# Please settle a Dad's view on Tortoise illness



## KingDes (Oct 11, 2009)

I'm counting the days until the Reptile expo which is coming in one week, but before then I had to convince my father that a tortoise isn't going to get any of us sick. Long story short, we used to have turtles and once my dad found out they could give use salmonella and get us sick, he picked them up and sold them. This was several years ago, and now that I want to get a tortoise he believes that tortoise's carry a disease that can get the rest of us sick, even the captive bred. He believes that tortoise's and turtles carry diseases inside of them because they are born with it, is this any true? I haven't found any evidence of this anywhere but then again it is never mentioned.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 11, 2009)

It is MY understanding that every living thing, mammal, poultry, reptile, carries the salmonella bug in its system. Salmonella is only shed if the animal is ill. So, if you wash your hands after handling your new tortoise there shouldn't be a problem. There is probably more salmonella germs on that raw chicken your mom is preparing for dinner than there is on the outside of your tortoise.

http://www.amm.co.uk/files/factsabout/fa_salm.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/salm3.html

Yvonne


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## Stephanie Logan (Oct 11, 2009)

Neither my husband nor myself, nor any of our five children have ever gotten sick from handling Taco, and she has been with us for four years now.


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## Weloveourtortoise (Oct 11, 2009)

Yvonne is correct. You have a much greater chance of getting salmonella poisoning from raw poultry and EGGS than any tortoise.
As with any pet, after handling and playing, wash your hands before touching your face or eating.
Good Luck!
(I am partitial to Russians!)


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## Madkins007 (Oct 11, 2009)

I think your dad misunderstands Salmonellosis, the disease you get from the Salmonella germ.

Salmonella is a large group of germs, and part of a larger family that includes typhoid. Pretty much every vertebrate animal has some Salmonella of some sort in its system, where it helps break down foods, etc.

When you hear about Salmonella killing someone, one of two things is usually happening:
1. The victim is very young, very old, or otherwise infirm and actually died of dehydration or other complications from the diarrhea and such (and would probably have been in trouble from many other common diseases, including the flu) or
2. The type of Salmonella involved is a heavier duty version. This is usually what happens when there is food contaminated at a factory and several people die. These types of Salmonella are not found in homes or pets normally.

Most home cases of Salmonella come from improperly handled or prepared food, most often a meat product at room temperature- deviled eggs, chicken salad, etc., or other foods in contact with things like badly cleaned cutting boards that meat had been cut on. 

Your typical pet turtle was a problem in the 'old days' because most of them were caught in human waste settling ponds, then the problem was compounded by being kept in soiled water. It is the contact with fecal material that makes pets a risk. ANY animal kept in its own wastes can carry Salmonella. Iguanas often carry it, especially when they are kept so they cannot stay up high in branches. Puppies and kittens carry it often as well. Your odds of getting it from a tortoise is about the same as from a puppy.

So, obviously, one way to combat Salmonellosis is to keep the animal in a clean habitat. A friend who works with a university's collection of reptiles has to have his collection checked periodically. One species of mud turtle (if I recall correctly) routinely has Salmonella in the water regardless of their cleaning process, but none of the other reptiles, including all other native turtles, does. Their cares are not greatly unusual- just a good water filtration system (like you can get from a pet store- they don't have a ton of money for this stuff at the school) and keeping the cages normally clean.

The other way to combat it is to follow basic hygienic precautions like washing your hands. 

Now, lets say you DO get Salmonellosis. What is it like? You should know- you've probably already had it. We often call it 'the 24 hour flu' or 'the stomach flu'. It usually takes 12-72 hours to develop, lasts about a day or two, and you will have diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and stomach cramps. Most cases go away quickly, but it can sometimes linger or develop to something worse. It is estimated that everyone over the age of 13 has had at least one attack.

When they say that the disease can kill you, you need to remember that they figure that 142,000 Americans are infected enough to report it every year with the type found in reptiles and chicken eggs (Salmonella enteritis), and only about 30 people die every year from it. With the US population at about 300 million, only one person in 2,000 will get this disease, and only one in ten million will die from it. 56,000 people will die in the US from the flu and pneumonia, 82 from hornets and bees, 48 from lightening... in fact, more people will die from hot tap water (42) than from Salmonellosis in a typical year.

This disease really bugs the CDC, and gets a lot of air-time in the news. The CDC hates it because it affects so many people and is so preventable- good food handling practices and proper handwashing technique and no one should get sick. Because no one washes their hands like they should, even our money is somewhat contaminated with the stuff! One irritating thing about Salmonella is that the germ is so hardy. It can live a very long time on surfaces, and is not killed by freezing. 

If you are still worried, you can get food safety test strips to check your house or animals. 

(info from wikipedia, the CDC, National Safety Council, etc. was used to prepare this post.)


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## Maggie Cummings (Oct 11, 2009)

I have 27 turtles and tortoises and probably am not real keen on washing my hands every time I handle one, and i have never gotten sick from one of my chelonia...your Dad is just being old fashioned...


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## reptylefreek (Oct 11, 2009)

Also I know your not supposed to but I have no children and these guys are my babies and I kiss them all the time. I have kissed many reptiles and have never gotten sick, EVER. Ok now please no one scold me


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## Stephanie Logan (Oct 11, 2009)

No need to worry...I kiss Taco and rub my nose on her face and neck. I am sure many if not most of the people on this forum do the same, though maybe only some will admit it....


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## shelber10 (Oct 11, 2009)

its not a big problem i have had red eard slider, painted turtles, red foots, and sulcatas and have never gotten sick


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## terryo (Oct 11, 2009)

I've had boxies since I was 5 years old, water turtles for well over 20 years ....still have them and have never gotten sick. Just wash your hands well.


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