A turtle may not be the first animal that comes to mind when you picture a pet, but there are a number of species that make great pets, and some have long histories of being kept by humans.

In more recent history, there have been problems with the collection and release of turtles being done irresponsibly, so be sure not to catch your turtle from or release it to the wild.

With that caveat, though, there’s no reason not to dive straight into owning one of these unique, delightful, interesting animals.  

1. Some breeds are very active and love to play. Aquatic turtles, especially, like red-eared sliders, yellow-bellied sliders, and painted turtles, tend to be very active and love to entertain themselves. If their tank set-up permits it, they will slide down logs or jump off rocks into the water, just for fun. For this reason, if you’re keeping an aquatic turtle, be sure to fill their tank with climbable, slidable, interactive décor that will encourage them to play and be active. If you’re ever feeling down, watching your turtle play in their own personal water park is sure to bring a smile to your face. On the other hand, most terrestrial species love to dig and burrow in their substrate or the dirt outside. Like aquatic turtles playing in their pools, this may just be for fun, but it can also mean your turtle is foraging for food, preparing a nest to lay eggs, creating a space where they feel safe, or even getting ready for brumation, which is essentially the reptile version of hibernation.  
2. They live in beautiful and interesting environments. For anyone interested in creating and maintaining self-contained ecosystems in a tank or terrarium, a small turtle is an excellent choice. While some species grow quite large and shouldn’t be kept indoors, small and especially aquatic species present an opportunity to craft a beautiful and unique environment to help them thrive. African sideneck turtles, for example, require a large, warm aquarium with basking platforms and a fair amount of vegetation to allow them to hide when they want to; watching them swim in this unique environment is one of the biggest thrills of owning one. Other, semi-aquatic species, like sliders, present an opportunity to construct a paludarium, so your turtle can enjoy both an aquatic and terrestrial environment, and their parent can take on the challenge of maintaining both.     
3. Though they can be very calm and friendly, they don’t require constant interaction. How much interaction a turtle can tolerate will depend mostly on its species, as well as its individual temperament and personality. Most turtles, though, are friendly, but not needy. They may enjoy seeing people and even learn to recognize their parents, but they do not require human interaction or constant attention the way a dog does. Many hardworking or busy keepers find this independence especially appealing, as it means their turtles can be left home alone for long periods of time without causing any damage or upset to the animal, so long as they’re properly fed and have enough water. Whatever kind of turtle you get, though, always be careful when handling, and remember to wash your hands before and after touching them. Your hands may have bacteria that will sicken your turtle, and many turtle shells carry salmonella or other potentially deadly diseases.
4. They can live a very long time. It’s often said that adopting a dog or cat is just guaranteeing you’ll be heartbroken in 12 or 15 years. While this in no way detracts from the love and joy people share with their mammalian pets, many turtle parents will never have this problem, since even short-lived turtles can live for 20 years, and many turtles will even outlive their parents. For potential keepers, this gives them a variety of options, from buying a baby or hatchling and watching them grow into an adult, to adopting a turtle that is already decades old – and may still live for several decades more.
5. Caring for one can present an appealing challenge. Caring for a turtle can present complex challenges, like maintaining their environment or shepherding them through brumation, while also not having the same level of finicky difficulty as maintaining a delicate tropical gecko or saltwater reef tank. Many species of turtle, like box turtles or red-eared sliders, offer a great first step for a beginner to get into caring for reptiles or other exotic pets, and luckily for people who fall in love with turtles, there are lots of more challenging species they can adopt later, too. Most species are also hardy enough that one or two beginner’s mistakes in their husbandry or diet won’t cause serious illness or damage before they’re corrected. While the level of care required varies from species to species, in general, turtles are a manageable but engaging challenge for anyone looking to care for one.

Turtles are an unusual pet, one that contains a multitude of species covering a variety of environments, temperaments, climates, care requirements, and looks. Fortunately, this wide variety of turtles means that anyone who wants to care for one is sure to find one they can fall in love with. While they may not be the flashiest or the cuddliest pets available, they are sure to bring joy to the right parent for a long time to come.