How to Care for Painted Turtle Hatchlings

Painted turtles, or chrysemys picta, are the most widely distributed turtles in North America. They resemble red-eared sliders, which many people remember as the "dime-store turtles" sold as pets in the 1960s, but painted turtles lack the distinctive red tags on the sides of their heads. They instead feature yellow and red markings on their heads, tails and legs, as well as red markings on the margins of their shells. Their bottom shells, or plastrons, are either bright yellow or red. With their cheerful colors and gentle natures, painted turtles make appealing pets, but they do need proper care to remain happy and healthy in a home aquarium. Since they breed readily in captivity, you may find yourself with hatchlings. Baby painted turtles are not difficult to raise to maturity. By following a few guidelines, you can help the hatchlings thrive.

Things You'll Need

  • Small aquarium or 15-gallon plastic storage bin
  • Turtle water conditioner
  • Dechlorinator for tap water, sold at aquarium supply stores
  • Aquarium salt
  • Flat piece of slate
  • Larger flat rock, bowlful of earth, or log
  • One hundred-watt incandescent light bulb, with fixture for aquarium
  • Fluorescent light for reptiles, with fixture
  • Live or frozen insects and worms
  • Commercial turtle pellets
  • Submersible water heater
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set up a tank for your painted turtle hatchlings by treating tap water with turtle conditioner, dechlorinator and aquarium salt, following label directions for the conditioner and dechlorinator and using a ratio of 1 tblsp. per 5 gallons of water for the aquarium salt. Put no more than an inch of treated water in the bottom of the aquarium. Baby turtles can drown if water is too deep; a good rule of thumb for hatchlings is that the water should be no deeper than the turtle is long.

    • 2

      Create a basking area by using a flat piece of slate as a ramp that leads to dry land̵2;a pile of rocks, a plastic bowl filled with earth, or an organic or artificial log are all fine, as long as your baby painted turtles can access the dry place easily. The ramp should be smooth, and, to avoid danger of crushing the babies, must be set up securely.

    • 3

      Set up the incandescent light over the dry area so your baby turtles can bask. As cold-blooded reptiles, the hatchlings need to regularly bask in either artificial light or natural sunlight to raise their body temperatures. If you don't have an incandescent light, you can set the tank in a sunny windowsill for part of the day, but use extreme caution to make sure it doesn't get hot enough to overheat or burn the babies.

    • 4

      Set up the fluorescent light, making sure to use a sturdy ceramic fixture. The ultraviolet rays are vital in allowing the hatchlings to process Vitamin D.

    • 5

      Offer very small live insects and worms to the hatchlings after the first week has passed. Baby mealworms, baby bloodworms, baby black worms, midges, tubifex and brine shrimp are all ideal foods. If you have a hard time obtaining these̵2;or are squeamish̵2;turtles will usually make do with either frozen or freeze-dried foods, available at petstores. You can also try bits of cooked chicken, beef heart or turkey. Offer non-live foods by waving around enticingly on a toothpick; turtles are attracted to motion when feeding. Remove any uneaten food within five minutes.

    • 6

      During the second week, add another inch of treated water, and introduce a submersible filter to keep the water clean, prevent film on the surface and provide exercise for the babies by creating a current. It is best to get a filter that works lying on its side so it can function in shallow water. Most filters need at least 2 inches of water to work, so you may have to wait until the second or third week to use it, depending on the hatchlings' growth. Start the filter at its lowest level to avoid the hatchlings being tossed around too much.

    • 7

      Add plastic plants to the aquarium to dissipate filter flow and create areas of quiet water. Hatchlings should not be unceasingly fighting water turbulence.

    • 8

      Use a submersible aquarium heater to keep the water between 74 and 82 degrees. Turtles can survive at 60 and below, but will eat much more and grow faster at increased temperatures. However, this would not be the case in the wild, especially in winter; if you are raising your hatchlings for release, rather than as pets, you must begin to slowly reduce water temperature in preparation.

    • 9

      As the hatchlings get bigger over the next few months, slowly increase water depth until it is where you intend to keep it. You can also turn the filter up to provide more resistance when the turtles swim.

    • 10

      After a few months, offer your young painted turtles commercial turtle pellets; full-grown mealworms, earthworms and crickets; small fish; fruits; and green leafy vegetables. Since painted turtles are omnivorous̵2;meaning they eat plant matter, insects, worms, fish and anything else they can find̵2;they should accept these foods eagerly.