ok Question about snakes

[bab-ush-niik]

Maybe a box turtle would be better.

No, any reptile is not good for a four year old. And box turtles are actually rather difficult due to the humidity requirements.

The most kid friendly turtle would be a Russian Tortoise. They do well indoors on a "turtle table", just a table with sides built up on it. They also stay small, I think max size is 8 inches. I think 10 is a good starting age. Certainly no younger than 7.

What about a ribbon or garter snake? They stay nice and small, around 24 inches...

 

[lemur 6]

Originally Posted by bab-ush-niik

No, any reptile is not good for a four year old. And box turtles are actually rather difficult due to the humidity requirements.

The most kid friendly turtle would be a Russian Tortoise. They do well indoors on a "turtle table", just a table with sides built up on it. They also stay small, I think max size is 8 inches. I think 10 is a good starting age. Certainly no younger than 7.

What about a ribbon or garter snake? They stay nice and small, around 24 inches...

Ribbon and garter snakes are almost ALWAYS wild caught unless you get a special color morph (expensive), and most of them are very skittish and bite. They can move extremely quickly. I guess they're okay if you never handle them, or if you can find a Butler's gartersnake (or catch one). Butler's garters are known to be docile and they stay very small (no more than 24" long), pretty common in the midwest (though other larger and more aggressive garters are even more common).

I do think it would be better to wait just like bab-ush-niik suggested. You could get into a lot of grief with a snake and a 4 year old, especially with escapes and especially if your child is handling the snake. To be honest I'd never trust a 4 year old with any of my snakes no matter how docile the snake, and no matter how calm and controlled the child. The chance of escape and panic is too high.