Getting a turtle as a pet, which kind stay small?

If I recall correctly, box turtles can reach sizes between 6-8" when they are fully grown. (Depending on their environment and diet) Males reach full maturity at around 4-6 years, and females reach maturity between 5-7 years. As far as which turtles are best as pets. . . it's hard to say. I've had both box and red ear slider turtles. Both were great pets, but I ended up giving them away to a breeder after owning each one for a couple of years. The problem was that they outgrew their habitats, and I didn't have room to make bigger ones for them. One thing to be careful of is salmonella. Make sure to WASH YOUR HANDS and anything else the turtle came in contact with! Young children are especially vulnerable to salmonella poisoning so be careful especially if you have kids in the house. In my past experiences turtles do not make very good pets for children. Keeping an eye on temperature and feeding schedules becomes complex. Also seeing how turtles don't move very fast, or make noise, or anything, kids get bored of them very quickly. Just my 2 cents. . . . ash