# What Do Painted Turtles Eat?

> What painted turtles eat: Omnivore — aquatic plants, insects, and small fish, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Ponds, lakes, and slow rivers of North America.

- **Species:** Painted Turtle (*Chrysemys picta*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Omnivore — aquatic plants, insects, and small fish
- **Habitat:** Ponds, lakes, and slow rivers of North America
- **Lifespan:** 25–35 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** Up to 5 km/h (3 mph) swimming
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/painted-turtle/what-do-painted-turtle-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/painted-turtle/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The painted turtle is a small, colourful freshwater turtle of ponds, lakes, and slow rivers across North America, named for the bright yellow and red markings on its skin and shell edges. It reaches about 18 cm and 0.2 to 0.4 kg, and is often seen basking in rows on logs. An omnivore that eats aquatic plants, insects, and small fish, it swims at up to 5 km/h and can live 25 to 35 years in the wild.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Appearance and markings

The painted turtle earns its name from the vivid pattern of yellow and red stripes on its head, neck, legs, and tail, set against a smooth, dark olive-to-black upper shell. The underside, or plastron, is often bright yellow, sometimes marked with a bold dark blotch depending on the subspecies. The shell is low and streamlined, an ideal shape for slipping easily through the water. At around 18 cm long, it is a modest-sized turtle, with females generally growing a little larger than males.

## Help protect the Painted Turtle

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/painted-turtle/what-do-painted-turtle-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.