Red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris)

Short answers

Red-bellied cooter: How big does the enclosure need to be?

An aqua-terrarium from ~200×100 cm or an outdoor pond for adults (they grow very large); juveniles from ~100×50 cm.

Red-bellied cooter: What temperature does it need?

Daytime water 24–26 °C (summer), 18–22 °C (spring/autumn), basking spot 38–42 °C (dry basking spot), at night 18–22 °C (air above the water).

Red-bellied cooter: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: UVB needed (Ferguson zone 2–3, UV index 2–4); an HQI / UV metal-halide lamp (e.g. a SolarRaptor HID) is recommended.

Red-bellied cooter: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 30–40+ years.

Red-bellied cooter: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

water 24–26 °C (summer), 18–22 °C (spring/autumn)

Night temperature

18–22 °C (air above the water)

Basking spot

38–42 °C (dry basking spot)

Humidity

Not critical (aquatic); the basking spot must stay dry

UVB

UVB needed (Ferguson zone 2–3, UV index 2–4); an HQI / UV metal-halide lamp (e.g. a SolarRaptor HID) is recommended

Enclosure

Minimum size

an aqua-terrarium from ~200×100 cm or an outdoor pond for adults (they grow very large); juveniles from ~100×50 cm

Substrate

Fine sand or rounded gravel; water plants permanently available as food; an egg-laying site for the females

Feeding

Food

Adults are almost pure plant-eaters (~95 % plant: water plants, wild herbs, lettuce); juveniles take ~50 % animal food (insects, snails); supplemented with turtle sticks and a cuttlebone

Feeding interval

juveniles daily or often; adults plant food ad libitum, animal food as a supplement ~1×/week

Key facts

Adult size

females up to 40 cm (usually 25–32 cm), males up to ~29.5 cm; females over 4 kg

Life expectancy

30–40+ years

Origin

The Atlantic coastal plain of the eastern USA (New Jersey / New York to Virginia and North Carolina; a relict population in Massachusetts)

Protection status

Not listed under CITES, freely tradable in the EU. Note: at CITES CoP20 (2025) a proposal to add it to Appendix II was considered – the status may change

Brumation

A genuine winter rest or brumation from November to March at 4–8 °C (a northern species)

Cohabitation

Keeping them singly is preferable. The males harass the females during courtship and become aggressive towards each other – keep them singly; groups of females only with a great deal of space

Notes

Very large-growing and fond of swimming – in the long run it needs a large, stable aquaterrarium. Rarely kept in Europe; in the trade it is often confused with the Florida red-bellied cooter (P. nelsoni). Plenty of aquatic plants are essential (its main food).

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Florida cooter (Pseudemys floridana) – Intermediate
• Florida red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys nelsoni) – Intermediate
• River cooter (Pseudemys concinna) – Intermediate
• Peninsula cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis) – Intermediate
• Alabama map turtle (Graptemys pulchra) – Intermediate
• Barbour's map turtle (Graptemys barbouri) – Intermediate
• Cumberland slider (Trachemys scripta troostii) – Intermediate
• D'Orbigny's slider (Trachemys dorbigni) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (an aqua-terrarium from ~200×100 cm or an outdoor pond for adults (they grow very large); juveniles from ~100×50 cm), substrate (Fine sand or rounded gravel; water plants permanently available as food; an egg-laying site for the females), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.