My teacher is looking into getting a turtle for his class, he needs something that is small and stays small and is relatively easy to care for. Any ideas maybe. He also needs something that will not need a very big aquarium/terrarium. It can be a turtle or tortise.

__________________
My dream is that our love for people
and our love for animals
will one day become intertwined

For the most part, a turtle is a turtle is a turtle. Meaning care of one isn't really going to be easier than another. As far as commonly kept species go, it doesn't get much easier than red-eared sliders or box turtles, but that doesn't mean they're easy. They're just easier than snapping turtles and pig-nosed turtles

But although care requirements will be similar throughout the common aquatic species, size will not always. You'll want to recommend to him either a mud turtle or a musk turtle. They're harder to come by than the typical pet store fare, but they're much smaller and thus could probably be kept in a 30 gallon tank.

If he wants something that needs less space than that, maybe no mercury vapor light, less maintenance, a less complex diet, and maybe something that doesn't live so long, then he really doesn't want a turtle after all.

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

True, true... I probably need to look into his capabilities more before I give him any sugestions.

__________________
My dream is that our love for people
and our love for animals
will one day become intertwined

Out of these four species which one might be smaller

Three striped mud
White Cheek Mud Turtle
Giant Mexican Mud
African keeled mud turtle

__________________
My dream is that our love for people
and our love for animals
will one day become intertwined

This will sound very negative, but I believe no classroom should maintain any type of animal, especially in the grade school level.

No animal appreciates being poked at by any number of young children. I see so many turtles, corn snakes and anoles that are just neglected by a classroom situation and end up being re-homed because of their poor care or medical condition.

It takes more to care for that reptile or animal than just staring at it or making sure they are fed daily. As soon as most children realize how much care goes into keeping that animal in the classroom the fascination quickly wears off and the animal is ignored.

Don't get me wrong, I am also in favor of learning about reptiles but in a safe and secure environment where the animal is daily cared for.

__________________
Thanks For Reading My Post

bob/stano40

By grade school what grade levels are you talking about? I'm a senior this year. The school I go to right now only has about 50 students and they shouldn't bother it. And my teacher would be taking care of it so it wouldn't get neglected and he sure wouldn't let any body torcher it. I think it would do good out there.
I see where you're coming from though.

__________________
My dream is that our love for people
and our love for animals
will one day become intertwined

I agree that classroom pets tend to be neglected generally, however my obsession with reptiles started in high school with my biology teacher and his HUGE boa. He had a large red tailed boa in the classroom that lived in a huge cage in the back of the class room.

He also had a couple of corn snakes that were pretty cool, but I had a fascination with the boa. He used to have us clean the cage and feed him for extra credit. I have never seen a boa with better care.

So when you choose a pet for a classroom consider your age group. I think in grade school, reptiles are out, they require too much, I would however consider a gerbil or rat, they are handleable and easier to care for.

__________________
“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…'"
- Isaac Asimov



TKE:TT:118

By grade school I was referring to pre-high school. I have found that from the sophomore year and up students had a better understanding for the care of reptiles.

I'm all for the study of reptiles in the classroom but not at the risk of endangering students and animals.

__________________
Thanks For Reading My Post

bob/stano40

I couldn't agree any more. I know for a fact, though, that neither the turtle, nor the students would get hurt because my teacher wouldn't allow a situation where this was possible to occur.
Like I said earlier though I couldn't agree more.

__________________
My dream is that our love for people
and our love for animals
will one day become intertwined

Your common names are a bit off, but that's ok

Striped mud turtles, Kinosternon baurii, are about 4 inches long.

White-lipped mud turtles, Kinosternon leucostomum, supposedy get around 7-9 inches. The subspecies Kinosternon leucostomum leucostomum is known as the yellow-cheeked mud turtle.

By "giant Mexican mud" I'm assuming you either mean the Mexican giant musk turtle (not mud), Staurotypus triporcatus, or the Mexican mud turtle, Kinosternon integrum. Mexican giant musk turtles get up to about a foot long, while Mexican mud turtles are about the same size as white-lipped mud turtles.

African mud turtles are of the genus Pelusios and are not related to the American mud turtles. They're also known as African hinged turtles or African side-necked turtles, and they grow larger than the American mud turtles.

I'd stick with one of the smaller species, like striped mud turtles. However, that doesn't mean I recommend he get a turtle. This is only IF he gets a turtle. If he's not prepared to spend money on adequate housing, filters, lighting, a timer, and equipment, and if he's not prepared to clean the habitat completely once a week, with additional water changes at least once or twice during the week, and if he's not ready to keep doing that for years to come, then he shouldn't get a turtle.

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield