate, not loose play sand. Mix it with soil so it holds a burrow.

with a caveat

Bioactive setupsExcellent when established, but the clean-up crew needs weeks to establish before the animal goes in.

with a caveat

Never

Calcium sand and 'digestible' sandsMarketed as safe to eat, which encourages eating it. Implicated in impaction.

never

Crushed walnut shellSharp fragments, frequently implicated in impaction, with no advantage over soil.

never

Pine and cedarSame aromatic phenols as in rodent bedding, and the same airway damage.

never

Uncovered heat mats and unguarded ceramic emittersNot a substrate, but the most common cause of contact burns. Every heat source needs a thermostat, and every emitter needs a guard.

never

This is our general list for reptiles. We have not built one specific to Turtles yet.

Impaction is far more often a temperature problem than a substrate problem: an animal that cannot reach its digestive temperature will not pass what it swallows, whatever it is standing on.