This species is highly aquatic, rarely venturing away from water. In the eastern U.S., nests are laid in well-drained soil above the water line near a river, lake or other body of water. No nests have been reported in California. Requires a natural or artificial body of water. In California, it is encountered most frequently in artificial water impoundments, although it has been observed in the Sacramento River.
Water is a physiological requirement.
In California, this species seems largely restricted to artificial bodies of water. They bask in early morning, forage in the water in mid-morning, then bask intermittently through the afternoon. In the eastern U. S., this species copulates in early spring and lays eggs in early May to early June. No reproduction has been reported in California. This turtle probably is preyed upon by most larger wild mammalian predators, cats, dogs, and humans.