# Pet turtles sickened children in 34 states



## nearpass (Oct 19, 2009)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33369885/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/

Most parents didn't realize animals can carry salmonella, researchers say

"CHICAGO - Two girls who swam with pet turtles in a backyard pool were among 107 people sickened in the largest salmonella outbreak blamed on turtles nationwide, researchers report.

The 2007-08 outbreak involved mostly children in 34 states; one-third of all patients had to be hospitalized. In many cases, parents didn't know that turtles can carry salmonella...."


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## egyptiandan (Oct 19, 2009)

I always love those reports  No one ever says your more likely to get salmonella from the food you eat to the change in your pocket, than you are from a pet turtle.
They haven't banned chicken yet, but with the mentality that they've used to go after turtles, chicken should have been banned long ago. Thats what money will buy you (a good lobby) 

Danny


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## katesgoey (Oct 19, 2009)

Yep. Spinach, strawberries, and the latest recall....cantaloupe:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Product-recall-Del-Monte-apf-3908493606.html?x=0&.v=2


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## nearpass (Oct 19, 2009)

That tends to be my response. Wild birds, especially starlings, are also big carriers, and, Lord knows, there are plenty of them everywhere! No mention of the huge salmonella outbreaks the last couple of years from vegetables...anyone remember the spinach



egyptiandan said:


> I always love those reports  No one ever says your more likely to get salmonella from the food you eat to the change in your pocket, than you are from a pet turtle.
> They haven't banned chicken yet, but with the mentality that they've used to go after turtles, chicken should have been banned long ago. Thats what money will buy you (a good lobby)
> 
> Danny


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## Isa (Oct 19, 2009)

Ahhh Come on!! I agree with Sandy, Danny and Nearpass, salmonella can be found on a lot of animals or food.

But I have to add that I THINK it is important to be aware of the risk. I think that it would be important that a kid wash his or her hands after handling a turtle or tortoise well not necessarily a kid because I wash my hands everytime I handle Hermy or touch something in his enclosure. But why blame the tortoises or turtles or reptiles in general, I aslo wash my hands when I cook chicken or when I get home or at work(I take the train to go to work and to come back home). The germs or bacterias can be found on a lot of things not just reptiles.


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## Rhyno47 (Oct 19, 2009)

If your turtle has salmonella it's your fault. The only way that they can get it (except if you buy an adult that already has it) is if you dont clean its tank out and it swims around in its poop all day. Also some turtle farms give their turtles raw chicken. This accounts for 99% of all salmonella outbreaks. So its either you not cleaning its tank, or the breeder feed it raw chicken.


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## Madkins007 (Oct 19, 2009)

The thing that bugs me is that by blaming turtles, you take the focus off other pets and sources. ANY animal in contact with contaminated food or its own feces can transmit Salmonella- including puppies, kittens, pet rodents, etc.

Most of us here know about the dangers of food-borne Salmonella, and some have pointed out that the germs also live on money, etc. but the stuff can live on lots of other things.

Then, there is the detail that in most cases, you do not KNOW where the infection came from. The version of Salmonella most often found in turtles, etc. is one of the most common versions and is found in a lot of other things- including food.

Turtles make handy scapegoats. Child has Salmonella, child has turtle. Blame turtle- more newsworthy and offers quick 'out' to overworked investigators. 

There are, if I remember right, about 140,000 known cases of Salmonellosis a year- 34 cases from turtles this year means that about 0.0002% are from turtles. Big whoop. And the number is usually less than that.

According to a USA Today survey from 2007, there are about 2 million pet turtles in the US- so, if 34 kids got sick from them, the bug only affected 0.000017% of all turtle owners. Or, you have about a 1 in 59,000 chance of getting sick from the turtle. Pretty decent odds, huh?


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## Kadaan (Oct 19, 2009)

ryanseiler said:


> If your turtle has salmonella it's your fault. The only way that they can get it (except if you buy an adult that already has it) is if you dont clean its tank out and it swims around in its poop all day. Also some turtle farms give their turtles raw chicken. This accounts for 99% of all salmonella outbreaks. So its either you not cleaning its tank, or the breeder feed it raw chicken.



I thought _all_ turtles/tortoises (and animals in general) had the salmonella bacteria in them. I was under the impression that it's only when feces builds up that it grows out of control and becomes a problem (for any animal.)

I read 2 other articles about the same overblown scare as well:

http://www.attorneyatlaw.com/2009/10/salmonella-outbreak-traced-to-pet-turtles/
http://consumerist.com/5385016/tiny-turtles-spread-joy-salmonella

The attorneyatlaw one is funny, because they have links at the bottom to other "related posts" and the first one is about one peanut plant causing over 700 cases of salmonella. The second one mentions "salmonella bacteria, a common and life-threatening form of food poisoning". Must just be a slow news day to suddenly decide to point fingers at turtles


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## bettinge (Oct 19, 2009)

There are, if I remember right, about 140,000 known cases of Salmonellosis a year- 34 cases from turtles this year means that about 0.0002% are from turtles. Big whoop. And the number is usually less than that.

According to a USA Today survey from 2007, there are about 2 million pet turtles in the US- so, if 34 kids got sick from them, the bug only affected 0.000017% of all turtle owners. Or, you have about a 1 in 59,000 chance of getting sick from the turtle. Pretty decent odds.
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Madkins, I like the way you break down facts into the improbable odds they are! Percentages are relavent, shear numbers create panic but do not give a sense of severity!


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## reptylefreek (Oct 19, 2009)

On top of all this, peoples immunities could be down with all this swine flu BS. So if your already sick and your exposed to something that your body would normally have no problem fighting off, viola is right. Thats why old people and babies can die from the flu. I think parents need to be more aware. I know schools are making people wash there hands more and more, parents should follow through.


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## dmmj (Oct 19, 2009)

I detest stories like this because they blame the turtle and not the underlying problem (good hygiene) my words of advice to the stupid people wash your hands. No offenese meant to the handless people of the world.


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## Shelly (Oct 25, 2009)

I have to fish one of my Turtles out of my pool every couple of days. 





So far, no salmonella.


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## Rhyno47 (Oct 25, 2009)

You let them swim in your pool?


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## mctlong (Oct 25, 2009)

It good for parents to be aware of the risks of owning any pet, but there are much bigger things in this world to worry about than catching salmonella from a pet turtle. 

BTW..... What parents let their kids swim with turtles? Do they have no common sense. Aside from salmonella, there's also the damage kids can inflict on the turtle while swimming with it. Really, people? 

And they're blaming _the turtles_ for their kids getting sick?


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## Shelly (Oct 25, 2009)

ryanseiler said:


> You let them swim in your pool?



I certainly don't encourage it, but one of them seems to really like the warmer water, and often jumps in. I'm pretty good with a net, so he usually gets yanked out pretty fast and thrown back into the pond.


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## Candy (Oct 25, 2009)

This is so confusing to me. Is it a regular pool with chlorine in it or what? Wouldn't chlorine be toxic to turtles? Is it the turtles pool and they let the kids swim in it? Wouldn't that be dirty in the first place. Not enough information for me. Just showing the irresponsibility again of a lot of parents who don't research when they want a pet for their child.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 25, 2009)

Just like you and me, swimming in a pool with chlorine is not harmful to a turtle. Now if you were to dump your tropical fish in the pool, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't make it.

And, to answer your question: Those parents are the grandkids of the parents in the 40's and 50's that allowed their kids to put the turtles in the kid's mouths, hence the 4" rule.

Yvonne


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## terryo (Oct 25, 2009)

Lots of times a frog would leave the pond and go into the pool ...probably thinking there would be bigger and better things for him there. Every frog that ever did that in my yard always died. Most were really big bull frogs from my Koi pond. I never had a turtle escape from the pond, but my son did and his turtle went into his pool. The turtle never died though.


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## dmmj (Oct 25, 2009)

TBH I would love to go swimming with my RES but they seem to try and eat everything in the water tha is not a turtle, so i would be little afraid that I would have a dozen or so RES clamped on me .


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## Shelly (Oct 25, 2009)

Candy said:


> This is so confusing to me. Is it a regular pool with chlorine in it or what? Wouldn't chlorine be toxic to turtles?



It's a saline system, with less chlorine than a traditional system, and he's only in there until discovered. It's not boiling acid water, just lightly chlorinated tap water.


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