# Can tortoises transmit Salmonella??



## Tortuga_terrestre (Dec 6, 2010)

Can tortoises transmit Salmonella to humans?? or is it just water turtles??? My 6 month old baby has been throwing up lately and I hope my CDT's are not the ones to blame. She doesnt handle them, but they are in close range. After I personally handle my tortoises, I either wash my hands or use hand sanatizer.


----------



## egyptiandan (Dec 6, 2010)

The simple answer is yes they can. Though it's much easier to get it from almost anything else. Salmonella can be found almost everywhere, so I'm sure it would be easier to come across salmonella in a kitchen than in a tortoise.

Danny


----------



## Jermosh (Dec 6, 2010)

Yes they do, I have gotten sick from handling mine and not washing properly. Clean the area up with vinegar or lemon juice.


----------



## dmmj (Dec 6, 2010)

I agree with danny I worry more about getting it from spinach, eggs money than I do my tortoises and turtles, if you practice good hygiene, washing hands and stuff, I sincerely doubt your little one got it from you. It wouldn't hurt for a check up just in case though. salmonella affects the elderly and babies more than it does healthy adults.


----------



## Tortuga_terrestre (Dec 6, 2010)

Thank you for your responses. I called the doctor and they said to give her Pedialite and if it worsens to take to the ER. Salmonella and my tortoise was the first I thought about when she started vomiting. I hope its not Samonella.... I will keep you guys posted.


----------



## Tortuga_terrestre (Dec 6, 2010)

I just came back from the ER and it was a stomach virus, but the possibility of it being Salmonella still cannot be dismissed. I am going to thoroughly clean the enclosure and continue to practice good hygiene.


----------



## Madkins007 (Dec 7, 2010)

I'm laughing here because according to some sources, 'stomach bugs', 'the 24-hour bug', and similar vague things are often cultured out as being Salmonella or a similar food poisoning issue.

The thing is, most Salmonella and food poisoning attacks are short-lived, rather mild things that usually pass before the doc can see it. There are very dangerous strains of Salmonella, like those in some processing plants, etc., but the typical home case is a short bout of diarrhea and vomiting, then better. The big risks are young kid and seniors getting dehydrated from all of it.

You may never know where the infection came from- there is a chance it was the torts, but it is also cultured off coins, paper money, cutting boards, door knobs, light switches, room temp eggs/chicken/meat, and more.

Treatment is basically rest and fluids- is that pretty much what the ER said?


----------



## Shelly (Dec 7, 2010)

I wash my hands far less than I probably should, and have never gotten Salmonella.


----------



## Tortuga_terrestre (Dec 7, 2010)

They did a blood test and everything came out OK. They took a stool sample, but did not conduct a test. The doctor explained when their is a presence of salmonella, blood in the stool is also present. All they did yesterday is just stabilize her, they admistered an IV and a shot for nausea. I was feeling horrible yesterday thinking that my tortoises could have been responsible for this...but I keep my tortoise enclosure very clean.


----------



## Angi (Dec 7, 2010)

I don't think it was the torts. You probably have 100 things in your house that would easier transmit Salmonilla than the CDTs. Everybody does. Salmonilla is not airborn or I would worry about the torts and everything else. But having a sick baby is the scariest think in the world. I hope your baby gets better and I will say a prayer for both you and baby. Keep us posted about the baby.


----------



## Candy (Dec 7, 2010)

*The thing is, most Salmonella and food poisoning attacks are short-lived, rather mild things that usually pass before the doc can see it.



I don't know if I would call it mild things. Have you ever seen anyone who had "Food Poisoning"? There's nothing mild about it. 

Walter it's probably just the stomach flu. My boys had it this weekend and now I have it. The iv probably helped her the most (getting fluids in). *


----------



## Maggie Cummings (Dec 7, 2010)

I'm like Shelly, I don't wash my hands often after handling my tortoises and I have never gotten sick from them. Same with my water turtles...


----------



## Madkins007 (Dec 7, 2010)

There are several degrees of food poisoning, from a mild day of discomfort (the aforementioned '24 hour bug' like cases) to more severe or even life-threatening cases. Some forms of Salmonella (there are several subspecies and seriotypes- typhoid is one of them) are incredibly dangerous- these are the what we often hear about when it happens in a packing plant or processing place- like the recent egg or spinach cases.

The USDA says this: "Most people experience diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 8 to 72 hours after the contaminated food was eaten. Additional symptoms may be chills, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms usually disappear within 4 to 7 days. Many people with salmonellosis recover without treatment and may never see a doctor." (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/salmonella_questions_&_answers/index.asp)

Blood in the stool is mentioned occasionally, but not often in symptom lists.

I rarely wash my hands after handling the torts or a lot of other times I should. I sometimes get bouts of diarrhea that may be a direct result, but it could also be from many other possible causes. And, of course, I am reasonably sure my torts don't actively carry it since they were captive bred and I keep them clean.


----------

