How Often Do Painted Turtles Eat?
Introduction
Painted turtles are common across the whole of North America. While they cannot be domesticated they can be kept as pets. This article will tell you all about painted turtles, how to care for them and what to feed them with and how often.
Background information
Painted turtles are an ancient reptile. They have been on Earth for some 15 million years. These turtles can be found across all of North America, usually in still or very slow moving water.
There are four sub-species of painted turtle each being subtly different. The western painted turtle is found along the western coast of North America and its hinterland. The southern painted turtle is found across Mexico and the southern states of the US. The eastern painted turtle inhabits the eastern seaboard while the midland painted turtle lives in the centre of the continent.
Painted turtles can be kept as pets and are easy to breed. Their breeding season is during the spring and summer months. They breed so well that baby painted turtles are available almost all year round and are inexpensive to buy.
Why are painted turtles good pets?
Painted turtles are attractive and appealing. They are called painted because they have red and yellow stripes on their skin under their black or blackish-blue shells and their underbelly is also yellow and red.
These little turtles don’t grow much beyond 12 inches long. The females tend to be a bit bigger than the males. One sub-species, the southern painted turtle is smaller than the others, reaching only about 5 inches in length.
Mostly these turtles don’t outgrow the tank they live in. In a small tank they will stop growing before they become too big for comfort.
Painted turtles have long life-spans. Often they will live for 30 or 40 years with some reaching 50!
Having a long-life means you will have to devote time to caring for them for longer than you might a traditional pet such as a dog or cat. It is important, therefore, to think carefully before purchasing one.
Handling your pet turtle also needs great care. Wash your hands before lifting your pet from its tank and again after you put it back. Turtles do not need regular handling, and actually prefer to be left untouched.
Turtles are docile and slow-moving. However, if you pick one up and it becomes stressed it might scratch you while struggling. It could also bite you!
Housing your painted turtles
Painted turtles may not be big animals, but they do need space. They also need enough water to swim in as well as both light and heat. These provisions apply whether you keep them outdoors or indoors.
A single painted turtle will need at least 20 gallons of water to be happy. The water should be about twice as deep as the length of your turtle. Add 10 additional gallons of water for each extra turtle in the tank. As well as room to swim your turtle will need an area that is above the level of the water where it can bask in the sun (or artificial light).
Outdoors, the sun will provide sufficient light but indoors you will need artificial lighting. Incandescent lighting should be set above the basking area, but be aware of the risk of overheating. Fluorescent light will provide enough light but also supply a source of ultraviolet light as it will benefit your pet’s health.
All reptiles need heat to warm their bodies. In nature this will come from the sun. Indoors you will have to provide it yourself. Whichever method of heating you use, take care to monitor it at all times.
Include some plants in your turtle’s accommodation. These will give your pet somewhere to hide. Make sure the plants are checked regularly and changed when necessary.
Feeding your pet painted turtle
Painted turtles are omnivorous animals. That means they will eat a variety of plants and meat. To keep your painted turtle in good health it is important to feed it a wide variety of different foods.
In the wild painted turtles will eat dead fish (carrion) and will hunt for injured fish and water-borne insects. Vegetable matter such as duckweed, algae and the seeds of the water-lily is also important. Painted turtles will investigate anything that might be good as food.
In captivity meat can include worms, tiny fish, and insects. Your pet will also enjoy some cooked chicken cut into tiny pieces, chopped-up beef heart and possibly some dog food. If you do feed bits of dog food make sure it is low fat.
Don’t feed your painted turtles iceberg lettuce, but romaine or red-leaved lettuce is okay. Chop up a variety of vegetables for it, and greens like cabbage is also fine. Make sure your turtle gets a broadly based variety of food.
Now to answer the question posed at the start of this article. How often should a painted turtle be fed? Generally painted turtles are good eaters and will tend to put on weight if given unlimited food.
It is recommended that a painted turtle should only be fed once in a two to three day period. Your painted turtle might show a preference for certain foods, but maintain a variety so your pet does not become bored. A variety of food will ensure that your turtle gets a nutritionally balanced diet.
Breeding painted turtles
Given the right conditions painted turtles will breed quite happily in captivity. In the wild a female painted turtle chooses her mate based on the quality of his courtship. Once mated the female stores sperm away and will use it to impregnate different clutches of eggs at different times.
Once her eggs are ready the female selects a suitable sandy place and lays her eggs in a hole she has dug. In each clutch there will be between 4 and 11 eggs. Hatching takes at least 72 days, sometimes longer.
Baby painted turtles are good to go from hatching. They do not need their mother and can function in every respect. All they have to do is grow bigger!
