Are turtles good pets for kids?

Question

We had fish for a while and only have one left (a pleco). My friend would be willing to take him, if necessary. My kids have always been fascinated by turtles.. I'm not ready to run out and buy one without research, though. Are those good pets with kids (4 to 9 yrs old)? I'm thinking of a turtle that is smaller and loves water (isn't that all them, I know).. any ideas??

I just wanted to add that my children wouldn't be allowed to "play" with the turtles w/o adult supervision... and the caring for the tank/habitat would be mostly on my husband and myself, with assistance by the children.

Um... I have a dog.. and a guinea pig.. I'm asking about turtles, not suggestions.

Answer 1

Turtles are not good pets for young kids >9 years of age. They carry salmonella. Depending on the brand of turtle you are specifically talking about... there is a lot of waste clean up involved.
For kids 9 and older... turtles are a great way to teach responsiblity, caring, and so on. I would say that when your youngest is more around 8 it would be a good idea. Just my two cents.

Answer 2

Since the primary care would be done by adults, then I would say yes. They make great pets. Some things to keep in mind though, small turtles (under 4 inches) cannot legally be sold or kept in the US, (Though you can find them everywhere). They carry salmonella which can be deadly to children. There are remedies and ways to treat the critters though, and it is easy enough to keep everyone healthy if hands are washed thoroughly before and after handling the turtles. I don't know of any turtles that stay small and remember they can live 100 years (or more), so better plan on great grandchildren being as thrilled with turtles are you are... Pet turtles can be released into the wild (sometimes) if it is allowable in the area where you live and if you keep their instincts intact, like occasionally feeding live food (minnows). If you aren't scared off yet, then go for it! I have 6 different kinds, and have had many others throughout the years. 4 of mine right now are special needs and can never be released.

Answer 3

I don't usually recommend turtles as pets for children, people who have many other pets, etc. but that is ultimately your choice. I am glad you are doing research first!

Here are some points to consider:
1. The set up for a turtle to be healthy and happy can easily run $150- big enough tank, heater, filter (a good turtle filter is almost $100 itself!), UVB and basking lighting, etc.

2. As you know, this is not a touchy pet, but younger kids love to and desperately WANT to touch everything. Disease issues aside, this is stressful for turtles.

3. If you want a smaller turtle, consider the Reeve's Turtle, or the mud or musk turtles. You can learn about them at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com (this is a GREAT resources for turtles!) For a land turtle, think about an Eastern Box Turtle.

4. The pleco would not bother most turtles. Some turtles harass and nibble on fish, but plecos are usually fairly immune.

5. Properly cared for, a turtle can easily be a 10-30 year pet. Think your sons will still be interested at 24 and 29 years old?

Answer 4

I think they are good for kids. Older kids like 4-9 years old im sure would be old enough to know that they are not a toy. Seeing as i LOVE turtles and collected everything about turles since I was a kid. I was about 14 yrs old when i first got a turtle.. I spent all my money trying to care for her now I am 21 yrs and still have her. It is now my son's pet turtle now (hopefully she stays with us for much longer) I think they are GREAT pets. You can buy a tiny pool and put her in there to swim =) Just that if they snap it is not the best feeling. But they are GREAT aniimals to have if they are well taken care of.

P.S another thing, They are very HIGH maintanence you MUST clean then atleast once a week or once every two weeks or else they become very STINKY.

Answer 5

Turtles make great pets, but they aren't low maintenance. They require a good filter for the tank size, a good tank for the turtle, a water heater, a basking area, a basking light, and a UV bulb. A typical rule of thumb for tank size is ten gallons for every inch of turtle. For a filter, I get one that is twice the recommended tank size. The bigger the filter, the better. The water temp for a red eared slider should be around 78 degrees F. They will also need a basking area where they can be completely dry, and the temp there should be about 90 degrees F. You need an ultra violet light for artificial sunlight in the tank, but it is good to let the turtle out in a pen or kiddie pool to get some real sun every once in a while. Red eared sliders get pretty big, with females growing up to a foot and males growing to be 8-10 inches. They are prone to infections and sicknesses such as soft shell rot and repository infection if they do not get proper accommodations. If you are going to get a turtle, you must take the responsibility that comes with it.

Answer 6

Depends on how old they are. Turtles can carry diseases and if a child handles them and doesn't wash afterwards could quite possibly make them sick. I have two boys and I had turtles and they were 7 and 6 and I would sit with them when they played to monitor them and make sure once they were done that they did wash their hands. They are great pets and will stay around for a long time if taken care of properly but have to be extra careful if handling them.

I just wanted to add too, that you may want to go with an eastern map turtle or sliders, sliders are often smaller than most turtles. But they are fun to watch and you can train them to eat from your hands, I had all three of mine hand feeding.

Answer 7

Well don't know about turtles but we have 2 terrapins, they were very small when we got them 3 years ago, now they have grown huge,we have had to put them into a huge Fish Tank, they are great pets, and the kids love them, but just bare in mind that they will grow very large, these are now the size of an average Dinner Plate and only 3 years old, and remember they will probably out live you, and possibly your children, so make sure you really want these fabulous creatures, best of luck with your decision.

Answer 8

no as they bite ALOT so do terraquins and all crocodilians and snakes but if u do want a turtle get a realy young1 and dont let any1 under 6 touch it even if the turtles only 1 but my suggestion is get a tortoise as they can be really cool companions as i had 1 wen i was a child and they can live upto 100 years old so i would go with that option and trhey are also like turtles BUT they dont swim

Answer 9

My little brother is dying for a turtle so im sure they'll love it and if your wondering about safety, i would google turtle safety

Answer 10

Probably, Pretty much all turtles do is float in a pond, eat, and sleep. That's sounds pretty easy to take care of to me.