Child Friendly

No, Although Indochinese box turtles (Cuora galbinifrons) make interesting pets, families with small children may want to think again. Before deciding if they are suitable as pets for children, there are a number of things to think about.

First and foremost, Indochinese box turtles have unique needs when it comes to husbandry. These include making sure they have a clean, safe environment to live in, a healthy food, and to see the doctor often. These duties could be too much for young children to handle, and they might not even know what a turtle is.

Additionally, these turtles need a certain kind of environment that allows them to bask and regulate their body temperature, which includes regions both on land and in water, as well as UVB illumination. When living in a home with small children, it might be more difficult to meet these requirements since the turtle's habitat is more likely to be disturbed or damaged by mistake.

Also, a single Indochinese box turtle may easily outlive its captor by decades. Having a turtle as a pet is an investment that will provide dividends much beyond a child's formative years. Even if kids are thrilled to have a pet turtle at first, they could become bored with taking care of it and eventually want their parents or guardians to do it.

Also, to avoid stress and possible harm, Indochinese box turtles should be handled with care. While turtles can handle light handling sometimes, they may become stressed out and even hurt if handled too roughly, especially by kids.

Another factor to think about is the potential for zoonotic infections, such as salmonella, to spread while dealing with reptiles. Handling turtles or their environment may put young children, particularly those under five years old, at increased risk of catching salmonella. To lessen the likelihood of this happening, it is crucial to wash your hands and maintain good hygiene before handling turtles.

As a last consideration, the Indochinese box turtle's conservation status should be considered. Loss of habitat and illicit trafficking are two of the main reasons why these turtles' numbers in the wild are falling, putting them on the critically endangered list. Prospective turtle owners should think long and hard about the animal's origins before bringing one into their homes as a pet.