Can a 10 year old have a pet turtle?

Can a 10 year old have a pet turtle?

If you don’t have young children, turtles can be great pets, but they require extra care to avoid passing salmonella to your kids. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that reptiles not be kept in preschools and in homes or daycare centers with children younger than 5.

Can I keep a turtle that I found?

Many reptile experts and enthusiasts will tell you not to keep a wild turtle as a pet, and they are right. It’s the same reason you may be told not to keep a frog you found in your pond, or a bunny you found in your backyard. Animals that live in the wild are not used to living boxed-up in a tank, cage, or hutch.

Is it legal to keep a turtle as a pet?

Forty years ago, the U.S. outlawed the sale of small turtles as pets because they harbor salmonella, a bacterium that causes a highly unpleasant and occasionally deadly illness in humans. It’s still illegal to sell or distribute turtles with shells less than four inches long as pets.

Can turtles make children sick?

Turtles commonly carry bacteria on their outer skin and shell surfaces that can make people very ill. Geckos and bearded dragons can also infect people. Turtles commonly carry the Salmonella bacteria on their outer skin and shell surfaces.

What are the chances of getting salmonella from a turtle?

Even if you have a Salmonella positive turtle, which you most likely do, the risk of catching it is minimal if you take good care of your turtle and practice basic hygiene. For more information about Salmonella and reptiles, visit the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians.

What can I feed a turtle I found in my yard?

Some suitable fruits and vegetables for these turtles include apples, peaches, carrots, dandelions, banana, green beans, raspberries, kale, blueberries and mangoes. To add much-needed protein into your turtle’s diet, feed him earthworms, mealworms, red worms and crickets, as well.

Can you get rid of salmonella on turtle?

There are no methods guaranteed to rid turtles of salmonella, notes that CDC. “All turtles, regardless of [shell] size, should be handled as though they are infected with salmonella,” says the CDC in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Do wild turtles carry diseases?

Turtles can carry Salmonella germs in their droppings, even while looking healthy and clean. These germs can easily spread to their bodies, tank water, and habitats. People can get sick after they touch a turtle or anything in their habitats.

Can humans get sick from turtles?

Turtles commonly carry bacteria on their outer skin and shell surfaces that can make people very ill. Geckos and bearded dragons can also infect people. Turtles commonly carry the Salmonella bacteria on their outer skin and shell surfaces. Reptiles like bearded dragons and geckos can also infect people with Salmonella.

How can you tell if a turtle has salmonella?

Contact with these baby turtles and all other reptiles can be a very serious health risk to infants, small children, and adults with weakened immune systems. Symptoms of salmonellosis include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever, and headache.