My fiancee has kept turtles in the past and wants to keep a Mississippi map turtle now. I had a few questions in general regarding salmonella and other such things. When maintaining the tank is it recommended to wear gloves? I read that the map turtles don't like being handled so that's not an issue. The tank would be filtered with a Rena xp3 canister. Is it safe to use my aqueon water changer on the tank that I also use on my fish tank or should I get a second one? Is reptoguard necessary? It is a sulfa type drug which I am allergic to so it worries me about it being in the water and other such things. Would hand washing after cleaning be enough to protect myself and where to drain the water? If I use my water changer is the bathroom sink ok if I clean afterwards.
General turtle keeping / Mississippi map turtle questions
- Thread starter adixon816
- Start date
We have three turtles (RES, Florida Redbelly, Peninsula Cooter) in two largeish tanks (125 and a 150), here's my experience over the years with your questions:
1) I always wash my hands and usually use hand sanitizer after doing work on the tank and/or handling them. I also avoid touching my eyes, nose, mouth, et cetera before washing. If you are reasonably careful, I suspect the chance of salmonella is very low, as I haven't even heard of a case among other turtle folk (I'm sure many doctors have though). I don't use gloves while I work with any of the freshwater tanks, but it obviously wouldn't hurt.
2) Ours were from breeders, which may or may not help with #1, but I'd still strongly suggest getting a captive born one rather than wild caught for the usual reasons.
3) I had an XP3 on the 125, and the physical media (sponges that come with it) couldn't keep up once the turtle in there got to 5" or so, and would clog rapidly. I'd suspect two would be able to do it if you don't mind rinsing the sponges, but I just moved on to sumps with filter socks, which I would strongly suggest if you can do it. I use matrix for the biomedia, and never had a problem with the biological filtration.
4) I use the same aqueon changer for the turtle and non-turtle tanks; haven't had a problem, but if you are worried, it's not like a second one would break the bank.
5) Never used reptoguard, and the turtles have been healthy for years.
6) At the current house, I use the outside spigot and drain into the yard, but previously I used the kitchen sink, and would wash it mildly afterwords, again without issue.
I'm assuming you already know, but UVB and a varied diet have been the easiest parts of keeping ours happy & healthy. Also, I strongly suggest pool filter sand or something similar if you are using a substrate. Gravel has a reasonable risk of non-resolving impaction, especially with younger/smaller ones.
1) I always wash my hands and usually use hand sanitizer after doing work on the tank and/or handling them. I also avoid touching my eyes, nose, mouth, et cetera before washing. If you are reasonably careful, I suspect the chance of salmonella is very low, as I haven't even heard of a case among other turtle folk (I'm sure many doctors have though). I don't use gloves while I work with any of the freshwater tanks, but it obviously wouldn't hurt.
2) Ours were from breeders, which may or may not help with #1, but I'd still strongly suggest getting a captive born one rather than wild caught for the usual reasons.
3) I had an XP3 on the 125, and the physical media (sponges that come with it) couldn't keep up once the turtle in there got to 5" or so, and would clog rapidly. I'd suspect two would be able to do it if you don't mind rinsing the sponges, but I just moved on to sumps with filter socks, which I would strongly suggest if you can do it. I use matrix for the biomedia, and never had a problem with the biological filtration.
4) I use the same aqueon changer for the turtle and non-turtle tanks; haven't had a problem, but if you are worried, it's not like a second one would break the bank.
5) Never used reptoguard, and the turtles have been healthy for years.
6) At the current house, I use the outside spigot and drain into the yard, but previously I used the kitchen sink, and would wash it mildly afterwords, again without issue.
I'm assuming you already know, but UVB and a varied diet have been the easiest parts of keeping ours happy & healthy. Also, I strongly suggest pool filter sand or something similar if you are using a substrate. Gravel has a reasonable risk of non-resolving impaction, especially with younger/smaller ones.
Here is my take on it. I have only gotten salmonella poisoning one time in 30+ years of keeping aquatic turtles, and that came from some under cooked chicken at the fire station where I worked. That does NOT mean that there is NO risk to keeping aquatic turtles (reptiles), but I think it may be a bit over hyped. I think with a little common sense and a little extra care in cleaning you should not have any problems. I too, do not think that the gloves are a bad idea, however, do not let them give you a false sense of security about bacteria exposure. The same cleaning and hand washing practices should apply no matter if you are wearing gloves or not.
This is probably not appropriate to say, but I think that after so many years of low level exposures to salmonella bacteria, I feel I have built up a bit of a tolerance. There have been several times over the years while at the fire station or home with the family that after a meal everyone but me started to experience mild "stomach flu" like symptoms. This is usually mild cases of salmonella poisoning. That does not mean I recommend going out and licking turtles. I just think it is an interesting side note and one more way to prove that George Carlin was super wise!!
This is probably not appropriate to say, but I think that after so many years of low level exposures to salmonella bacteria, I feel I have built up a bit of a tolerance. There have been several times over the years while at the fire station or home with the family that after a meal everyone but me started to experience mild "stomach flu" like symptoms. This is usually mild cases of salmonella poisoning. That does not mean I recommend going out and licking turtles. I just think it is an interesting side note and one more way to prove that George Carlin was super wise!!
The salmonella hype that was spread around years ago was due to turtles being kept in very unsanitary conditions coupled with children tending to put things in their mouths (hands, turtles, etc.). Be sure to remove any uneaten food items (besides live feeders) after a few minutes in order to keep the water clean; food breaking down played a big part in the salmonella scares related to turtles. You're really at no major risk as long as you wash your hands & keep up with your water changes.
I had a common snapper for a few years, and that was the messiest turtle I've ever had. He would dirty his water in a few days even with filtration yet I never got salmonella thanks to washing my hands & keeping up with my water changes.
I had a common snapper for a few years, and that was the messiest turtle I've ever had. He would dirty his water in a few days even with filtration yet I never got salmonella thanks to washing my hands & keeping up with my water changes.
Thanks for the reassurance guys I do weekly water changes and always remove uneaten food. I will take proper precautions doing this. What is the best way to set up the xp3 I was going to do coarse sponge and two trays of bio media I am not a fan of carbon. Any advice is appreciated.
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