Western painted turtles, like their eastern counterparts, are fond of basking and require a platform or sloping log where they can get their entire bodies out of the water. A basking light that provides a temperature of approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit will be needed. Plastic grating or egg crate material provides a good basking platform, as the plastic will not be abrasive to the turtle’s plastron, and the grating will allow the plastron to dry, reducing the chances of shell fungus and rot.
Western painted turtles are omnivorous and will eat aquatic plants and animal matter. Aquatic insect larvae, earthworms, crickets and chopped fish are readily consumed. They must swallow their food underwater. Turtle pellets are readily consumed in captivity. Western painted turtles have been observed feeding on dead carp in a drying New Mexico floodplain wetland.
Filtered water in an aquarium setting will help keep the western painted turtles healthy.