Is this true ????

:shock: Hey Everybody,
I have been perusing possibly obtaining a tortoise or box turtle for my herp collection and the book I have been reading to bone up on chelonian husbandry stated that chelonians can possibly carry diseases that could prove FATAL to snakes !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say that has stopped me right in my tracks on this project until I get some more in depth information. The book I am reading does not really go into more detail on this disturbing bit of information.

Do any of you know anything about this??? I would sure like to add a torty to my critters but not at the expense of killing my snakes !!!!!!!! :shock: :o

EyeLashViper

The shop I work at has successfully kept snakes and tortises in the same room for years w/o any problems; as we always follow the general rule that sick animals don't make it into the same close quarters with the healthy ones.

Now if you are talking about certain chelonians being asymptomatic carries of dieseases that are otherwise fatal in boids, you'd better start doing your research; however, I have never run into any problems in my experience with the two species.

Hm; I would go onto a turtle/tortoise message board and see about it; maybe some experienced tory keepers will be able to advise ya.

I would think that, just as with quarantining a new snake from your current stock, an attention to hygiene and keeping the two separate would be the order of the day. Use your anti-bacterial hand-gel or wash your hands thoroughly between working with the chelonians and your snakes, and don't let the two types of creatures "mingle" (which is probably a good idea anyway).

If the diseases were too terribly contagious, it'd be far too risky to have reptile shows with both snakes and chelonians in attendance. However, staying mindful of the potential, just as we need to do with the possibility of picking up salmonella bacteria from our herps, should keep problems at bay.