Turtles as pets.
 

I was thinking about getting my nephew a turtle as a pet. His mom won't let him have a pet that makes any noise. He is only 7 and i am thinking that a turtle is might be perfect for him. He loves them and they are pretty low maintenance.

Has anyone ever had one as a pet? I don't know SQUAT about them. If it doesn't work out, I will adopt it and train it in martial arts so it can help fight crime, but that's more of a back up plan...I need to first learn about what taking care of them is like, etc.

Any info would be great. Thanks.

my brother has had a turtle for 15 years. they're low maintenance and definitely quiet. i think it's a good idea for a first pet.:)

box turtles make good pets and will out live the child if taken care of properly.

but i think that i remember hearing something where kids can catch salmonella or something like that from turtles, but im not positive. maybe check in to that before getting one. you could try talking to a pet store they may know.
ive never had one, only ever had a snake

One thing about getting a turtle/tortoise is that if they are kept well they obviously live for ages. So when he gets bored of it, and I am pretty positive he will, then it might screw it all up. Then again he could end up with the thing his whole life and it would be kind of cool. It might be a better idea to get a goldfish or something but he might find that too boring.

I'm doing some internet research (on turtles) but hearing all of your thoughts and perspectives is good.

I didn't know they lived so long. I think a fish might not be fun enough. No real interaction, although a turtle is not either but at least he can touch it and take it into the yard etc.

I'll look into the salmonella thing buzard.

i found something about it

Thanks Buzard. That was very informative and gave me the info i needed.

hey man no prob, every once and a while my pea brain remembers something useful,lol

I wouldn't consider turtles low maintenance. Aquatic turtles are very high maintenance. They require frequent water changes and complicated filters. Box turtles and tortoises are not as labor intensive but do have certain requirements that could be inconvenient. Every turtles needs UV light. If they are not kept outside all year round a full spectrum UV light is essential. They also need a heat source and should get their body temperature from 80-90 degrees, depending on the species, everyday and most should not get below 72 at night. Turtles also should have a varied diet. Depending on what type of turtle or tortoise. Tortoises are mostly vegetarian and require a diet of various fruits and vegetables. Box turtles are omnivores and require a combination of fruits and vegetables but mostly animal matter like insects, worms, small fish and mice.
Now a lot of people will say, I had turtles and I never did all that stuff and they were fine. But if you ask how long they lived the turtle never lived more than 10-15 years. These animals can live 100 years, so it's obvious the turtle was not healthy. The thing about reptiles is when you notice they are sick, they are very sick. Illness takes a long time to visually manifest in reptiles because of their very slow metabolism.
Another thing about turtles is that they will never really enjoy the interaction. Mostly they are looking for food if they do interact with you. A turtle will most likely totally stress out from the rough handling of a 7 year old.
What I am trying to say is get a puppy or a cat. Rats make great pets. Get one that isn't weaned and have your nephew bottle feed it. That rat will think that kid is its father. A guinea pig would be cool too. They can be affectionate. Although all small mammals are a pain to keep clean.
Just my 2 cents from a guy who has kept turtles for over 25 years.

me and the woman same the funniest guinea pig at the pet store yesterday it was like half of them had bed head, we were laffing so hard about this one that had its head shaped like a triangle cuz of his hair do