List of Breeds of Turtles

Turtles hold the fascination of many because of their slow steady gaits, perceived shyness and multicolored hard shell homes. Breeds such as the Alligator Snapping Turtle, American Snapping Turtle, Box Turtle, Diamond Back Terrapin, Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle, Eastern River Cooter, Painted Turtle, Slider Turtle, Spotted Turtle and the Wood Turtle exist, though many of these you may never see in a live environment. A few are commonly found in ponds, and homes and their characteristics are interesting to discover.

  1. Box Turtles

    • Box turtles have high "boxy" shells that are dark-colored with some yellowish or light markings. Found worldwide, the box turtle is often taken from its natural forest and creek environments and made into a domestic pet. However, they are not necessarily the best pet if you are unfamiliar with turtles and do not have enough space for them. Box turtles as pets require outdoor pens with ample shade and opportunities for them to stay active by foraging for their own food. Their diet consists of anything they can find, from plants and berries to insects. If you live in a country-like environment this works, but a box turtle is not meant for an inside aquarium-style existence.

    Mud Turtles

    • If you are looking for the best turtle breed to make into a pet, the mud turtle is ideal. Compact and about 5 inches long when full grown, they are perfect for inside environments and do quite well in aquariums. Like most turtles, they have long lives and many live beyond 50 years. If released into the wild they are fine, but should be released near a small pond or similar body of water. A good time to do this is between March and May during the breeding season. Your released mud turtle stands a better chance of finding a group of like turtles this way.

    Red Eared Slider

    • A larger turtle, often seen as a pet, is the slider which grows to more than 11 inches long. They are visually striking with red stripes behind each eye toward their ears, and black spots on their underside. Because of their size they are more sturdy and safe in the wild. They are found in swampy areas and are very active in swimming, digging, and foraging but, as most turtles do, they love to lay in the sun for hours at a time. Slider turtles eat more meat than other turtles, though as they grow older and less agile they eat less.

    Painted Turtle

    • If you have an image of a small turtle in mind, it is probably the painted turtle. Found in many slow moving, small bodies of water, they are the most populous turtle in North America growing anywhere from 4 to 10 inches long at maturity. If you see a large painted turtle, it is likely female, as they tend to be larger than the males. This turtle can come in many combinations of black, olive, red and yellow. They prefer the water and actually sleep in it, rather than on a branch above it. Because of the large amount of time they prefer to be in the water, it is not a good idea to have them as pets unless you can offer a sufficient water space. A small aquarium is not ideal. If you do have one of these turtles for a pet, you quickly learn they eat just about anything you feed them, enjoying a diet of chicken, worms, insects and lettuce.