Originally Posted by *Nikki*

I have had both the land and water varieties.

Do not get one unless you are willing to make a life time commitment to it. Some can live 100 years...

Originally Posted by RangerJoe

My mom killed mine after 2 months.

I had a small little turtle when I was 10. It was cute, though I couldn't do much with it. The worst thing about it was the smell. If you didn't keep the tank spotless it smelled like ASS. My mom killed mine when I went to my dads for the weekend. She didn't change the water and it seemed to be that he froze to death. Or choked on his own smell.

Originally Posted by inBOIL

The sale of small (under 4" IIRC) turtles was banned because of salmonella transmission. The lawmakers figured that the cute young turtles were more likely to be given to children, who are less likely to wash their hands.

Originally Posted by frogza

You'll want to decide between tortoise or turtle first off. Here are the pros and cons of each based on my experience.

Turtle:
Pros:
Kept indoor for easy watching
very fun to watch them chase the feeder fish
Tank can be a decor item for you home as well as a pet holder

Cons:
horrible stench
takes significant effort to keep the tank clean
setting up the tank takes some real thought to prevent drowning
gold fish can be a pain to buy and keep as food
get sick easily when bought from pet store

Tortoise:
Can be fed leftover vegetable items, including melon rines, lettuce stems/stalks etc
Can live indoors or out
Some species hibernate making it cheaper to feed them in winter
some (sulcatas) can grow to be big enough for small children to ride and can be fed dog food as a supplement to change the shape of their shells

Cons:
Eat vegetables, which aren't always in season
can get diseases easily
may outlive you
can wander off and get lost