Hi,

My children are begging for turtles as a Christmas gift. I thought they would forget about, but they haven't!

What do you think? What is the cost of starting a turtle aquarium? How much work is involved? How often do you clean the tank?

I know some of these questions are answered throughout the site, but I would love some more input.

My children are 7 and 9. I have already explained that turtles don't like to be held and cuddled, but that hasn't deterred them. While I think it would be fun and educational for them, I don't know how much work I am willing to put into this!

Thanks for your help!

Sue

good job coming here. you said that you told them they couldnt handle them bit it didnt stop them. does that mean they will like the turtles anyways, or that there is a chance they might handle them anyways? if there is any doubt that they will still handle them that is a big problem. in either case the turtle tank should not go in their room(s). they will be unsupervised with them and it will be easier to overlook their care. do you know what type of turtle you want? remember that it is a U.S. law that no turtle under 4" top shell length can be sold as a pet. (some stores will do it anyways.) even if you can find the baby turtles i suggest not to get those. mainly because they are more fragile and sensitive to their needs and surroundings, so even in perfect conditions not all will live (not good for two kids who have fallen in love with it). try to get one a little bigger, at least 2 double the length of a hatchling of that species(we will help you figure out what that would be), but bigger is always better. the smallest tank that any water turtle can live in as an adult is a 40 breeder aquarium. that tank is 3 ft long, 1.5 ft wide, and 1.5 ft high. other types of turtles will need upwards of 75 gallons, or even 100+ gallons. can you deal with that? also think about the life span. these turtles can live 20+ years (depending on species and care), will you like to have them after the kids lose interest or move away? a basic setup for a 10 gallon will run about $80, but a 10 gallon will only last a couple months, so you might as well go bigger to begin with. and if you get slightly larger turtle to begin with like i suggest, 10 gallon isnt even a remote option. are they each wanting one? or will they share? it will be a lot easier and cheaper on you if they share. maintenance is pretty easy for me, i have a very good filter on my turtle tank. all i do is change/clean the filter cartridges about once a week, and then once a month i try to do a water change and clean the gravel (with aquarium hoses you do these at the same time). that takes less than an hour each month. the filter cleaning is about 5 minutes once a week. a lot of people do a lot more maintenance, i dont know if it is a filter that isnt quite up to par, or if they just like to be extra careful, but some people will tell you water turtles are tons of cleaning. if you do it right it should be pretty low maintence. now all this considered, i highly recommend aquatic turtles. they are interesting, educational, and just fun to watch. it would be a great addition to your family and if you keep them interested the kids may or may not lose interest in them. if you think you still may want to do this i can expand into the detaiols of their car. or if you just have any other particular questions just ask.

Thanks for your reply!!

so do you want more info? or did i scare you away from them? (i didnt mean to.)

Hi again,

No - you didn't scare me away. I just have to think about it!

I am wondering if they will be disappointed that they can't "play" with a turtle. Also, the novelty probably will wear off and then it will be another job for me! I appreciate your comments! If I decide to get one - I am sure I'll be back with tons of questions.

Thank you!

they are great pets, and i have had lots of people get them for kids or something like that and fall in live with them themselves. a nice big properly setup turtle tank is a great focus for a room. but yes they should not be handled unless absolutely necessary, so see what the kids think about that. you should also look at pictures of different ones to see which you would like to get. you can get lots of pictures of them online. just post which ones caught your eye.

The kids won't be able to "play" with the turtles, just watch them so they may grow bored of them pretty quick. If you decide to get them, my site covers most things at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtle.htm

they are great pets but you know ghow big of tanks they need right? 1 male red eared slider needs a 40 gallon.