Chrysemys picta
Painted turtle
Filtered water, a basking dock, and UVB. EASIN records this species as not of Union concern. The EU annex was not verified, so it stays empty.
Legal status
- Check local rules
Chrysemys picta is not of Union concern. EASIN factsheet R03552 records Union concern: no, and Member States concern: yes. It was not marked invasive here. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/966 mentions Chrysemys picta (only live specimens); the annex column was not readable in the text that was checked, so no Annex A–D is recorded. Not found in the CITES Appendices in force from 5 March 2026. Wallonia’s positive list includes Chrysemys picta ssp. picta, belli, and marginata. That is a regional keep-list, not an EU trade annex. Not venomous. Rehoming is not automatically blocked. Check local rules before you keep, move, or rehome an animal. This record is not a permit and not legal advice.
Official sourceNot legal advice. Rules differ by country, and sometimes by region. Check the law that applies to you.
- Temperature
- 22–26°C
- Basking
- 30–32°C
- UVB
- Ferguson zone 3. About 1.0–2.6 over the dock
- Humidity
- 60–80%
- Minimum enclosure
- About a 90–120 cm aquarium for one adult
- Adult size
- Often 12–18 cm.
- Lifespan
- Often 20–30 years.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Diet and feeding
Greens, a commercial turtle pellet, and some insects. Juveniles daily. Adults every other day.
Substrate
Bare bottom or fine sand.
Health
Shell rot, ear abscesses, and metabolic bone disease.
Handling
Wash your hands.
Husbandry ranges are general guidance for captive care, not a veterinary prescription or a permit. Confirm the gradient with your own thermometers. UV zones follow Baines et al., Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 4(1), 2016, https://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150. Legal fields use the source link on this species and stay empty when an annex was not verified.