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Last Updated on March 24, 2023 by Jeremy
Growing up in Canada, I rarely had any encounters with wildlife except your usual suspects – deer, skunk, raccoon, etc. and even then it was few and far between.
It wasn’t until a job in British Columbia where it brought the most amazing encounter outside of a zoo; an experience myself and my family will never forget – witnessing a female Western Painted turtle lay eggs in a hole she dug.
So with that first experience under my belt, it started the old brain thinking about the turtle.
Never knowing turtles lived in Canada thinking it’s because of the harsh winters and such, my curiosity was piqued into researching anything about this sub-species of painted turtle with the help of my daughter who loves all things reptilian, slithery and shelled.
Below will answer questions like Where do painted turtles live? What do painted turtles eat? plus many more.
Where do Painted Turtles Live? – Where can you find them?
The painted turtle is one of the most widespread native turtle of North America.
It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico and from the Atlantic to the Pacific and have been shown to prefer large wetlands with long periods of inundation and emergent vegetation.
These colored turtles need water because their natural habitat is always near rivers, lakes, streams or ponds.
In Canada, the painted turtle range extends from southwest of Lake Nipigon, Ontario, across the southern portion of Manitoba and Saskatchewan to the low-lying valleys of the southern interior and south coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island.
It`s estimated that there are fewer than 250 adults in the Pacific Coast population. The Western Painted turtle is classified as endangered in British Columbia as it’s a native species to the province.
How Long Does a Painted Turtle Live For?
These turtles have been known to live for a long time. The average lifespan for the painted turtle is between 20 – 30 years old, but some painted turtles have been known to live over 50 years in the wild; it looks like the tortoise has some competition.
A turtle reaches adulthood after five years of age. As they grow older than five years, painted turtles become omnivores and after that they may subsist on a wide variety of plants and animals.
What is the Painted Turtle’s Diet?
Wild Painted Turtle – Young Western painted turtles feed mainly on tadpoles, insects, crayfish, snails and dead fish, graduating to bigger prey like fish, frogs and slugs as they get older.
Although it is rare for a painted turtle to eat vegetables, doesn’t mean that they will cut it out of their diet entirely. They still eat some vegetables and plants.
They have no problem consuming small insects and plants, but they do not like the taste of cooked meat.
To give them energy they need for foraging and mating, these turtles will bask in the sun several times a day to raise their temperature.
Pet Painted Turtle – Don’t feed your painted turtle too much food or to little food as they are messy eaters.
Pet colored turtles can also eat turtle pellets but won’t eat fruit because they don’t eat it in the wild, but you can give your turtle some fruit as a treat. Apples, melon pieces and berry pieces are all OK for your turtle; just make sure you cut them up before giving it to your turtle.
What Can Harm a Painted Turtle?
Adult turtles don’t have many enemies as long as they don’t go too far from the water. They are too big to be eaten by fish and birds.
Baby turtles can be eaten by large fish and birds like herons but the bright colors on the belly of a baby turtle tells a fish they are not good for eating. The babies will scratch the inside of a fish`s mouth until they are spat out.
Mating and Nests
The mating period starts in late May and early June lasting until late August and early September. Although there is a peak of successful copulation doesn’t mean that a turtle would wait for late summer and early fall.
A painted turtle still needs time to lay eggs so they can hatch before winter. These turtle eggs can be in incubation for 76 days, in any nest either natural or artificial. Sometimes incubation can last longer up to 104 days.
Offspring gender is determined by temperatures experienced by the embryo during a critical period of incubation. The temperature above 29 C will produce mostly females and temperature below 29 C will produce mostly males.
Baby turtles will emerge from their eggs in fall and stay in the nest cavity over the winter and come out in the spring. If you don’t have turtle eggs, it’s either you bought a clutch of eggs or your turtle gave you a clutch of eggs.
How Can a Painted Turtle Survive the Winter?
Adult western painted turtles can survive over winter in ponds with almost no oxygen. They spend winter on the bottom of large bodies of water that don’t freeze to the bottom.
Once there is ice on the water they must stop moving around as they can’t go to the surface for air. In cold water they get oxygen through their skin. Fish and frogs may die in ponds with no oxygen by late winter.
Western painted turtles sometimes move from large bodies of water to smaller ponds in the summer to feed, and then return to the larger bodies of water in the winter.
Other Turtle Species
Western painted turtles may be confused with two other species of pond turtle: the Red-eared Slider and the North-western Pond turtle.
Although they are different species, Western painted turtles, a sub-species of painted turtle, have been seen basking with the Red-eared Sliders. Southern painted turtles, Eastern painted turtles and Midland painted turtles are other sub-species of painted turtle.
Can a Painted Turtle Be Kept as a Pet?
If by now you are thinking about the possibility of having a painted turtle as a pet, the answer is Yes, you can have a painted turtle as a pet, as well as other breeds!
They make excellent pets for beginners to advanced hobbyists due to their docile nature, but because they are more care-intensive then a pet mammal.
Due to their lengthy lifespan of 50+ years, you`ll want to give it some consideration before making the purchase.
If you do want a painted turtle as a pet than the ideal tank setup should include:
- a big enough tank that holds enough water that is 4x the size of your turtle (a shallow water depth would hurt your turtle when it dives)
- a basking dock or an area for your turtle to completely dry off and soak up some healthy UV-rays
- good working filter and some underwater caves or decorations for your painted turtle.
If you’re thinking of other breeds of turtles as pets, see banner below:
Ways to Keep Your Turtle Safe
If you turtle is out of the water for more than eight hours than put them back in as they are susceptible to drying out.
If you chose an outdoor pond then you can add decorations like: fake or real plants, stones, and even real fish – which also make a wonderful fresh food supply for your turtle.
Painted turtles need to be carefully handled; be gentle with your turtle and keep your fingers away from its head. Of course never drop your turtle – they may have a protective shell, but the impact can still damage it.
Finally, always wash your hands before and after handling your turtle to prevent illnesses.
Conclusion
The painted turtle is truly a remarkable animal. From their life span to their beautifully painted bodies, the Painted Turtle brightens any gloomy day.
Even though you can have a painted turtle as a pet does not mean you can pick them up in the wild. They can and will bite you if you provoke them, even if their small jaws restrict the damage inflicted.
If you happen across one, it’s best to leave it alone to its natural environment or then it will become tense, stressed or sick.
With numbers slowly declining, the painted turtle species need as little human interaction as possible to ensure their future. With too many other species on the constantly growing endangered, threatened and critically endangered lists, we shouldn’t need to add more fuel to that fire.
Thank you for your interest in the Painted Turtle. Special credit goes to my daughter who helped write this article as part of a Science project.
Feel free to comment below.
Earth is Heart!
First of all, I want to say I didn’t even know Canada had turtles and I was born here. Very informative and credit must by be paid to the little helper. Informative to the point you learn at what temperature you can have female or male babies! I like to learn every day and that was my recommendation to read, lucky me.
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the article and I will pass along the credit to the little helper for sure. I, too, was blown away with all the information researched and knowing that there’s more to learn about turtles is very exciting.