Eastern painted turtle hatchlings in the wild may overwinter in their nests. These tiny one-inch-long (2.5cm) creatures can survive even if frozen. Adult turtles are also quite hardy, and they have been seen swimming under ice. Most eastern painted turtles hibernate during the cold winter. They burrow in the muck at the bottom of pools, or seek out muskrat burrows or other hiding places. During hibernation, their need for oxygen is greatly reduced. They can rely on the skin, the lining of the throat, and thin-walled air sacs in the anus to absorb oxygen in the water, which is sufficient.

Because of the extremely wide distribution of eastern painted turtles, the coldest and warmest winters in the United States are They are everywhere. The northernmost subspecies hibernates regularly and for longer periods of time than the southern subspecies. The southern painted turtles and western painted turtles living in the southern end of the distribution area may not hibernate.