About Baby Painted Turtles

Painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) are freshwater turtles native to North America. Females lay between four and 20 eggs in mid to late summer. Hatchlings will generally emerge in eight to nine weeks.

  1. Types

    • There are four subspecies of painted turtles: the eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta picta), the midland painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata), the western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii), and the southern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta dorsalis).

    Size

    • Newly hatched painted turtles measure about one and a quarter inches in carapace (shell) length, and will generally grow to lengths of three to seven inches when they reach adulthood.

    Diet

    • Young painted turtles are more carnivorous than adults, eating a diet that consists primarily of fish, worms, and insects.

    Habitat

    • Painted turtles are freshwater aquatic turtles, and babies generally spend their time in the shallow, muddy, and quiet water of streams, rivers, and ponds.

    Fun Fact

    • The sex of painted turtles is determined by the temperature at which they are incubated. Lower temperatures produce males, while higher temperatures result in females.