Starter turtle/tortoise?

[2kdime]

So my little sister is interested in picking up one of these 4 legged critters and isnt quite sure where to start,

Ive been doing a bit of research and am quite frankly, getting put off by them.

She's 12 years old and the animal would probably have to be able to be kept indoors.

Can anyone recommend a couple species and websites if possible?

Looking for smaller species and obviously ease of care.

Thanks in advance guys

[mainbutter]

Most turtles, especially common north american varieties, are pretty darn hardy. The problem is that to give them a happy indoor home requires a large indoor pond and expensive basking setups to simulate sunlight. As anyone who has observed turtles in the wild knows, these guys really do depend on basking in sunlight as part of their daily routine. In addition quality large-water-quantity filtration is key to making sure the water doesn't get gross, as turtles are fairly messy. Once you have your setup though, the only thing difficult about keeping aquatic turtles is regular water changes.

Tortoises are a bit tricky because of diet. I find that turtles are a bit easier to provide a quality diet to, but most tortoises will be sending you on pricey trips to the organic food market or having a backyard garden.

Here's a website to get you started.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/

[MarkS]

For a water turtle kept indoors, one of the best are the mud or musk turtles. They stay pretty small so you don't need an enormous aquarium that takes up half your room, they don't do a lot of basking so you don't need an expensive light setup and they're quite hardy as adults. The babies can be kind of fragile though so it's better to start with older turtles.

I keep a few stink pot turtles (Sternotherus odoratus) which I really like.

[Big Gunns]

For a water turtle kept indoors, one of the best are the mud or musk turtles. They stay pretty small so you don't need an enormous aquarium that takes up half your room, they don't do a lot of basking so you don't need an expensive light setup and they're quite hardy as adults. The babies can be kind of fragile though so it's better to start with older turtles.

I keep a few stink pot turtles (Sternotherus odoratus) which I really like.

Don't you mean a "bean" Leeetle Minion?

[MarkS]

Don't you mean a "bean" Leeetle Minion?

No.