Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I had originally planned on getting a Midland painted (which I had no luck in finding online)but today when I went to the petstore to get a new heater I noticed that they had some small western painted turtles in a cage and I fell in love with them. I was going to get a Midland painted turtle but now I'm not sure. I put one of the turtles (a male, I think) on hold. Which do you think would make a better first painted turtle? I have a eastern box turtle, a cooter, a 3-striped mud, and an albino RES already and I'm getting a southern painted turtle soon. Please express your opinions!!!! Thanks!!!!

J.L.

i got a few midlands from my friend who has them in a pond that bred. they dont get really big compared to the western. my favorite is the eastern but thats me. how big is ur albino res? can u post a picture. id like to see it
nathan

My cooter is about 3 in., and the albino is like almost 1 in. What I also mean is, which painted do you think would look the most different from my other guys? Sorry, don't have a digital camera but if you look in the classfieds, any albino turtle will look like him.

J.L.

midland and western look about the same. western has the most colorful plastron. id think the western would but thats just me. where do you live at? here in PA the only turtles you see for sale are sliders but one time i did see a softshell.

nathan

How do you tell if they are a male or a female? It had a real long tail, sort of a concave shell on the bottom, and medium length claws. It was about 2 -2 1/2 in. long.

J.L.

ive been told turtles cant be sexed 100% until they are 4" in length. yes males have the long fat tail and long nails. the nails get the female to mate with him.

nathan

If this little guy has a really long tail and longish claws right now, do you think it's a boy?

J.L.

yeah its a male

YES!!!!!!!! It was really funny when I asked to look at it to see if it was a male or a female, the guy was like "Uh, can you tell that by their markings?". He was clueless!! Thanks so much for your help!

J.L.

lol thats great, but kinda sad that they dont know that and they work at a place that sells them.

i live in hanover 17331. its right by the maryland line. are you from PA too?

nathan

Adult aquatics (painteds, sliders, ect) don't really have a concavity to the shell if male. Painteds will start to show secondary sexual characteristis (long front nails and long, thick tail for males) at about three inches, and sliders at about four inches. Western painteds are the largest of the four sub-species. I've seen a handful of western males that were bigger than most adult eastern females I've seen.

Don't forget www.anapsid.org to see if there is a rescue or herp society near you, or www.petfinder.com to see if there is something available for adoption.

Katrina

where in Pa are you from?

i posted my info with the other message, my bad, sorry. i live in hanover the zip is 17331 (if u need it) like i said its by the maryland line.
nathan

do u know where to buy painted turtles in PA?

no i dont know where to buy them but i live near ponds and lakes that are full of them, but i dont take any. There is a reptile show in hamburg that has a lot of them from $8-$20 depending on size

i live near a lake too with tons in. do u mean hamburg... what state?
nate

Hamburg, PA.

Check events link for reptile expo: http://www.pythons.com/hamburg/index.html

its about 10 minutes from Cabellas if you know where that is, it is right outside of reading

yeah i know where that at.... might have to check it out

nate