EnclosureQuestions
New Member
Hello Tortoise Forums,
I'm going to be upfront and say that my family does not own any tortoises. However, I have a question concerning them that I can't find a good answer to online and I figured I'd ask the experts. My family made an offer for a house with an enclosed part of the backyard that the sellers used as a tortoise enclosure. I can't give you the exact dimensions, but I'd judge it to be roughly 4 by 10 feet, with a metal fence and gate, grass, and plants along the edges. (It's an irregular shape so I'm guessing the dimensions from what I saw when I visited.) I saw two tortoises when I visited, but I don't know how long they were there or if there were more in the past. My question is this: could this entire area be contaminated with salmonella? What could I do to decontaminate the area, including the soil? My family has a dog that is currently going through chemotherapy, and so we want to minimize the chances of her contracting salmonella. Is there a chance that any contamination might have reached other plants in the backyard through the soil and roots? How extreme of measures should we take?
Thank you so much for reading. Most of my info has come from google searches, and I couldn't find anyone else in a similar situation or advice for outdoor enclosures like this. Expertise from tortoise owners would be greatly appreciated.
I'm going to be upfront and say that my family does not own any tortoises. However, I have a question concerning them that I can't find a good answer to online and I figured I'd ask the experts. My family made an offer for a house with an enclosed part of the backyard that the sellers used as a tortoise enclosure. I can't give you the exact dimensions, but I'd judge it to be roughly 4 by 10 feet, with a metal fence and gate, grass, and plants along the edges. (It's an irregular shape so I'm guessing the dimensions from what I saw when I visited.) I saw two tortoises when I visited, but I don't know how long they were there or if there were more in the past. My question is this: could this entire area be contaminated with salmonella? What could I do to decontaminate the area, including the soil? My family has a dog that is currently going through chemotherapy, and so we want to minimize the chances of her contracting salmonella. Is there a chance that any contamination might have reached other plants in the backyard through the soil and roots? How extreme of measures should we take?
Thank you so much for reading. Most of my info has come from google searches, and I couldn't find anyone else in a similar situation or advice for outdoor enclosures like this. Expertise from tortoise owners would be greatly appreciated.