Baby Turtles for Sale

It’s a fact that most baby turtles and adults carry salmonella, if you look for information on the internet there are many pages carrying news on the subject.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports specifically on this subject.  It would appear that keeping turtles in your home creates a very real risk but this perspective has been somewhat over exaggerated. The salmonella strain carried by turtles can produce symptoms of sickness and diarrhea but  only in very rare cases are you likely to be hospitalised. Turtle salmonella need no be a problem.

You should not be discouraged from keeping these delightful creatures as pets. To get things back in perspective people working everyday with turtles are hardly falling over with turtle salmonella poisoning, most will work their whole lives with these creatures and never become infected.

All pet keeping brings an element of risk, look at our favourite pet, the dog, how dangerous is the bacteria in its their faeces.  Dog droppings are one of the leading sources of E. coli (fecal coliforms) bacterial pollution: Consider this, one gram of dog feces contains over 20,000,000 E. coli cells yet who would let this fact sway their decision about keeping a dog?

The fact is that all animals harbor bacteria of one sort or another but by using proper hygiene most pet owners will never be affected by it.

The golden rule is always to wash your hands after handling turtles. You should take extra care with young children. Don’t let the turtle come into contact with food preparation areas or let it roam your home freely. Do not use the household kitchen sinks to clean turtles and equipment, better to obtain proper tools for the job.

You should play it safe with very young infants and old people, their natural defenses are weaker.  People with existing infections should also be careful, their immune systems are weaker than normal. It might be sensible to remove pet turtles from a home expecting a new born baby.

If you take proper precautions and follow a proper hygiene regime turtle salmonella, when keeping baby or full grown turtles,  should not present a problem. The FDA has a view on this topic you might wish to see the video then make up your own mind..

More news regarding salmonella and how you can be safe and enjoy your baby turtles…

Salmonella and turtles info sheet
One of those is about Salmonella in pet turtles, something we’ve discussed on Worms&Germs periodically. The info sheet, and associated commentary from Ben Chapman, can be found here.

How do I prevent getting salmonella from my pet turtles?
I just want to know before I get my pet turtles how to prevent getting salmonella from my turtles~!~ And is there a way to tell if my turtle has it? 

FDA Acts to Reduce Risk of Salmonella Infections
On March 3, 2008, Strictly Reptiles Inc., a wildlife dealer in Hollywood, Fla., sold 1000 baby yellow-bellied sliders and Mississippi map turtles to a souvenir shop in Panama City, Fla. 

Salmonella Recall List for January 28, 2009
Because reptiles are particularly likely to have salmonella, which can contaminate their skin, people should wash their hands immediately after handling reptiles. Reptiles including turtles

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