Hey! Ive had my little painted turtle guy for about 6 months and he seems to be doing great. He has been gaining weight and growing. Hes very friendly. He likes to eat alot too! My son found him by the creek where I worked at the time. He was so tiny that we decided to try to care for him. I did read everything I could find about them. But I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kind and any advice or suggestions?

Do you have a pic of the little guy? I have always liked turtles.

I don't really have any info. for you, other than maybe you can check with your local aquatic store.

Nope, I don't have any pics of him yet. I have to go buy a camera. When I get it, I'll post a pic of him (her?). I wish I had a couple of pics of him though, just so I could show how he's grown since Ive had him. I figure I must be doing something right for him to be growing like he is. He was like the size of a quarter maybe when we found him, and know Id say hes the size of a half dollar probably.

Turtles are just my thing. With any water turtle being cold blooded they MUST be kept warm to maintain a healthy appetite. 70 -80 degrees is recommended for the painted.

Aquariums work find, but filtration can be tough in these. A 50gal or more is the best size. There MUST be a high place where the turtle can dry off. The tank does not have to be very deep only twice as deep as the turtle is long. If you use a tank be careful about gravel and plants. You want nothing small enough the turtle can swallow, plus it makes cleaning harder. During warm months a kiddy pool works great and allows the turtle to soak in the sunshine.

Lighting is VERY important and what works best for tanks is a Vital- light. This lighting mimics the sun and is crucial to shell development. Placing the tank near a window will not do the trick since the glass filters out ultraviolet rays that the turtle needs.

DO NOT hibernate your turtle if it's kept inside. The temp will not get cold enough for their metabolism to slow down to a crawl and they keep burning calories and just starve to death.

Diet needs to be 3/4 meat and 1/4 veggies. You can try whole fish, canned dog food, dry dog food soaked in water, liver, heart, insects, earthworms, and Purina Trout Chow. The trout Chow is highly recommended as a protein source. You can buy it at any feed store. For veggies you can try leafy greens like, spinach, mustard greens, romaine lettuce and Chinese cabbage. The store bought foods like Tetra ReproMin are a good choice, but not a complete diet. Always remember water turtles MUST eat it water.

The painted is a wonderful turtle to keep as a pet and if kept in the right conditions stay very healthy. Always watch for rrespiratory infections (the most common illness). A runny nose is the most obvious side effect. They also suffer from Soft Shell, Swollen Eyes, Shell Rot, Salmonellosis, Fungus and internal parasites. Most times if you follow diet and housing you will not have these problems. Keep in mind the painted gets very big and in time may out grow the aquarium. I hope that helps some.

Give him a helthy diet, good luck

I have a Painted and have had him for about 6 months now. The only things he'll eat are freeze dried crickets and gammarus treat. Does anyone have suggestions on getitng him on Repto Stick, Tubifex worms or Turtle Pellets?

Thanks! I'm at Chris_Reed@innostaff.com

We have a Painted Turtle and he is about 20-21 years old now. We have fed him pellets, worms, crickets, gold fish, even hot dogs!

My friend and i just took in a painted turtle we found on roadside. We dont know very much and need help with their diet, any suggestions? its about the size of a half dollar

you might want to try repto-min. It has all the dietary suplaments you need. I have raised turtles for 5 years so i know it will work. also try dried baby shrimp. Usually they have it at a pet stroe

Hey i just found a baby turtle and he is very small. I've tried everything to get him to eat but he just won't!

Your welcome MM. Glad to be of help.

I don't want to step on any feet here, but turtles are what I do so I thought I would share my knowledge.

Here is a list of some of the basic things you will need for your turtle.

The Must haves

A tank. This should be as big of one as you can afford. It can be either a glass aquarium or a Rubbermaid container. You should have 10 gallons of water for every one inch of shell. For example a 10 inch female RES would need a 100 gallon tank. This goes for all of the turtles in your tank. If you have two 4" RES you would need a 80 gallon tank to make them happy. That would give them room for their own territories. Do research on the turtle you are getting to see how big they are going to get so you can determine how big of tank you will need. Some good starter tanks are the 20 gallon ones sold right here at turtlesale.com.

Lighting. You will need a good UVA/UVB bulb, most are Fluorescent. Repti Sun by Zoo Med is a good bulb for this. You will also need a bulb for a basking spot. This can be a regular bulb or a flood light bulb depending on your tank size. The basking spot temp should be around 90 degs. There are some bulbs on the market called Mercury Vapor Bulbs that give off heat and UVA/UVB, they run around $30 but many people swear by them.

A basking spot. This can be as easy as a rock or some people make enclosed platforms on the top of their tanks. There are turtle docks on the market too, but most turtles will out grow these within a couple of years. The most important thing is to be sure that it is dry and easy for them to get up onto.

A Good Filter. Turtles are messy animals and need a strong filter. Most people get the canister filters like the Magnum 350. The bigger you can get the better.

A Water Heater Depending on where you live it is a good idea to have a water heater in the winter months. Most turtles like temps around 78 degs. Do research to see what water temps your turtle requires. There are many heaters on the market that work well for turtles. Submersible, strong ones are best or you can use an under tank heater which is what I use.

NO Gravel Although gravel looks nice you shouldn't use it in your turtle tank. They can ingest it and become impacted. Also it helps hold waste in the tank making it harder to keep clean. If you really want gravel use some that is larger then their head so they can't eat it.

Extras

Plants These aren't a major need, but a good idea especially for hatchlings which like hiding places. You can use either real ones (found at most fish stores) or you can use plastic or silk. Just be sure the plastic ones are strong so they can't rip peaces off and ingest them.

Large Rocks or Slate This helps break up the bare bottom look and also gives the turtle some traction under his feet.

For feeding a good pellet food like Reptomin should be the staple of their diet. Also offer some greens like Romaine lettuce, collard greens and duckweed. You can also offer live foods like snails, feeder guppies or rosy reds (not goldfish they are to fatty and often medicated) and earthworms. I would advise against feeding them dog food. The red dye in dog food has been found to make reptiles sick and even cause death.

I would like a Painter turtle! Very little! About a week old.

i just found a painter turtle and hes so cute but he doesnt like to eat and he loves corn though if you have any food ideas please tell me email me @ thumperhotstuff@yahoo.com

i have baby eastern painted turtle that i do not have much time to spend with. if any one is interested in purchasing it, email me with your offer to ridegreenacf7@hotmail.com

where are you 10turtles?

what should i feed it? how can you tell if it is a he or she?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cora:
what should i feed it? how can you tell if it is a he or she? its shell is alittle bigger than aquarter how old do you think it is - cora

i have two map turtles, and a painted turtle in the same tank. they are all juvinilles. but they wont eat anything . i tried worms.i tried repto-min.im going to get mealworms.but in the meanwhile.....HELP ME !

I have 2 small turtles that I need to find homes for. My daughter accepted them without permission. I'm in the Tennessee area. If anyone is interested, please email me at rtccware@aol.com. Thanks!