Becoming ill from a painter turtle???

Question
Hi,
Everyone keeps telling me not to handle our baby painted turtle as we can become very ill.  Is this true or is it an old wives tale???
Thank you

Answer
The risk is from Salmonellosis, the disease you get from Salmonella germs.

Salmonellosis is not a big deal. It occurs in about 7-48 hour usually, lasts about 24-72 hours, and the main symptoms are diarrhea and possibly vomiting. We usually call it 'the 24 hour bug' or 'the stomach flu'- but no flu or cold does the diarrhea or vomiting bit together.

There are some real risks- some forms of Salmonella cause a nastier form of the disease (although this is very rare in turtles), and any form of the disease can be troublesome to the very young or old.

You are more likely to get the disease from things like: room temp chicken or hard boiled eggs, contaminated meats, etc. but you can fight ALL of it with proper sanitation and handwashing.