Origin: North America, United States
Length: up to 20 centimeters
Weight: up to 2 kilograms
Age: up to 40 years
The shield is fairly round in outline and fairly flattened. It owes its name to its striking red and yellow spots and stripes from head to carapace.

Care
Experience: Novice Turtle Owner
Food: Vegetables, herbs, special turtle food.
Adult feeding: daily
Feeding young: Food available at all times
Water bowl: Yes
Water change: 3 times a week

Nutrition
The ornamental turtle is an omnivore that eats the most plants. In captivity they can live on a diet of vegetables and herbs. In addition, they can also get dog food, cat food and special water turtle food, which complements their diet well.

Water
Because the ornamental turtles are most common in rivers and lakes, they need a terrarium that can hold a minimum of 40cm of water, not too much water. So that they can have a good swim.

Cleaning
To clean the terrarium, it is the intention that part of the water must be changed at least once a week. The food remains that should preferably be removed immediately, so that you prevent the filter from getting clogged. You can rinse the filter completely clean with cold water once every 3 months.

Handling
There will be times when you need to handle your turtle and it must be done correctly so that no injury or stress can be involved. Handle the turtle by grabbing it at the back of its shell. This is helpful when they are unable to scratch your hand with their paws or bite their head. If this is the case, the turtle can settle on your hand, with all the consequences that entails. In addition, always wash your hands before handling and make sure to handle the turtle with two hands.

Housing
Minimum size stay for 1 couple: 150 * 50 * 50 with a water depth of 40 cm
Surface: 0.75m2 per turtle
Day temperature: 18-22C
Night temperature: 15-20C
Hours of light: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Soil cover: coarse sand, loam sand

Design
The ornamental turtle needs a real aquarium with a land area and water shared. This means that the terrarium is quite bare with few plants. The terrarium should have a piece of land without sharp edges. This needs to be kept dry so they can dry their shell properly.

Ornamental turtles need UV light to make vitamin D. You can give them this by using a UV lamp if they are kept indoors. If they are kept outside, sunlight is sufficient.

Once it gets nice and warm outside, the turtles can also be kept in an outdoor pond. An easy guideline is: when the temperature is above 20c degrees at night, the turtles can stay outside, this is usually from April to September. This country house has a few requirements that it must meet. It should have a shelter with a heat lamp in it. This ensures that they can still warm up on a somewhat colder day. The enclosure must also have shade and hiding places. You can achieve this by placing some plants, but make sure that the plants are not poisonous to the turtle. The turtle must not be able to escape, because of their climbing behavior a fence of 50 cm is really needed. Lastly, it should be safe from dogs, cats, and other predators.

Behaviour
Diet: Omnivorous with a tendency towards herbs and vegetables.
Lifestyle: Testial & Diurnal

Character
They are interesting and active animals that can be busy, but need a lot of space to be well kept.

Points of attention
ornamental turtles go into hibernation. In the wild they do this up to 9 months but in captivity it is recommended to hibernate them at a temperature of 10 to 15c.

Cost and Purchase
Legislation: The ornamental turtle falls under CITES II, to own this turtle you need CITES or transfer papers. You should receive this with the purchase.
One-off costs: This includes the costs for accommodation, lighting, heating, terrarium and decoration. This can together cost a few hundred euros to a few thousand euros. The final amount depends on the quality and size of the products.
Fixed costs: Fixed costs include the costs for the feed, which is several tens of euros per year.
Unexpected Costs: Costs have been incurred when your turtle happens to fall ill or your equipment breaks down.