What turtle does best in a 40 gallon tank

We have room in our home for another animal. We have a 40 gallon tank and are trying to decide. we dont want a water only turtle we want our kids to be able to hold and take the turtle outside in the summer. a box turtle is the idea were looking at but not sure if 40 gallon is enough!
Thanks for any help you can offer,
Brandon
*** we intend on using a backer all around the sides, back and on the bottom 6 inches of the front so the turtle isnt nervous as ive read they get in glass

None... You can house a hatchling/juvenile in a 40 gal for awhile, but an adult will eventually need something much larger. My personal bare minimum for smaller terrestrial turtle and tortoise species is 12 square feet, or 6x2 ft floorspace, or 2 square feet for every inch of straight carapace length--whichever is larger. Turtles and tortoises are incredibly active animals. You can find great information on tortoises and box turtles over at http://tortoiseforum.org and a good box turtle care sheet at http://boxturtlesite.info/.

thanks very much. Much different answers in town. Thanks so much for this REAL site. Its good to know that there are people out there who actually care unlike these damn pet store owners!
Thanks Guys!

gotta love the pet stores! The worst part is imagine the people who take their word. all the animals that suffer or end up on craigslist.

It's not a good idea to house a box turtle in a tank. You are totally right about that. If you have to keep it in a tank, cover the sides. If you are looking for something other than a tank, a great thing to house them in is actually a rubbermaid container, with the minimum being 55 gallons. It doesn't look that bad, and it's easy to clean. During the summer your can take it outside and hose it off.

If you want more information about turtles I love this forum: http://www.turtletimes.com

Here's a link on how to make an indoor turtle bin: http://turtletown.giblar.com/habitatjr.html

-Arpooch

You could raise a cherry head red foot in a 40 gallon critter keeper without any issues for at least 5 yrs .
But i would also build a outside enclosure for he/she to roam during the nice warm days .
i Have a male & female Redfoot in a 40 gallon critter keeper & they love it .
On the warm days i take them outside to roam in their 6x12 outdoor enclosure. :study:
I bring them in at night time .
Mike D.
Try http://www.tortoiseforum.org
They have a wealth if information on tortoises..

Fatboy, how big are your torts? We must have very different ideas of what a "happy" turtle/tortoise looks like... I once housed a single, 4" box turtle in a 40B "Critter Keeper", as a temporary housing situation, and I must say it was MUCH too cramped even for the one small turtle after getting a hide or two and a water dish in there, and she was far from "happy" from what I could tell (comparing to how she acted once put in a more appropriately sized 42" diameter kiddy pool).

No offense meant to you, but I can't even begin to imagine two adult Redfoots ("Cherryhead" or otherwise), obviously large enough to sex, being able to live in a 40 gallon, let alone thrive or be "satisfied" by any reptilian sense of the word.

JMO on the subject...

Edit: Whoops, sorry for the double post. Looks like it actually did go the first time..

My male is 4.5 scl my female is 4.0 scl .
I also have a 12 x 6 outside enclosure for warm days & exercise .
I know once they reach adulthood i will need to build something larger for indoors for
winter months .
They will spend all their time outside weather permitting ,
I was simply saying that the slow growth rate of this species would allow
someone to raise a happy redffoot or Cherry head for at least the first 5 yrs of their
life without any issues .
My redfoots are 3.5 & 4 yrs of age
Of coarse any time the weather permits any size tort should be taken outside for
some natrual UVB from the sun & excersize .
I Know of people that raise happy Cherry heads their entire adult life in 75 gallon aquariums.
The average length for a cherry head is 10 to 12" with very few exceeding 10 "
Mike D.

Sorry, Mike, I didn't expect your torts to be so small. I know of at least one Cherryhead that's 7"+ at less than 4 (3.5, I think it was) years old. Growth rates in tortoises, like any reptile, are highly variable, so it's hard to say "until they're 5 years old" when a 5 year old tortoise could potentially be fully grown at 10" and most definitely too big for that size enclosure.

I still think a 40 gallon is a bit too small for two 4-5" tortoises, but to each their own, and if yours are doing well, I can't argue--at least it's not what I initially thought, that they were 6-8" or more! Good to hear I was mistaken on that point, at least, and that they do have that nice, big outdoor refuge for the rest of the year.

I don't doubt that Redfoots can be kept in 75 gallons. You'd be surprised how much of a difference that extra foot of space makes, plus the few inches more in width than a standard 40B.

No problem .
I just got these 2 from Petco the week B4 Christmas .
I have heard that a tort of this species grows approx 1" per year SCL. (unless you feed them a protein rich diet) which i don't.
In 4 months now they have gotten heavier but only about 1/4 " in length
Petco & Petsmart buys their torts from a farm in Sourh America .
Of coarse Petco doesn't know the real age of these torts.
They were housed in display tank 20 maybe 30 gallons with 4 russian torts .
I have a 40 gallon critter keeper that my Dragon outgrew so i decided to purchase
these torts & will try to provide them with a better home & environment .
I spoke with the ownwer of Turtle Source & he said they will be fine up to about 5 yrs of age in a 40 gallon.
I am already planning my next indoor enclosure for when these little guys outgrow the 40 gallon .
I have never own torts but after about 1 yr of reseach and as much info i could dig up i decided on this species :study:
B/C their diet on leafy green and Veggies is very simalar to whay my dragon eats.
No offence taken, it is just some people ask very simple questions and lives on a budget & if i have the knowledge to help them
get somethig they could be be happy with for 5 yrs i will provide them with my knowledge free of charge
Take care
Mike D.
My little girl Dragon is in A 4x2x2 crossfire design 18 months old 21 inches long & 650 grms .
She loves her DAD
Mike D.