Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My son is 10 yrs old & he has found a box turtle... can he keep this for a pet? Will it bite him? If he can keep as a pet... what does it eat... Please help?

Thanks..

Box turtles do not make good pets. Most people in here are keeping box turtles as a hobby. Not as Pets. A box turtle will eat worms, slugs, and just about any kind of bug they can catch. They also like mushrooms, cantaloupe, strawberries, red grapes etc. A box turtle should also have a small pan of water that he can climb into and soak and drink form. You need to change the water daily as they also use it as a toilet. An adult box turtle needs to be housed outside in a turtle pen. The bigger the pen the better. Turtles like to hide under leaves, logs, etc. A wild caught turtle might go weeks before he starts to eat. My advice is, after a few days have your son take the turtle back to the same spot he found him and let him go. If he really wants a pet, get him a dog. A dog will be your son’s friend for life. A turtle will never be a friend. These are some pictures of my Turtle pen.

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Jack

I have to concur with what Jack wrote. A turtle doesn't make a good pet for the average person. Kids in particular get tired of them because they don't do much because they are turtles. They can live 50 years if well taken care of. That is far longer than most marriages. It is an immence commitment. You, as a parent, would have to be willing to make that kind of commitment to the animal...........

But before we go there.... In some parts of the USA it is illegal to take them from the wild. This varies from state to state, but more and more states are putting laws protecting wild populations in place.

I too would release the turtle where you found it or as close to that place as possible. If your son can't have a cat or a dog as a pet, and would really like a reptile try a Bearded Dragon. They are easy to keep. There is a lot of information available in books and on the web about them so that you can learn how to care for the animal before you get it. They have great personalities and interact with people much like a dog does. I reccomend them to mey students with fur allergies. But with any pet your son gets remember that you have to know just as much as he needs to to train him to properly care for the animal, and be willing to take over if he loses interest. By the way, Beared Dragons live about 10 years. Here is a picture of mine