There is no information on habitat use in its European introduced range. In its native range, the species inhabits a wide variety of permanent and temporary water bodies, from rivers to marshes and brackish situations, though its optimal habitat is characterized by shallow, densely vegetated waters with little or no flow. The species is an omnivorous generalist, consuming almost any kind of animal or vegetable matter available. The juveniles are exclusively carnivorous.

This is one of the smallest freshwater turtles. Because of its vivid colouration and the small size, this turtle species is very much in demand for by turtle pet keepers, and it is this one of the reasons why it has been introduced to Europe.

In the European region, this species does not commonly occur/reproduce in the wild, and most of the sightings relate to individuals released from captivity into urban artificial waterbodies. However, it has been introduced to Spain on at least four different occasions and to the UK, in both countries without any evidence of reproduction in the wild (CABI), although there are records from mainland Spain over the period 2011 to 2019 (Poch et al. 2020) suggesting either ongoing releases or reproduction. Other European introduced records include Austria, Germany, and Malta. In some European countries (such as Italy) this species has never been massively traded, and in fact there are no established wild subpopulations originating from the release of formerly captive individuals. This list is unlikely to be complete.

This species is native to Canada, the continental United States and northern Chihuahua, Mexico, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia to southern Georgia and the upper Colorado River system of Utah and Arizona (TTWG 2021). The species mainly occupies the Atlantic lowlands east of the Appalachian Mountains, from Nova Scotia to northern Georgia.

Conservation actions are not applicable. Monitoring of populations in Europe is recommended.