are turtles safe

Question
Hello, can you tell me if turtles are safe for children.  Do they really carry diseases?  Thank You

Answer
Turtles, and any other animal in dirty cages, can carry Salmonella from being forced to live in waste materials. Aquariums tend ot be dirtier than dry cages if they are nt cleaned.

You can easily fight Salmonella by keeping the animals clean and washing your hands. The biggest risk is getting the stuff in the mouth- kids most commonly get it from 'kissing' their turtles.

Salmonella is a pretty minor illness- it is often called a 'stomach flu' or '24 hour bug' and is characterized by vomiting and diarrhea. It generally lasts about a day or two and is only really dangerous for people with weak systems.

There is a more dangerous strain of Salmonella, but it is rare outside of processed meat.