As a child I had a small water turtle for many years.  During one visit I was telling our niece about him and when she came for another visit she brought me Bobber.  Bobber is a Red Eared Slider.  He is small enough now to fit in the palm of my hand, but he is still a little guy.

Bobber spends most of his time sitting on a Noah's ark figurine or the large rock in his tank and swimming among the marbles.  We don't keep a lot of extra things in the tank so that he has plenty of room to move around.  We let him run around once in a while, but we are careful to keep a good eye on him.  (c:

Sliders are the most variable of all turtles, with more than a dozen known races, including the familiar Red-eared Slider. Millions of slider hatchlings raised on turtle farms are sold as pets each year around the world. A few sliders have lived 40 years in captivity. The slider's diet changes with age. It starts out eating insects, shifting to plants as it matures.

Look For: A medium to large freshwater turtle with a large red stripe behind each eye. The oval shell is green with yellow and black bars. The yellow lower shell has a single black mark in each scute. Males have large, curved front claws.  Length: 5-11".

Habitat: Quiet waters with lots of plants and basking logs.

Range: Maryland; West Virginia to Mississippi Valley from northern Illinois to Gulf and west across most of Texas and into New Mexico.  (Bobber was found in a cow pond in Oklahoma).
 

Are you thinking about adding a Red Slider to your family?  Here are some good links for information on Red Sliders.