Hobbies And Interests
Sexual Maturity
The point at which a painted turtle reaches sexual maturity is determined by the size of the turtle rather than its age. A female painted turtle needs to reach a length of 5 inches or more in order for her to support the weight of her eggs. Her male counterpart does not need to be so large in order to begin mating. This means that male painted turtles often reach sexual maturity at a younger age than females. In males, maturity can be reached between 2 and 5 years of age, while females may mature between the ages of 4 and 10. Long periods of warm temperatures can aid turtle growth, helping them to mature sooner.
The Mating Season
The start of the mating season for painted turtles can begin as soon as hibernation ends. These turtles usually reproduce between May and July, but this can vary depending on the location and climate. In southern locations, the mating season begins later and ends sooner, providing the turtles with enough time to produce just one hatch of eggs annually. Further south, where temperatures are warmer longer, painted turtles may lay up to four hatches in one year.
Courtship and Mating Behaviour
Painted turtles do not mate for life. The may have a number of different mates. Male painted turtles, which are often smaller than female turtles, gain their mates through a courtship ritual which takes place in water. At the end of this courtship, fertilization takes place internally. In this ritual, the male turtle swims in front of the female so that they are face-to-face. He then strokes the female's face with a long claw. The female will stroke they male's limbs in a similar manner if she is happy to mate. After a few repetitions of this behavior, the turtles mate at the bottom of the body of water.
Eggs
Female painted turtles lay their eggs in nests that are formed by digging a deep, narrow hole in the ground. The number of eggs that a female turtle will lay in a single hatch can be a little as two or as many as 20. An average hatch, however, often contains between five and 10 eggs. The incubation period for painted turtle eggs is usually between 10 and 11 weeks long and the temperature of the eggs during this incubation period determines the gender of the turtles that will hatch from them. Cooler eggs, at temperatures of around 77 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, usually hatch male painted turtles while eggs at temperatures above this upper limit will usually hatch female turtles.