Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I originally planned on buying 2 painted turtles, a Southern and an Eastern. I now am not sure. See, I wanted 2 painteds that look different than my cooter and eachother. And I wanted some colorful ones. I didn't want a Western because they get bigger. Now I kinda have my eye on the Midlands. Which one is prettier? The Midland or the Eastern? Which one is smaller? Which one looks more different than the Southern painted? Please answer with some helpful info. Thanks!

J.L.

I've heard that southerns stay smaller, but I've never had a southern, so I can't say for certain. I think easterns are nifty because, as far as I know, they are the only turtle where the scutes line up on the carapace to form straight lines across the back. A midland looks like a southern without the red stripe down the middle. Some easterns will have the red stripe, too.

Katrina

Ok, do you know what makes the easterns and the midlands different from eachother? To judge by only the pictures I've seen, I'd say the midland is more colorful and smaller. I just wanted to clarify that.

J.L.

http://www.chelonia.org/chrysemys_gallery.htm

Go here for pictures of all of them. As I said earlier, easterns are the only ones that have the scutes lined up to form lines across the carapace. A midland is basically an eastern without the scutes all in a straight row. A southern is a basically a midland with a red stripe down the middle. I have seen some easterns (scutes lined up) with a red stripe down the middle, though. I think easterns have prettier heads, but that's just me.

I think color really depends on the individual turlte, and the conditions under which you keep it. One of my adopter told me that he hibernated one of his painted outside for the first time this past winter, and it has more color than it has ever had, and this is a turtle that spends every summer outside, but has been kept in an indoor pond in previous winters.

Katrina