For your purposes, a box turtle won't be the best option. Reason being, any one you get that's grown, will likely have come from the wild. They're about as comfortable with change as your average American (grin), which doesn't make them easy house/garden pets. Captive-bred ANYthings are always easier, but baby box turtles can present their own host of troubles.



Actually, ANY young land turtle (tortoises included) will not be much fun, because they're engineered to always hide. They don't handle well when young, either (they just can't perceive it as harmless). They're sensitive to humidity (too much, too little, etc.) because small things dry out quickly. Tortoises are sensitive to their diets, too.



(Drumroll) Water turtles are the best option for a visual pet. There's not quite as much compulsion to hold/touch (sortof like with fish), and many species are available as babies that are far more outgoing, tolerant of mistakes, easy to feed, etc.



Much like others have said already, you must always perceive any reptile as an adult's responsibility (I killed more turtles than I bred till I was in highschool), and a visual enrichment for the child. I think turtles are suitable for responsible, educated PARENTS who want children to have animals they can look at. Reptiles don't interact well (whether or not they show signs of aggression). They don't comprehend good intentions when picked up from their environments for handling (although some come to stress but little over it). Because of this, they demand a very different pet-keeping mindset from their owners if they're to thrive.



Do consider those water turtles. You'll be hardpressed to see strong attitude as this from shy little land turtles. Ask more questions.

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