Animals
Bunnies
Bunnies II 
Cat-N-Around Cat Club
Cat-N-Around Cat Club 2007 Annual Show
Hawkeye Cat Club 2004
Hawkeye Cat Club 2005
Chinchillas
Degus
Ferrets
Ferrets by BOB
Gerbils
Ground Squirrels
Guinea Pig
Hamsters I
Hamsters II
Hamsters III
Hamsters IV
Hamsters V
Hedgehogs
Kittens
Kids & Kittens
Mice
Mice Pets II
Parasites
Rats I
Rats II
Rats III
Rats, Hairless
S-T Opossums
Siberian Chipmunks
Sugar Gliders
Sugar Gliders II
Water Bottles

Bugs
Crabby 500
Crab 04 Results
Centipedes
Cray/Lobsters
Crayfish II
Crayfish III
Cray, Yucatan
Fiddler Crabs
Shrimp, Algae
Shrimp, Aqua
Shrimp, Orange Bee
Shrimp, Red
Shrimp, Flower
Shrimp, Ghost
Shrimp, Rudolph
Hermit Crabs
Hermit Crabs II
Madagas Roach
Mantids
Mini-Clams
Mini-Crabs
Patriot Crabs
Giant Millipedes
Red Claw Crabs
Reiman Butterfly
Spider, Black Widow
Snail, Apple
Snail, Colombian
Snail, Land
Snail, Malaysian
Snail, Mystery
Snail, Trapdoor 
Scorpions
Tarantulas
Tarantulas II
Tarantula Night 2006
TarantulaWeen VII
TarantulaWeen 9
Walking Stick
Misc. Bugs
Misc Bugs II  

Birds
Breeding Tips
Button Quail
Canaries
Cockatiels
Dove, Diamond
Dove, Ringneck
Finches
Love Birds
Parakeets
Pelleted Foods
Quaker Parrots
Parrot Pictures
Parrot Pix II
Parrot Pix III
Dave's Parrots

Lizards
Alligators
Anoles
Bearded Dragon
Beardies II
Calotes
Chamel, Jackson
Chamel, Panther
Chamel, Veiled
Crested Geckos
Gecko, Golden
Gecko, House
Gecko, Leopard
Gecko, Tokay
Horned "Toads"
Iguana New
Iguana Dragons
Iguana Q&A I
Iguana Q&A II
Iguana Training
Iguana Update
Cool Iguana Pics
Knight Anoles
Monitors, Nile
Monitors, Savana
Monitors, Water
Salmonella
Skinks
Skinks Blue-Tongue
Tegus
Uromastyx maliensis
Water Dragon
Misc Lizards
Misc Lizards 2
Misc Lizards 3
Misc Lizards 4
Misc Lizards 5
Misc Lizards 6
Misc Lizards 7
Misc Lizards 8
Misc Lizards 9
Misc Lizards 10


Snakes
Anacondas
Boa, Rosy
Boa, Red-Tail
Corn Snake
Garter Snake
Green Snake
Kids/Corn Snakes
Kids/Red-Tail Boas

Kids at Pet Expo 1

Kids at Pet Expo 2

Kids at Pet Expo 3

Kids at Pet Expo 4

Kids at Pet Expo 5
King & Milk
Python, Ball
Python, Burmese

Snakes Alive
Snakesgiving
Snakesgiving II
Misc Snake Pix
Misc Snakes II
Misc Snakes III  

Turtles/Tortoises
Box, Asian
Box, USA
Races
Snapping
Spiny

Sulcata
Water
Western Painted

Live Foods
Blackworms
Blood Worms
Br Shrimp I
Br Shrimp II
Crayfish 1
Crayfish 2
Crayfish 3 
Crickets
Dandelions
Daphnia
Earthworms
Feeder Goldfish
Fruit Flies
Ghost Shrimp

Glass Worms

Grindal Worms
Infusoria
Mealworms
Microworms
Rosy Reds

Super Worms

Wax Worms
White Clouds

Decorating
Bubbles
Driftwood
Gravel
Plastic Plants
Rocks
Slow Growing Plants

Miscellaneous
Bob's Acclimation

How to Start
How to Add New Fish
How to Keep Healthy
Which Fish Get Along?
10 Questions to Ask
What is Ich?
Under Gravel Filters

Sponge Filters
Cloudy Water
Cool Water Tanks
Gravel Vacuums
Preventing Disease
Feeding to the Max
Frozen Foods
Green Water
Nasty Chemicals
Overfeeding
Power Filters
Rift Lake Salts
Quarantine Tank
Mini-Tank
2nd Av Bait

Pet World Visit
Dandelions

Aquatic Plants
Amazon Swords
More Swords
Sword Plants III
Anubias
Anacharis
Aponogetons
A. boivinianus
A. fenestralis
A. ulvaceous
Aquarium/Bog
Banana Plant
Bolbitis
Bunch
Bunch Plants II
Cryptocorynes
Crystalwort
Dwarf Lily
Grassy
Grassy II
Hornwort
Hygrophila
Lace
Java Fern I
Java Fern II
Java Fern III
Java Fern IV
Java Moss
Moss Balls
Onion
Vermiculite
Watersprite
Different Watersprite

LA
Painted turtles in good condition look like this.

LA
But there's lots of variation.

LA
Painted turtles looking like this are ready to shed.

LA
Baby painted turtles have the brightest colors.

LA
If yours look like this, wipe off his shell.  It's harmless, but wipe him off anyway.

LA
If you don't change your water often, your turtle starts looking white from lime in the water.

Quick I.D.  Flip your turtle over and look at his belly (plastron).  The plastron was named after the metal shield worn on the chests of warriors before someone invented bullets.  His plastron protects his chest and guts -- sort of the ultimate "six pack."  It comes in handiest when basking.  Oh, I digressed so much I almost forgot, his belly shell is mostly red with a yellow and greenish-black pattern.

LA
Painted turtles basking in the sun at our Des Moines Blank Park Zoo.

Professional Baskers.  As card-carrying members of the AAPBA (Aquatic American Professional Baskers Association), painted turtles while away innumerable hours sun-bathing.  This warms up their ectothermic tootsies, helps them build vitamin D₃, and kills some of the stuff that tries to grow on their backs -- fungi, algae, and leeches.

LA
Nice beak on these guys.  Pick them up by the other end.  Most will bite you if you're careless.

LA
Larger but less excitable guy.

LA
Pick your painted turtle up by the butt end.

Foods.  Anything alive or formerly alive tastes fine to warm painted turtles.  They use their beaks to tear off swallowable orts   Because they have no tongue, they need to eat in the water.  Young ones eat mostly meat.  Adults also eat plants.  The ones in the middle eat crawdads, frogs, worms (and other fish bait), insects, tadpoles, minnows, goldfish, leeches, turtle pellets, turtle sticks, frozen foods, freeze-dried foods and anything dead they stumble across or swim into.  Fishermen hate them because a herd of turtles will quickly devour an entire stringer of fish.  And the fish hate them, too.  Fishermen (and women) also hate them because they steal their bait.

krittersinthemailbox.com/animals/turtles

Why Did the Turtle Cross the Road?  Well. it wasn't to show the chicken how it's done.  (Come to think of it, you don't see any chickens crossing the road these days.)  Female turtles possess a built-in urge to lay their eggs in the stomping grounds from which they emerged as quarter-sized hatchlings.  The smart ones sneak across  the road at night (when the traffic is lighter but the concrete's still warm).  The slow ones are still on the road.

LA
Males sport longer "finger" nails.

LA
Males also have longer tails.

Sexing/Breeding.  Painted turtle males sport longer nails and tails.  As the weather warms in the spring and the lilacs are in bloom. the male swims in front of a hopefully willing female and caresses her cheeks with those long "finger" nails.  If she's receptive, she does the same to him.  He then swims behind her and uses his long front nails to grasp her securely.  He then moves his tail under her to breed her.  In time, she'll lay her small clutch of eggs in a nest she digs in sandy or loose soil that gets plenty of sun.  As mentioned earlier, she attempts to return to her ancestral breeding grounds just like the endangered sea turtles.  The eggs hatch in August if not eaten by raccoons or one of my neighbors.  If the temp was cool (below 82 F), mostly females develop.  Above 86, mostly males hatch out.  Don't ask how they know.  The stats have been in for years.  Males want to breed at four years of age.  Females mature sexually at six.  Both sexes live two decades.

LA
Under four inches -- Verboten.

LA
Cute but not sellable.

Street Illegal.  Back in '73, the feds came thru and killed all our little turtles.  See Salmonella.  Turtles now have to be four inches or longer before we can monger them.  We've heard of kiosks being set up in malls and mongering the little guys for "scientific or educational purposes only."  They sell the baby turtles for half a day then fade away into the milling crowds.  They're illegal for us to sell under four inches, but you can keep any size you capture from the wild -- provided, of course, that you possess a valid fishing license.  Your best chances of capturing a wild baby turtle occur in August/September.

LA
Don't think painted turtles can't climb.  Snappers can't, but these guys can.

Great Escapers.  If you keep your painted turtle in your backyard, he's liable to go missing.  When not basking, they are looking for that red EXIT sign.  Since they have nothing else to do, they spend all their time wandering around looking for a way out.  If you put one in your pond, it will also likely wander off.  If a lot of children live in your neighborhood, your turtle's chances of wandering off go way up.

LA
♫Fatty, fatty, Two by four ...

Hibernation.  Your painted turtle gets chunkier in the fall -- sometimes so stout he can barely pull into his/her shell.  In the wild (like my backyard), they hibernate over the winter.  They live off that fat when they hibernate.  They slow their heartbeat and add Prestone anti-freeze to their blood.  They absorb the O₂ they need thru their skin.  If your painted turtle goes off his/her feed during the months with an R in them, it probably means he's full.  It could also mean he's too cool or sick.  If warming him/her up to 80 F does not help, call your reptile vet.  Contact one that works with turtles.  Other vets will often refer you to such vets.

LA
Baby turtles face many threats.

Threats.  Not many critters can pester an adult turtle.  Cold snaps and dirty water are their biggest threats.  Little ones are threatened by raccoons, skunks, opossums, dirty water, and cold snaps.  Even large fishes can gulp down a baby turtle.  Kids may also pose a threat but may insure that little turtle lives his full 20 years.

LA
Herd of western painted turtles.  Ketchup squirter for size.

LA
Here's a devoted western turtle fan who brought in his turtle for us to see.

LA
10-incher returning to the wild.

Last Words.  Turtles make very easy and entertaining pets.  Keep them out of your mouth.  Wash your hands after handling them.  LA

Pond Info 
Blank Park Zoo
Bob Humphrey's Ponds
Cattails
Maffett Reservoir
DMACC's Pond
D.M. Botanical Center
D.M. Water Works
Dr. Ervanian's Garden
Duckweed
Dwarf Lily
Ewing Park "Pond"
Jan & Chris's Water Garden
John McDonald's Pond
Hall's Four Acres
Klines' Water Garden
Landscaper Effects
Mini-Pond Pics
Pioneer Corn's Pond
Pond Fish Predators
Pond on 38th Street 
Pond Pics
Pond Plants
More Pond Plants
Pond Plants III
Reiman Ponds
River Scenes
Riverview Island
Selin's Water Gardens
Selin's Japanese Garden
Tom's Used Cars Pond
Urbandale Duck Pond
Water Hyacinth
Water Lettuce
Wild Ponds