SpeciesPainted turtle
Painted turtle
Chrysemys picta
The legal alternative to the banned red-eared slider: similar size, similar care, but no prohibition. It too never belongs in an open body of water.
- Group
- Tortoise or turtle
- Level
- Intermediate
- Origin
- North America
Where the species comes from
- World region
- North America
- Countries
- From southern Canada to northern Mexico
- Habitat
- Shallow, plant-rich waters with basking spots
The app does not yet hold an origin entry for this species. The distribution given here comes from the specialist literature.
The natural habitat is the yardstick for how you furnish an enclosure. Knowing where an animal comes from is knowing why it needs heat zones, hides and a particular humidity.
Husbandry at a glance
The same details appear in the animal’s profile inside the app.
- Enclosure
- A large basin, better still a fenced garden pond.
- Temperature
- Water 22–26 °C, basking spot 35 °C.
- Humidity
- Aquatic.
- Lighting
- UV-B above the land section, twelve hours.
- Substrate
- Sand or bare bottom.
- Furnishings
- A large dry land section, roots, water plants.
- Water
- Powerful filter, weekly partial change.
- Feeding
- Adults mostly plant-based, juveniles more animal-based. Feed sparingly.
- Behaviour
- Diurnal, basks at length, very food-focused.
- Handling
- Only for checks.
- Cohabitation
- Alone or several females given plenty of space and several basking spots.
- Health
- Shell problems with poor water quality and no dry area.
- Seasonal cycle
- Winter rest at 6–10 °C for two to three months.
- Safety
- No permit required. Releasing is forbidden: This species too would be invasive in Swiss waters.
Legal position in Switzerland
No permit foreseen
No permit required. The species does not belong to any of the groups listed in Art. 89 of the Swiss Animal Welfare Ordinance
No certificate of competence foreseen
No proof of competence required. It is only demanded for the animals named in Art. 89 of the Ordinance
No CITES listing
Not listed in the CITES appendices: Import and transfer require no species-protection papers. Keep the proof of purchase nonetheless
Minimum enclosure dimensions
Annex 2, table 5 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance does not prescribe centimetres but multiples of body length. For this species, item 9 (Painted and pond sliders): land section 2 × 2 body lengths, plus water section 5 × 3 at 2 body lengths depth. The floor area applies to at most two animals; each further animal requires an additional 1 × 1 body lengths of land section and 2 × 2 body lengths of water section.
For this group, body length means the carapace length, measured in a straight line from the front to the rear edge of the shell, not over the curve. The largest animal in the enclosure is what counts. The enclosure may not be smaller even if fewer animals live in it than the table names.
| Carapace length | At least |
|---|---|
| 10 cm | Land section 20 × 20 cm, plus water section 50 × 30 cm, 20 cm at the deepest point |
| 15 cm | Land section 30 × 30 cm, plus water section 75 × 45 cm, 30 cm at the deepest point |
| 20 cm | Land section 40 × 40 cm, plus water section 100 × 60 cm, 40 cm at the deepest point |
| 25 cm | Land section 50 × 50 cm, plus water section 125 × 75 cm, 50 cm at the deepest point |
Animals may temporarily be kept in smaller enclosures: for quarantine, for the treatment of illness and injury, for acclimatisation, for breeding and rearing, and for winter or cold dormancy or aestivation (preliminary remark D on reptiles).
This is the legal lower limit, not a recommendation. An enclosure that meets exactly these dimensions is permitted, but not good for that reason. The details under “Husbandry at a glance” describe how the enclosure should be furnished, not how small it may be.
What the enclosure must provide
A large land section with heat and UV-B, clean filtered water, an escape-proof border for pond keeping. Releasing is forbidden.
Paperwork
Keep the purchase contract and proof of origin. Use the scientific name to check CITES and import status reliably.
These details are a guide, not legal advice. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office; the text of the ordinance is what counts. More on the legal position
