Reptile & Amphibian Forums

F.Freezing does not destroy Salmonella but it may impair some cells.

Temperatures between 40°F and 140°F, known as the danger zone and are ideal for rapidgrowth.

There are over 2000 strains of salmonella bacteria. Many of these strains are species specific and cannot cross over from one species to another. Many of these strains do not cause symptoms in their host but may make another species quite ill if the bacteria is one of those that is able to infect another species.

Did you know that in one study, that was not species specific, of animals that had already died of various illnesses:

50% of snakes and lizards were found to carry salmonella, and
7% of the turtles carried salmonella as well
30% of dogs tested also carry a salmonella bacteria
So if you have say four reptiles, you could consider that perhaps 2 of them are infected with salmonella.

in studies that have been done it's been shown that over 50% of the animals carry one or more strains of salmonella... so it's best to just assume that your herps, cat, dog, mouse, gerbil or rabbit all have salmonella and take proper precautions.