i just came across this article on aol...first of all: wow! this is kinda scary. i suppose, though, that it should be a common sense kind of thing to wash your hands (or have your children wash theirs) after playing with pets, although I am not so careful with petting my dog...

second of all: "Salmonella infections are common from...red-eared sliders that are banned but have made an illegal comeback...in recent years." does this mean that it is illegal to buy, sell, or own a red-eared slider? cause I thought it was the most common pet turtle to have. this statement confuses me.

here is the article...

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/arti...05134609990003

lola

Washing your hands after handling any animal is just basic common sense.

RES are not illegal to own. In the early 70's there was an outbreak of salmonella poisoning. A law was passed due to them linking Salmonella with the hatchling RES that were sold everywhere at that time. The law forbid the sale of any turtle or tortoise with a shell length under 4 inches, on the beleif that if the turt was 4 inches or bigger a small child could not get the turtle in their mouth! There was one part of the law that stated that they could not be sold except for educational purposes. It is this part of the law that some dealers are using to get around the ban. I have been seeing these RES hatchlings showing up in some of the more unscrupulous pet shops. With a sign on the tank "Sold for educational purposes only". However they are being sold without question to anyone that wants one. No questions asked.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!