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Painted Turtle
Chrysemys picta
The little turtle with the shell painted in red and yellow — a colorful, active, all-American basking turtle that stays a manageable size.
4–6 in25–30 years
Habitat
Enclosure
40+ gal, mostly water with a basking dock
Temperature
Water 72–78°F · basking 85–90°F
Humidity / Water
Fully aquatic · pH 6.5–8.0
Heating & lighting
Aquarium heater plus a basking lamp and UVB over the dock. Deep water and easy climbing — strong swimmers, unlike musk turtles.
Diet
Feed these
- Aquatic turtle pellets
- Leafy greens
- Frozen bloodworms
- Earthworms
- Feeder shrimp
Never feed
- Feeder goldfish
- Iceberg lettuce
- Small fish you want to keep
- Handling (salmonella risk — wash hands)
Pellets plus protein treats, shifting toward more greens as they age. They're messy — strong filtration and big water changes are part of the deal.
Cohabitation
Can live with
Red-eared sliders — huge tanks only
Never house with
Small fish — eaten Tropical community fish Frogs and newts
Groups of similar size can share huge, over-filtered tanks — but crowded basking docks cause bites, so give every turtle a spot.
