Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im going to white plains show on the 18th while there im thinking of getting something for 4yr old girl. We are located in Northern Jersey. im looking to get a tortoise or turtle for her, what would be best for me to get? looking for something less then $50 and if possible something not needing uvb lights and all. It should be easy to take care of and doesnt get big, im looking for something small.

Box turtles are not very suitable pets for small children...They don't 'do' a whole lot, can carry salmonella, which could make your child very sick, and can be very expensive to care for, because they can be high maintenance pets, especially if kept indoors.
They're difficult to keep healthy indoors, and vet bills are higher for exotic pets. Are you willing to pay a premium?

Keep in mind also that you will also have to get a permit to have a box turtle in New Jersey. And box turtles most certainly do require UVB light.
After re-reading your post, I would definitely say that a box turtle is not for you. Sorry.

why dont you get her a plastic toy turtle? They need no light, food, exercise,or any care at all. Just my .02

Please think of the life of the turtle or tortoise and don't buy one! They are not suitable pets for young children--my 12 yr. old is very responsible and herp experienced and I wouldn't let him have one. They require specialized care to do well, and vets can be expensive, even for minor things like treating parasites. These are animals that could outlive you, not toys. Please, please, please don't buy one!
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise
0.0.1 Marginated Tortoise
plus my kids' herps:
0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

I would sugest a musk turle I Had one for six years so i know they make a good pet. We caught ours while fishing with my young sons in a lake. Musk turles are the smalles turles (less then 4 inches). We keep him in a 10 gallon fish tank. This type of turtle does not come out of the water to get sun so it does not need extra light. During the summer the turle would eat all the bugs and worms my sons could find. He also at the gold fish that we put in the tank with him. He also at the floating turle food. Because they are good eaters u need a filter for the fish tank. Every on that came over was always amased that this litte turle could catch the gold fish in the tank.
After 6 years we ran out of room in the house for a fish tank so on a warm spring day i took the turle back to the same spot were we caught him and let him go. They are fun turtles to watch in the tank but you can not give them to a child to play with because they do bite. I know they are native to NJ but i have aslo see them for sale in the classifieds for 15$
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Jack

First of all, I have mud and musk turtles and they DO need a place to get out of the water. Although they do not bask as often as sliders do, mine get on top of their rock and bask a couple of times a week. So I feel very bad for your poor little musk who never had the chance to BASK!
And, musk turtles emit a strong odor when they are distressed,NOT A PET YOU CAN HOLD!!!

I have also a musk and a common mud, great turtles but any turtle needs a minimum of care. And my mud and musk get out every now and again!
Get a toy for your kids

if you really want to get her something thats alive get her a feeder guppy, it'll probly go belly up by the time she's tired of it and wants a dog
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since you are getting a lot of negitive advice i thought i'd give you some good advice.
they have a point when they say you shouldn't get a turtle, but the fact is that turtles make great pets. you just have to be willing to take good care of them. you can expect to take care of it yourself because turtles require fresh food 2 to 3 times a week. and a way to get around extra lighting would be an outdoor pen but in NJ you would need to bring them in when it gets cold.
if you are willing to care for this animals and take it to a vet if needed then i would have to say that many types of box turtle would be well suited to your needs. MAKE SURE it is captive bred. if you get a wild caught turtle it will most likely die without a ton of extra care a captive bred turtle will be much more hardy and can be kept in smaller courters without being too unhappy
hope that helps
P.S tortoises are a bit harder to take care of them box turtles

Well said! I don't think it is up to us to tell people what pets they can or can't have. We should simply give the facts and let people decide for themselves!

Let's see, they're looking for something that's cheap, doesn't need lights, heating, or a special setup, doesn't need much care, and small (which tells me they want to stick it into something tiny). Where in that post does it tell you that they are willing to put in the effort it would take to keep a turtle or tortoise?

I can tell you from experience that a CB tortoise, even a baby, will use all the room you can give it. Even a hatchling needs at least 2' x 3'.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise
0.0.1 Marginated Tortoise
plus my kids' herps:
0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

I think you are making it seem like turtles are a hard pet to take care of which they are not you may disagree but in my expeirence you basically have some initial costs like the pen and lighting and heating pads but after you have an adequet setup you basically feed them and clean up after them i don't think it would be easy for a child but a responsible adult should find turtle keeping a breeze

Well, they're certainly more challenging than some other types of reptiles. Don't forget the dietary requirements, vet costs, etc. I'm not arguing that chelonians are impossible to care for, but simply that the original poster didn't sound as though they were interested in something that would require much care. You're right that once you have things set up, the work load isn't too bad, but it's not as though you can just slap lettuce in there once in a while, either, lol.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise
0.0.1 Marginated Tortoise
plus my kids' herps:
0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

i totally agree with you i think the poster has a lot of research to do but i still think they could be a fine turtle owner given the chance
these days we get alot of help caring for our turtles by commercialization you can pretty much buy a can of pellets and get most of their dietry needs covered depending on the turtle anyway some would need a bunch of meat with it
but anyway i agree with you bottom line is before you get a pet always research it then i think if your willing to care for it you should go ahead but if your not and you get one thats just cruel

Well for Sohni read my post and then read this one you posted. I dont think I said anything about all the things you stated. I said nothing about no heating or special setup. I said something on the small side because I know some turtles and tortoise get really big, I said no uvb because I read a issue of Reptiles mag that spoke about a turtle that did not need uvb. Thank you for those who gave a positive reply, those who stated I was going to let a 4ry old take care of it, vet bills would be high and that I was looking for something I can just throw a piece of lettuce in the tank and leave it I have been into and owned reptiles for over 10 yrs now. I am also now into breeding and own 1.1 het for albino poss het snow boas and several leos and hope to soon have some ball pythons. I was just wondering if it was something that can go in her room that she can watch and get interested in and of course me and her mom would take care of it at most she would probably feed it with our supervision, also she is around sometimes when I feed and clean my herps and she seems to like them.

Your initial post was very brief, you can see, and left significant gaps that some of us filled in ourselves.If you had spelled some of this out in your first post, you may have gotten responses that were less blunt.
I don't think a box turtle would be the right pet for your child, because they most certainly do require UVB, and don't thrive when kept in a tank: they have a tendency to try to get out if they can see out. Even hatchlings will try this.
I don't know what else to suggest because I'm not familiar with the needs/requirements of other types of turtles or tortoises.
What I would suggest is that, once you have decided on what you want, to explore the option of adopting one from a herp rescue organization.
Regards,
Stephanie

Sorry, I see too many posts on the tortoise forum from people who want a tortoise because they're cute, but they don't want to take care of it properly. I still maintain that a tortoise is not a good pet for a young child, partly because they don't like to be handled excessively, and it's hard for a child to understand that. If you are willing to take on the major responsibility, then a russian tortoise might work for you. They are very hardy, and you can build an outdoor pen for the summer (tortoises need to be outside as much as possible), then bring it in for the winter. They also don't get too big. Most of them are WC, though, so you would have to take in in for a vet check and probably treat for parasites.

Again, I apologize for being harsh. Tortoises and turtles are wonderful animals and I hate to see them being neglected.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise
0.0.1 Marginated Tortoise
plus my kids' herps:
0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

its ok I guess I didnt give alot of info and I do myself see some of the post in other forums that you guys are talking about. After reading all the replies I decided not to go with turtle of tortoise, I want to get her some kinda pet, she has a goldfish but pays no attention to it. Thanks for the replies

If you don't mind the tails, rats can make very good pets--they're smart, not hard to care for, and don't usually bite. Guinea pigs can also be great pets. Both of these would tolerate handling if you taught her how to be gentle with them. Good luck with whatever you decide.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise
0.0.1 Marginated Tortoise
1.0 3 Toed Box Turtle (rescued)
plus my kids' herps:
0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko