General Care Discussion :: Turtles and salmonella?

[Kado]

just a rant, but when I tell people I have a turtle a lot of times I get something like "oh no turtles have salmonella!". Could this have come about because people also think turtles live in 3 inches of unfiltered poopy water? I have yet to see a turtle kept in proper conditions at a lfs. Yes, turtles might have salmonella, but so do a lot of other things like chickens and eggs. Maybe keeping turtles in the perfect breeding grounds for bacteria is to blame.

[Kansasslider]

Or maybe its the fact this continues to happen year after year?
http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/small-turtles-03-12/
Not one person I bought a turtle from said anything to me about salmonella. People that are getting little turtles.for their kids are just not educated about hygiene. Not many people buy their kid a chicken for a pet.

[steve]

I do get asked that question a few times and kids just need to be supervised around turtles. Unless you're walking with your turtle in your mouth, I think people should mind their own business.

[Kansasslider]

70% of sick people in the latest outbreak were children. Thats alarming and I have to disagree you Steve its a problem when in 2013 we have the same thing happening that happened in the 70s and 80s no one has learned anything! Its not wrong for someone saying turtles carry salmonella that can make you very sick. But its up to us as turtle owners to educate them. Thats just my opinion. This kind of stuff keeps up turtlesource [not reputable] etc won't exist.

[Kado]

I still think the problem could be partly because turtle care still hasn't changed much since the 70's. LFS's and uneducated turtle owners still keep turtles in very unsanitary conditions that just help in multiplication of the salmonella bacteria.

[MVB]

All reptiles and amphibians are natural breeding grounds for salmonella, so... wash your hands after handling them. That's basically all there is to it.

[devilduck]

I keep a large Purell dispenser next to the turtle tank as a reminder.

[MVB]

I keep a large Purell dispenser next to the turtle tank as a reminder.

Hah, same. I wash my hands anyway though, so it really is just a reminder...

[steve]

@Kansasslider - I didn't mean to sound as if we should shouldn't educate them, but they are groups who want to learn and groups who think they already know all there is to know. I try not to spend my time on the latter group.

@Kado - LFS are rarely a good source for info. There is also a huge group of keepers who feel that since their turtles are still alive, what they're doing is OK.

[Kansasslider]

Well its going to keep being a problem as long as kids play with turtles frogs etc. Really nothing that can be done . It would be nice is sellers would hand out some kind of care sheets? With the right info!

[steve]

Some stores do.. some sellers do as well. I think the FDA puts out a flyer about salmonella.