pet turtles?

Question

How difficult is a turtle to keep as a pet? What do they eat? Do they get expensive to care for? We are thinking about getting a pet for our toddler...and a turtle sounds like an interesting option. Where would we find one to keep?

Answer 1

Although a turtle is easy to keep,as they are vegetarians.They are illegal to keep in alot of areas.If you don't find them in your local pet store,they are probably illegal. They can carry salmonella, and are not a great choice for little ones.That being said, my cousin kept her turtle in a pen in the back yard and it ate grass,lettuce and other veges and fruit.Each winter it buried itself and emerged again in the spring. It was around for probably 10 years

Answer 2

Aww turtles. I remember as kids we had turtles. They are very inexpensive and inexpensive to keep. I would suggest getting you a 10 or 15 gallon tank and put rocks in it so they can get in and out of the water. Also our turtle likes it when we put him in the kitchen sink with a little bit of water and we fed him things like bugs, his favorite thing was bologna. Sounds weird but he liked it. We would even let our turtle roam the house for a few hours just making sure that there were no stairs or things he could get stuck in. You could always close off a room and let him get his exercise. Our turtle lasted almost 10 years like this. They can live a very long life if you learn to take care of it.
I think this would be a perfect pet for a toddler. You can purchase friendly turtles at your local pet store. Just make sure you dont pick the bitting ones :-)

Answer 3

I have had a few pet turtles and basically they are a pain in the *** if you keep them in an aquarium, now if you have something like an atrium that wouldn't be so bad but if not i would suggest you get a different pet.

Answer 4

A turtle is not a suitable pet for a toddler.

Answer 5

water Turtles are initially expensive to set up. they n eed a large tank, a strong filter (they are pretty dirty) a basking area like a rock, and proper lighting, plus a submersible heater isnt a bad idea either. turtles are great and interesting pets, but they are NOT suitable for children. they are not a pet you can cuddle up with...you can get them used to being handled if you get them as babies and handle them a lot...but its not a wise idea for children to do this, and some turts would probably never get used to it. they can be shy animals. but, either way, please consider another type of pet for your toddler. a turtle would not be suitable.

Answer 6

it depends on the kind of turtle you chose. i have 2 map turtles and the tanks and filters and lights are pricey , water changes are time consuming and messy . the most common aquatic are red ear sliders and they get quite large ( dinner plate size) and should have at least 10 gallons of water per inch of shell . also i wouldnt reccomend getting a turtle as a pet for a child because they carry salmonella and could put your child at risk .

Answer 7

it depends on the type of turtle (you can buy good ones at petco), some turtles are really expensive to care for, they might need heat, and some oher fancy stuff, but maybe a leopard gecko is better for a toddler, they're more easy to handle .*)

Answer 8

And who's going to help the toddler care for the turtle?
You're obviously not qualified.

Answer 9

You have to clean their tank or cage A LOT or it will stink....and I wouldn't get one for a toddler because turtles carry salmonella and if your toddler touches it and then puts his or her hands in their mouth they can get very sick.......

Answer 10

a water turtle is not good because it causes selimenila and can get the child sick