This Cute Pet

Pet turtles may have salmonella.
Some experts say they don't make safe pets as a result.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that "no reliable methods are available to guarantee that a turtle is free of salmonella." Because of the health risk, selling small turtles has been prohibited in the USA since 1975. Small turtles are those with a carapace of <4 inches in length.



According to the CDC, turtles and other reptiles are reservoirs of Salmonella and have long been a recognized source of Salmonella infection in humans Small turtles have posed a particular danger to young children because these turtles might not be perceived as health hazards and can be handled like toys. Salmonella infections in children can be severe and can result in hospitalization and occasionally in death .

That prohibition of turtle sales led to a substantial decline in human salmonellosis cases associated with turtles.

There have been several recent cases of turtle-associated salmonellosis reported to CDC by state and local health departments since September 2006. These cases illustrate that small turtles remain a source of human Salmonella infections.

Some of the people who have contacted Salmonella were.80% had direct or indirect contact with a turtle within 7 days before illness onset. The duration of turtle ownership before illness onset ranged from <1 month to approximately 5 years. Most had purchased small turtles as pets from flea markets or pet shops.

Salmonella illness remains a major public health problem in the United States, with an estimated 1.4 million nontyphoidal human Salmonella infections occurring annually, resulting in approximately 15,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths. Reptiles are a well-established source of human salmonellosis.

Despite a federal law prohibiting the sale or distribution of small turtles as pets, such sales still occur. Salmonella can be transmitted to humans by direct or indirect contact with a turtle or its feces. No reliable methods are available to guarantee that a turtle is free of Salmonella. Most turtles are colonized with Salmonella and shed the bacteria intermittently in their feces. Certain techniques to eliminate Salmonella from turtles have been unsuccessful and have resulted in Salmonella isolates with increased antibiotic resistance . In addition, turtles not shedding Salmonella species under normal circumstances have been shown to actively shed the bacteria when stressed . Moreover, water in turtle bowls or aquariums can amplify any Salmonella shed by turtles. For these reasons, all turtles, regardless of carapace size, should be handled as though they are infected with Salmonella.


The Food and Drug Administration issued a consumer advisory update, available at http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/turtles042307.html
The CDC has published similar recommendations, available at http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/spotlight_an_turtles.htm.