Sidney W. Painted Turtle Painted Baltimore, MD

Please read ALL of my description before contacting MATTS.

I'm a young adult western painted turtle for adoption in the Baltimore area. I am an aquatic turtle; I have to live and eat in the water. Western painteds stay a little smaller than red-eared sliders, but we stay colorful as we age, unlike a slider. I'm about 5" long and could grow to be 6-7". I'm probably around 5 years old, but could live another 20 or 30. For now, I would like at least a 55 gallon tank, although larger is nice, too. A Rubbermaid or Tuff Stuff plastic stock tank is less than $1 per gallon ($85 for 100 gallons at True Value or and Tractor Supply Co.) if you're on a budget, just saying. I'll also need a basking platform where I can haul out of the water and sit under a heat light to dry off, a UVB light, a good filter (home-made or external canister preferred), and if my water gets below 72F at night, a water heater.

I eat pellets such as Omega One, Mazuri, and ZooMed Maintenance, and greens such as leaf lettuce and edible weeds. A treat of plain cooked chicken or a slice of apple isn't bad, either.

I'm for adoption because my people didn't realize how much work I'd be when they bought me from a pet store.

I can live outside all year if I'm added to a pond starting in late May, and no later than mid-September, and the pond is dug below the frost line, AND the yard or pond is escape-proof.

Be aware that male painteds are jerks to female turtles, so if I am a male, I can't be kept with female turtles.

Here's a great book on aquatics, and it can be downloaded FOR FREE https://www.lulu.com/shop/richard-lunsford/captive-care-of-north-american-water-turtles/ebook/product-17551523.html

There is a $5 adoption fee. If interested in adopting me, please e-mail matts_adoptions@hotmail.com TO REQUEST AN APPLICATION; please INCLUDE YOUR CITY AND STATE in the e-mail, since not all turtles are legal in all states.
Local pick-up is by appointment on week days in Baltimore, MD, or on weekends in Parkton, MD, or York, PA. Shipping is possible if the adopter pays for shipping (usually $40 - $65 depending on location). Once you've completed the application and emailed it back as an attachment or in the body of an e-mail, the adoptions coordinator will go over it, and if everything is good, you'll be asked to create an enclosure if you don't already have one, and send pictures of the enclosure. Once that's reviewed, MATTS will contact you to arrange a pick-up or shipping time/location.