I've had a pet turtle for about 5 years. I've always heard about the warnings of being careful about salmonella and always wash my hands, etc.
But is the main risk with new turtles that could already be infected with salmonella, or can any turtle or reptile just "catch" the bacteria (I think it's a bacteria...whatever it is)?
If I knew for sure that my turtle didn't have salmonella, is there still a risk of it developing it at anytime? Thank you.
2007-04-06 12:18:23 · 6 answers · asked by someoneoutthereishere 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Turtles in captivity often test clean for Salmonella if their habitat is good and clean... however you should ALWAYS treat any water turtle and pretty much any reptile as potentially infected.
However, to put this in perspective, you should also know that both paper money and coins can carry it and many other surfaces carry it as well.
Salmonella sounds scary, but it is also called 'the 24 hour bug' and 'stomach flu'- in most people it is a simple short-lived episode of vomiting and diarrhea. If you are young, old, or immune-compromised it might be more severe, and there are strains of it (that are rare in turtles) that are far more dangerous.
In other words- Salmonella is not a lot of fun, but it is not a deadly infection. Be routinely careful, but you don't have to be paranoid.
2007-04-06 12:53:56 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Turtles swim in there own poo... it's not by choice I assure you but it's like fish. Turtles have a higher risk than most reptiles because of that. So simply... it's like leaving chicken out on the counter over night and eating it the next day. Not so good. Keep the tank clean and don't let the water get stagnent and of corse... keep up with the hand washing to keep yourself healthy.
2007-04-06 12:26:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
ALL reptiles have some salmonella store bought usually has less. it is important to allways wash your hand before and after handling reptiles.
2007-04-06 12:26:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
An animal has to contract a bacteria from an infected source; bacteria do not simply "appear."
2007-04-06 12:26:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
all reptiles and mammies can get salmonella
2007-04-06 13:40:07 · answer #5 · answered by jellybean 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
=[
i just got a turtle!!!!
no!
im stressing that he may not be happy =;[
poor Mr.turtle
2007-04-06 12:37:30 · answer #6 · answered by Grack 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋