My little cousin wants a tortoise, any help?

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mattgrizzlybear

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My little cousin wants a tortoise and when i asked her what kind she said a redtailed tortoise! I told her it was a redfoot tortoise. I laughed and said why do you want a red foot? She said because they're really cute [which they are] and she also said because she wanted to hold it and play with it on the floor. I immedatally said that you cant play with any tortoise because it will cause stress in the tort. Any help on how to explain to her that another pet will be better? She's only 5. Thanks!
 

wellington

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Tell her that when she gets older she can have a tortoise. That a tortoise is not a fun pet and is not a pet to be played with. That when she is at your house, she can hold your tortoise and that you will teach her everything she needs to know, so she will be prepared when it's time to get hers. If you make this a long enough explanation, she will forget about wanting a tortoise and will run off to play or want something else. Their attention span is about a second per age, so in her case 5 seconds. If she still really cares about wanting an animal by the time you are done, talk her into wanting a rat. When she tells that to her parents, then its their problem to handle.:)
 

mattgrizzlybear

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chase thorn said:

Shes got a hampster already

wellington said:
Tell her that when she gets older she can have a tortoise. That a tortoise is not a fun pet and is not a pet to be played with. That when she is at your house, she can hold your tortoise and that you will teach her everything she needs to know, so she will be prepared when it's time to get hers. If you make this a long enough explanation, she will forget about wanting a tortoise and will run off to play or want something else. Their attention span is about a second per age, so in her case 5 seconds. If she still really cares about wanting an animal by the time you are done, talk her into wanting a rat. When she tells that to her parents, then its their problem to handle.:)

Ok i told her and all she wanted to do was play with my dog. Thanks i always know when i see the post is by wellington it will be a good post! Thanks:D:tort:
 

Stephanie Logan

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Agreed! A rat or hamster is the low-maintenance, interactive pet a 5-year-old and her mortal parents can accommodate. :cool:
 

Mgridgaway

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Hah, she probably forgot about the tortoise 20 minutes after she brought it up :p

Tortoises are definitely a teenager aged + animal unless the parents are willing to do most of the work.
 

CourtneyAndCarl

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Reminds me of a time at Petco... this guy bought a Russian tortoise for his young kids and had it for about a year after he decided that he didn't feel like taking care of it anymore. On his relinquishment form where it asks why he can't keep the pet, he put "the kids got bored a few months in"..... well, no derp, it's a tortoise.

Anyway, good job diffusing the situation :p The fact that you talked her out of it so easily meant she probably didn't really want one to begin with
 

Raymo2477

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Get a corn snake! They're docile and don't mind being handled.

Hamsters make horrible pets. They smell and bite....a rat makes a much better rodent.

Btw I work in a pet shop and we get so many hamsters and gerbils back due to biting the kids...we never got a rat back.
 

mattgrizzlybear

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Raymo2477 said:
Get a corn snake! They're docile and don't mind being handled.

Hamsters make horrible pets. They smell and bite....a rat makes a much better rodent.

Btw I work in a pet shop and we get so many hamsters and gerbils back due to biting the kids...we never got a rat back.

That would be cool, a corn snake. Thanks!
 
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