Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Lol! Actually, the turtles came first here anyway. But about 7 months ago, I started keeping chickens. I often do animal maintence all at once, and I often wonder if I might be carrying diseases from the chicken coop to the turtle cage, or visa versa.

Are there diseases common to chickens are turtles that I might be spreading? I know about salmanella, but I am worried about something that might make the animals sick.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
0.1.0 Australian shepard
2.2.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

I don’t think too much documentation has been done with regards to disease transmission between turtles and birds. However biologically speaking ..birds and reptiles are very close.

Most evolutionary texts agree that birds descended from reptiles. Archaeopteryx being the reptile bird having claws on it’s wings and reptilian teeth as well as a bony lizard like tail scantily dressed in a minimal amount of primitive feathers. Good thing he was crow sized!

So if mammals, people included, can get the BIRD FLU; I would think similar species would be more at risk like turtles.

Turtles having been around for eons have had the opportunity to fend off many diseases...but they still get some.

Birds being the new guy haven’t had as much time doing battle; and are now passing viruses to humans. So since we are not getting the turtle flu? ....??

But then again maybe birds are not genetically so different from reptiles and have part of their genes to transmit and fight bacteria and viruses...but the reason for their ability to spread disease is due to their ability to cover great distances. They can then mix with other birds, and animals and spread more faster.

So in my book, the chicken is leading.....
Ric

Turtle flu!? ROFL!! Loved your post! Next time I call in sick I'm gonna tell my boss I have the turtle flu!

I knew that turtles and chicken were fairly closely related, evolution wise, which is why I asked this question. So far I haven't seen any ill effects. Probably won't. If it's possible to pass something from one species, it's probably a rare event.

Then again, w/ my track record, my animals could be the first on record! lol
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
0.1.0 Australian shepard
2.2.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

Actually diseases have spread from animals to man via mutations and living in close proximity to humans.

The swine flu developed decades ago....in Asia..with man getting it from pigs. Hiv they think came from similar primates in Africa and the notorious bird flu now is hitting all over the world.

In the future we may be hearing to “Watch out for the Dung Beetle Flu!”...Or the Donkey Flu
..But then you’d have to be a Democrat.
Ric

A good chicken book is "The Chicken Health Handbook" by Gail Damerow. chickens do get intestinal parasites, mites, etc. The doves here spread disease to the chickens (bird to bird) and I occasionally get a mite bite. Ask your vet about airborne fecal material from the coop floor and what it might carry. I wear a mask when I clean my coop. But that's a good question (turtle/chicken cross over disease) and I'm gonna ask my vet about it.

When I am doing animal cleaning & maintence I keep a bottle of no water antibacterial hand sanitizer with me and sanitize my hands between cages.

It takes me 2 days out of the week to do all my animal cleaning. I do half one day then the other half the next day, there are many species involved.
I use a lot of bleach so I use those heavy yellow gloves kitchen gloves to protect my hands but I also dip them in the bleach to kill germs on them. I make sure I wash my hands and/or the gloves in between species. To stay on the safe side... who knows what might transmit from one species to another?
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PHRatz

I do wash my hands in between animals, but I am also wondering about whatever is carried on my clothes and shoes. Cleaning out chicken coops, or even just walking around in them for feeding and watering, is a messing business!

(I keep thinking I should wear a mask too, but never get around to getting some! lol)

On the other hand, am I going to change my clothes in between animals? Hmmm. Probably not! lol Maybe I'm running out of things to worry about, so I'm making some things up! lol
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
0.1.0 Australian shepard
2.2.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

I keep telling myself I need to wear a mask when I clean the sulcata enclosure outside. It's easier to sweep it then clean with chlorhexdine & a wet rag. If she's urinated on her heat mat the heat makes the white urates turn to dust, which I swept with a broom only once. I thought nope I'm not going to breathe this in so I took the heat mat out then washed it with soap & water instead. If I'd get a mask sweeping would be easier for me.

With my pet rats there are no vaccines that exist. There are some diseases that are so contagious/deadly only to them...that can pass back & forth between rodents, showering & changing clothes really is something that needs to be done when going from one species to another. This is why I keep only one rodent species. Too much trouble to have others.
When I'm cleaning reptiles I don't change my clothes but I do wash those gloves & their holding tanks in between species.
I realized I said it takes me 2 days a week to clean everyone.. geeze I have too many pets!
LOL
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PHRatz