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.

Get a leopard gecko, seriously. You will have to care for it,
there's nothing a child can keep as a pet and you need to supervise
all handling of the animal and subsequent hand washing.
Turtles and tortoises don't care for handling much, even the
leo might not like it, small children can be unintentionally
brutal (keep the cage locked when you're not there).

I already posted a message to you on the box turtle forum, but I just wanted to add, that a 4 yr. old child is not really capable of caring for any type of pet, and there are very few pets that are suitable for a child that young. If you want to take the responsibility of caring for the animal and supervising the child carefully, then a leopard gecko "might" be OK, but personally I wouldn't get one. Teach your child the proper way to approach and handle all kinds of animals, take him/her to shows, zoos, etc., and observe how the animals react and vice versa. Then think about getting a pet. Around age 8 is usually a great age for reptile ownership, and they can really be involved in care.

If you want to get a pet for yourself, great, but your post didn't sound that way. Please don't buy a turtle or tortoise and let it be a throwaway.
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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 don't want to scare you off tortoises or reptiles in general, but they are generally not considered safe pets for kids under 7 years old (or anybody immunocompromised or pregnant for that matter).
Many reptiles carry parasites, that can be transmitted to humans as well, and while they can be treated and erradicated, this might be a lot more difficult with salmonella, which tend to get resistant to antibiotic treatment, and develop into very hard to treat strains.
While these things are a lot more easily to control when adults are involved, who understand and practice proper hygienic and cleaning practices, this is a lot more difficult for a 4 year old, as you must know for sure.
I do not want to overrate these dangers, but having an (older) child of my own I just know, that I would never want to put her at a preventable risk.
My daughter was and is absolutely crazy about turtles and tortoises since she has been four, but she had to wait (and collected a stuffed and plastic turtle zoo in the meantime), until she was able to handle a real one appropriately!
Good luck with finding a good pet (pets ARE great for kids)
Gaby

Hi,

I have two tortoises and I also have four kids. They range from age 9 to age 3. I think having a tort with children is fine but you just have to be on top of them to wash there hands throughly after handling the tort. My three year old is only allowed to hold our torts if she is sitting down and I am right there with her. Then when we are done I help her wash her hands. We have had no problems so far...but we make sure the torts are out of reach of the three year old....just in case.
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Becki

1 Husband
4 kids
2 Hermans
1 Dog
4 Finches
1 Betta