Hi. I am looking to by a turtle for my 6 yr old sister. She has wanted one forever and she has proven herself by taking care of fish and being a responsible caregiver that my parents have now agreed to let me get her one.. but i don't know which kind... is best. They don't want one theat will get to big or be able to bite like the snapping turtles my younger brother catches... any help??

my kids have had red ear sliders they have been real good pets. they dont get to big and are pretty easy to care for and fairly inexpensive hope that helps. oh and we got our from www.turtlesales.com and they shipped him right to our house. my kids loved it!!

jess i noticed ur from TN.. thats where she lives.. i was told that they can't buy them there thats why i was looking on the net.. is it hard to find foods and care for turtles there??

You didn't specify if you were getting an adult or baby so I will cover both. Turtles under 4" are not legal to sell because smaller kids supposedly will mouth them and get salmonella. See http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/babyintro.htm
So, if you're going to get a turtle, it will have to be over 4". That leaves out the smaller species. You also probably want a turtle that doesn't get over a foot long, isn't expensive, is easy to care for, is native to the US, and doesn't bite. So, your best bet is either a red-eared slider or a painted turtle. Both will require eventually a tank of at least 40 gallons if not twice that as well as at least a half hour of physical (adult) labor at least once a week to do it right.

From my web site regarding buying baby turtles specifically but also about that company you mentioned:

"I have been asked where you can buy baby turtles. Before now, I have refused to reply but many people just "must" have a baby turtle no matter how they get it which is sad. There are two places that I know about. I do not understand how they can operate legally as it is illegal to sell turtles under 4" in all of the USA. They say it is because the turtles are "adopted" but they charge money. I question the legalities and ethics. I have also heard bad stories about babies bought from the first place listed where the turtles were sick, listless, and/or dead. That, of course, may be the case with any mass-sold baby turtle operations and not unique to them. That site also stole a photo from my site that was sent to me in good faith from someone else who gave me alone permission to use it. I do NOT recommend that you order from these places but will provide the URL's."

You can look over my various turtle pages at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/index.htm
This week, I'm getting a larger tank so my turtle (a red-bellied turtle) can get a bigger tank. I've spent probably $500 on him so far in less than two years. I hope someone in the family has the time and money to take care of a turtle because a six-year old is just going to be doing the enjoying part! My 2-year-old niece loves to watch my turtle eat. Good luck!

I emailed the person on that turtlesales website and they responded with they dont do urtles ne more.. I was just asking a ? so ..

do you know of any other place i can get them, it doesn't have to be a baby if that is illegal.

Oh, you were talking about turtlesales.com while I was talking about turtlesale.com which is still in business.

I really suggest trying to find a turtle locally at your local reptile group or shelter. Try http://www.petfinder.com to start. I just checked for TN reptiles and didn't find any though. Find your local reptile or turtle group. They will have turtles that desperately need homes as well as sometimes smaller turtles from the people in the group that breed them.

yea in tn you can't buy them.. i live in NC.. tho so i'll look here.

its illegal in NC too.. i'm trying to find out about Sc i live 20 min from there so.. this is hard trying to get a turtle... i never knew that it was like this i thought i could go to petsmart and buy one... NOPE.

yea, turtle laws very state by state (just like other animals, such as birds) but the 4" law is federal, and i work at petsmart and get lots and lots of questions about turtles... and i would say 99% of people that ask about turtles or bring in turtles or want to buy turtles have NEVER heart of the the 4" law, even tho its been around since the 60s when there was a pet turtle boom.

People come in all the time with turtles they "found" and want to know what it is and how to care for it. I am talking about quarter sized hatchlings.

I know pet store employees get a bad reputation for wanting to make money, but it kills me when people arent taking care of animals. and i want to yell at people (i cant) but since they already have it i tell them how to care for it properly. i dit get real ugly to i guy when he accused me of wanting to sell him stuff he didnt need to i would make more money (i dont work on commission) i told him i make the same amount of money regardless of what they buy, my job is to make sure their pets are well taken care of.

I have spent hundreds and probably going to be thousands on my turtles, but you dont have to have anything as extravigant as what i do to make sure they are properly cared for.

Just do your research and plan for the ultimate maximum size of any animal. one lady told me she had a 15 year old RES that lived in a sink was the size of her hand (which is really small... poor thing was stunted)

But all in all, good luck with you search and future turtle

I have been raising Box Turtles for over 13 years. personally, i think box turtles are great with kids. my brothers and i have had them our entire lives from age 1 on up!