Painted turtles can be seen on the land, basking on the sandy shores on a sunny beach day.These aquatic species live with fish and other aquatic or marine animal groups in the sea or the ocean, or even in lakes and ponds. These native groups of male and female fish and turtles live in harmony in their midland environment.What about when painted turtles are kept as pets at home? Well, then they live all their life from a baby-painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) to a grown-up adult in a tank. Still, you can create a similar habitat & environment for your painted turtle in their tank through reading, research, and getting expert tips.After reading about the population of these animals in their natural habitat, be sure to also check out how long do painted turtles live and can turtles eat bread? here on Kidadl.The Ideal Painted Turtle Tank SetupTurtles bask their smooth shell on sandy soil. These aquatic animals love to stay in the water and their natural habitat. These subspecies of painted turtle and red-eared slider turtles are a fan of the late spring and early summer. Keeping all of this in mind, you need to arrange an appropriate captive habitat for your pet painted turtles and any other subspecies of turtles.Many animals have a population that nests according to the seasonal temperature and habitat comfort, and requirements. A pet painted turtle, however, does not have many options to choose a perfect habitat like in nature and the wild so it is up to us to create an ideal tank set up for them. We need to make sure it will not be harmful and has the correct temperature difference and water level for them to survive happily as pet animals. An ideal tank for a painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) would be of large dimensions.Painted turtles and many other turtle species like to have ample space around them in which they can fit their body and the huge upper shell spaciously. Make sure you fill up your painted turtle’s tank with clear, good-quality water. A basking area above the water surface will support the turtle’s normal living ways and allow them to dry off the water on them and absorb some of the healthy UV rays from the sun/lamp. You can keep the tank near the window, or you can fit a light with a good filter and an underwater system.Tank Setup For A Baby Painted TurtlePainted turtles are also known by the name Chrysemys picta and that is a tough name to remember! We will stick to the name ‘painted turtles’ for this article, which by the way, they get from the ornate design shell markings on their turtle bodies. In the wild, painted turtles have a lifespan up to 50 years, and some are recorded to live more than that.For your captive pet painted turtles, their lifespan depends on how you treat them and care for them. Therefore, if you are getting a baby painted turtle as your pet, make sure you follow the below instructions to give it a long-lasting life of happiness.You can make a little shell hut for your baby painted turtle pet in their tank. Include some plants and vegetation, stones and rocks on the floor, and a basking bath space. Also, a feeder could be included in the tank itself. A big tank has to be provided for the baby-painted turtles. They are active turtles and need more space to move around. At first, you can provide them with a 20-gallon tank and then slowly shift to a larger capacity tank as your baby painted turtles grow into adults. The proper diet should be provided for your baby painted turtle to eat. Nutrition, their habitat, and environment should be healthy and clean.What is the best tank for a painted turtle?If you are getting aquatic animals like painted turtles for keeping as a pet, it is recommended you purchase a large tank for them in order to include all their natural habitat elements in their tank. A 20-30 gallon capacity aquarium minimum is required for a baby painted turtle.Get your pet painted turtle a tank that is three times longer than your turtle’s shell size. The water level in your tank should be two times as deep as the turtle’s shell length. A filtration system or a filter should be installed into the tank of your pet painted turtle. One thing while choosing a filter that you need to remember is to get a filter that can hold up to twice the water capacity of your turtle tank.For example, if your painted turtle tank has a capacity of 30 gallons, then you need to get a filter or filtration system that can hold up to 60 gallons of water. Also, you need to make a little basking area in the painted turtle tank. Providing a little basking land, some plants, and stones and pebbles at the bottom of the tank will make the turtle feel at home. To create the correct UV temperature, you may keep a UVB strip of yellow lighting that can provide a temperature of about 80 degrees F (26.6 degrees C) in the tank for basking purposes. UVB yellow lighting is said to be good for a painted turtle’s skin. Choose a good-sized glass aquarium tank for your painted turtle pet to keep them at home.Painted Turtle Basking AreaEastern and western painted turtles love to spend their time relaxing and basking on the land. From Canada to northern Mexico, painted turtles that have been adopted as pet animals have a little basking area in their tank. Even though it feels much more natural to bask under sunlight, we can still try to make a close artificial environment in their tank. The yellow sunlight that falls on these painted turtles must be in the right amount.The summer and spring-loving native animal species of southern painted turtles have red and yellow color patches on their body. Even the hatchlings of painted turtles have patterns on their body and their protective shells that get harder and larger as they grow.These shells protect them from their predators. When predators come to attack them, painted turtles retreat into their shells, and this makes them look like a rock from above. These survival instincts and their shell have helped them to survive in the wild against other animal predators. A greater number of attacks from birds can be expected for the painted turtles while they bask on the sunny sands but in the case of your pet painted turtle, there is no threat of any animal coming and harming it in its tank.Painted Turtle Lighting And TemperatureFor the population of painted turtles, lighting and temperature range is very important and must be maintained. A temperature gradient range is to be provided in the tank of your painted turtles for the basking area, ambient air, and the water.Make sure you create a 3-5 in (7.6-12.7 cm) long basking area with a 75-watt light placed 7-9 in (17.5-22.5 cm) away. Also, the water should be maintained with a temperature in the range of 75-80 degrees F (23.8-26.6 degrees C). The ambient air temperature must be in the range of 80-85 degrees F (26.6-29.4 degrees C) and the basking area must be kept in the range of 85-95 degrees F (29.4-35.0 degrees C).It can be a little difficult and confusing to get the right heat and light for your pet turtle in its tank. Some turtle owners wonder whether they should be switching on the night light the whole night for their turtle or whether switching it off would be ok for them. Well, it is quite alright to leave the night light off during nighttime.What do I require for a painted turtle habitat?Painted turtles are found all over the world in places like Oregon, Mexico, native regions of North America, and other countries. Populations of the male and female turtles are maintained by their breeding processes. Therefore, it could be better to get turtles as a pair if buying them as pets.The true habitat of the painted turtle is nature and the environment where the land meets the sea or at least a water body like a pond but when you get them as a pet animal, you might not be able to provide a true habitat for them. In that case, you should at least try to provide them with a similar habitat, albeit artificially. For them, include a basking area in their tank that is filled with enough water. This water should be cleaned and changed on a weekly basis too.Does a painted turtle need to live in water?Painted turtles are slow-moving aquatic animals that need water for their survival. The marine species get their oxygen and other important elements from the water including their food which comprises of aquatic insects, snails, worms, algae, and water plants.The care that you need to give your painted pet turtle is akin to the care you would provide a goldfish. Just like the water level in a fish glass bowl, you need to fill the turtle’s tank to the top with water. However, unlike a fish, a painted turtle needs a basking area which should be a dry dock. A fish cannot live without water. Even though painted turtles are aquatic, they can live outside the water as well.How do you take care of a painted turtle?Painted turtles are creatures that need proper care and a varied diet for a healthy life. Hatchlings in particular should be given intensive care, and they should be given proper food for them to grow into strong shelled painted turtles.Every animal and human needs to be given proper care for their health and well-being. The same is the case with your painted turtle pet. You need to check on them every day and give them appropriate healthy food within their diet. Talk to them and try to mingle with them. Allow them to bask for a few hours in the little basking area in their tank. Give them a large water tank in which they can move around freely. Make sure to change the tank water and clean their tank regularly.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for painted turtle habitat, then why not take a look at can turtles hear or Painted Turtle Facts.
Painted turtles can be seen on the land, basking on the sandy shores on a sunny beach day.
