Salmonella???

Jaid10

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Hi, I have a few questions about tortoises giving salmonella. When I first got my tort I washed my hands every time I touched my torts because I was told they can give salmonella. I still do that. I’ve seen all these pictures of people letting there torts around there houses. I don’t let my tortoise in the house and touch anything after I touch her until I wash my hands. Is that necessary?
 

Toddrickfl1

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I think the risk is minimal honestly. I've had and handled turtles my whole life practically and I've never caught salmonella, but I'd still say it's best to take precautions like cowboy ken suggested.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I can't recall a single post of anyone saying that they or anyone they know contacted salmonella that way.
I have read several posts about members asking that same question. I believe the answer is to be careful. But don't get stressed about it. Simple practices should prevent most of it.
 

wellington

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I agree with above, specially Zeropilots post. If it were a big thing to worry about, I'd be dead or at least would have had it. As a kid and young adult I would catch turtles all the time. Catch and release. As kids usually do, washing hands was not my top priority. Even now, I touch my torts all the time and don't immediately wash my hands unless I'm going to handle food or when I finally get in the house. If it's your habit to wash your hands right after touching them, then stick with it. Just don't freak if you forget.
The letting them roam the house, is not a good thing to do, so don't start that.
 

daniellenc

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Lol I’ve been keeping reptiles for over 15 years and no salmonella for me or my kids who are hands on. I do bleach out my sink after soaks but I don’t stress much. Yes we wash our hands but seriously salmonella is in fecal matter so handling of your tort is fine.
 

Bee62

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I grew up with a lot of animals, I was eating fruits unwashed out of my parents garden, played with soil...... and so on.
I was never sick of salmonella or other bacterias and I am a healthy 56 year old woman. :)
I often touch my torts without washing my hands right after that. With a well working immune system you will get no salmonella and not all torts carry salmonella bacterias. The risk of getting salmonella with a chicken egg or raw chicken meat is much higher to my opinion than touching a tortoise / turtle.
 

Destben

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I wash my hands after handling and I only soak them in their own tupper ware containers. they don't share at all and they don't go in my sink. other then that I don't worry about it much.
 

Redfool

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I think the salmonella thing started by kids not changing the water in their RES ramped island bowl with the plastic palm tree for weeks at a time. Turned turtle pool to a cesspool. We do need to exercise common sense, safety and cleanliness. My outdoor fish cleaning/gardening/tort soaking sink and table keeps my RFs out of the kitchen.
 

Pearly

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For me just common sense standard precautions have worked well. I don’t go crazy with lysol bottle all over the place, i handle my torts several times a day and wash my hands after I’m done bathing them, or cleanig their dishes, and extra dilligently after cleaning their bath tub (where they always poo), always before I start doing something in my kitchen
 

JoesMum

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With tortoise keeping I just wash my hands, and rinse out dishes.

If I am cleaning my wild bird feeders, I get the disinfectant out as we have a virus affecting some kinds of finch which has been shown to be transmitted through dirty feeders. It doesn't affect humans, but I don't want to contribute to the virus problem.
 

daniellenc

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With tortoise keeping I just wash my hands, and rinse out dishes.

If I am cleaning my wild bird feeders, I get the disinfectant out as we have a virus affecting some kinds of finch which has been shown to be transmitted through dirty feeders. It doesn't affect humans, but I don't want to contribute to the virus problem.
You’re like me. Yeah I wash my hands but I’m not freaking out.
 

daniellenc

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Well as we got Joe in 1970 and it hasn't killed me ...


I might feel differently if I had an omnivore like a redfoot. They eat meat and meat poop isn't good
I have an RF but so far so good. I spray my sink with bleach after his soaks and wash my hands. Now if I become violently ill I’ll change my tune.
 

KBeam

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I talked to a herpetologist here at the university and he told me that it’s important to wash hands, but he’s never heard of salmonella in a captive breed tortoise. It is common in wild caught reptiles.
 

Jaid10

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There are so many websites saying different things, such as all reptiles give salmonella unless you wash your hands I get confused .
 

Jay Bagley

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There are so many websites saying different things, such as all reptiles give salmonella unless you wash your hands I get confused .
I agree with you, the internet can be pretty confusing. With any subject, there's like a hundred different websites telling you a hundred different ways to do something. As far as tortoises go, I avoid Google like the plague and just come here for advice and questions answered.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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As I remember things, the 4” rule was a result of youngsters getting salmonella back when Sears was selling those tiny RES’s and kids were indeed getting sick. Some reports went as far as saying children were at times carrying their turtles around in their mouths and that some even admitted to drinking the turtle water. Kids get sick, check things out and find salmonella.
 

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