Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 4:05 pm
Hi Sara, welcome to the site.
The best advice I can give you is to look at the main site and see the requirements RES need. Most people are surprised by how large of an aquarium they need (10 gallons/inch of turtle) and how large RES get- they can get to be a foot long.
Just make sure you can meet a RES' needs for its entire 20 plus year lifespan before you invest in one. They're lovely pets and are a blast to watch, but it's definitely a good idea to know what you're getting into beforehand. A lot of people get turtles as gifts and then are stuck with the expensive part of outfitting them with an appropriate set up. A set up can run you hundreds of dollars for the tank, filtration, stand, lights, etc.
2 RES: Leo (f) and Ezra (m)
1 Russian Tortoise: Godzilla (m)