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Indian/Sri Lankan Star Tortoise (G. elegans)
Burmese Star Tortoise
(G. platynota)
Other Starred Tortoises
Angulate Tortoise
(C. angulata)
Misc. Pages
The Allergy-Free Gardening book includes the complete OPALS aka Ogren Plant Allergy Scale. Over 5,000 plants are individually allergy-ranked.
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Are you an allergic tortoise owner? Share your story and tips with other visitors. Post on the comments bb or guestbook.
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Links - Allergies & Tortoise Keeping
Sri Lankan Star tortoise
First, read the Allergic Keepers p.1 (indoor substrates for tortoises) and Allergic Keepers p.2 (tubs, enclosure materials, indoor air quality, indoor humidity, etc.) pages.
Allergies & tortoises - There isn't much on the web specifically about human allergies and tortoises...
- AAAAI - American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; Helping a kid with asthma be a kid; Excerpt: "Consider getting a pet such as a turtle, hermit crab, fish, snake or other animals without fur or feathers."
- AAFA - Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America; Pet allergies; Excerpt: "Keeping the pet outdoors will help, but will not rid the house of pet allergens. Another option is to have pets that do not have fur or feathers. Fish, snakes or turtles are some choices."
- ACAAI - American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; Indoor allergies; Excerpt: "Dogs, cats and other mammals are the pets most likely to cause allergies in sensitive individuals. Fish, turtles and salamanders are less likely to cause problems."
- Allercure - Animal dander; Excerpt: "A highly sensitive individual can consider keeping fish, turtles, frogs or tortoises as pets. These pets do not shed dander or have hair or fur, and their droppings do not create allergic problems."
- Anapsid - Allergies to Reptiles and Herp-Keeping Products, by Melissa Kaplan, 1997; Excerpt: "Those who feel they or a family member are allergic to reptiles generally do so because of skin irritation. Further investigation into these cases of contact dermatitis shows that, rather than being allergic to the animal, the individuals are in fact allergic to something that they have introduced into their home along with the reptile."
- Healing Well - A Checklist Of Allergens; Excerpt: "Many people that test negative to animals may still have a tendency to develop allergies after exposure to a pet for a period of time. If you feel your family must have a pet in the home consider turtles, fish, hermit crabs or reptiles for the allergic patient."
- Kids Health - If I have asthma, can I keep my pet?; Excerpt: "If you're missing your pet, it may take a long time before you want a new one. But someday, if you do, your best bets are turtles, snakes, lizards, or fish. They're less likely to cause allergies."
- Kids Health - Creating an asthma-safe home; Excerpt: "All warm-blooded pets can cause allergic reactions, but cold-blooded ones (such as snakes, lizards, fish, and turtles) are fine."
- NetDoctor - Pet allergies; Excerpt: "But what about fish or turtles? This may sometimes work but then you may be allergic to the food they eat."
- Pet Peoples Place - I'm Allergic To Fur. What Kind Of Pet Can I Have?, by veterinarian James Glover; Excerpt: "Have you considered a tortoise? For this you would need access to a garden."
- Rice University - occupational health inc. allergies, reptiles; Excerpt: "Human sensitivity to reptile proteins in the laboratory setting is rare. It remains possible however, to become sensitized to reptile proteins through inhalation or direct skin contact."
- SignOnSanDiego - How to live with pet allergies, Excerpt: "The only 'safe' pets for the allergic are fish, frogs, toads, turtles, lizards, snakes and most insects."
- TRAAC - Texas Regional Asthma & Allergy Center; Pet Advice for Asthma and Allergy Patients; Excerpt: "The best types of pets for allergic patients are tropical fish, snakes, lizards, turtles, salamanders and certain types of frogs and tortoises. All of these pets do not have hair, fur or dander nor does their excrement create allergic problems. However, patients should keep in mind that large aquariums can add water vapor in a room, thus increasing mold and house dust mite concentrations in their home."
- UpToDate - Trigger avoidance in allergic rhinitis, Excerpt: "Other animals, such as rodents, birds, and ferrets can also trigger symptoms in an allergic individual. Pets without feathers or fur, such as reptiles, turtles, and fish rarely cause allergy, although deposits of fish food that build up under the covers of fish tanks are an excellent source of food for dust mite colonies."
- Wiley InterScience - Allergic rhinitis to turtle food, Allergy journal, published online Oct 2008
Dust mite allergy - If you allergic to dust mites, keep the indoor humidity low.
Soil, moss, molds etc. - Soil and moss are commonly used substrates in indoor tortoise enclosures.
- American Environmental Health Foundation - numerous molds are found inside homes, common locations for fungi growth include plants and soil used to pot plants, common soil-borne fungi include: Aspergillus, Candida albicans, Cephalosporium, Chaetomium, Curvularia, Epicoccum, Geotrichum, Gliocladium, Monilia, Mucor, Neuspora, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Pullularia, Stemphylium, Verticillium
- AZ Daily Sun - Soil-borne diseases a warming risk, 2006
- Mayo Clinic - soil used to pot houseplants can be a reservoir for mold and moisture; if you have a mold allergy, remove houseplants and keep the indoor humidity level below 40%
- MBL Laboratories - molds commonly found in flower pot soil include Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus; the last two are in the hazard category A (fungi or their metabolic products are highly hazardous to health)
- MedicineNet - persons handling thorny plants, sphagnum moss, or baled hay are at increased risk of developing sporotrichosis (fungal infection)
- Soil Science Education - by NASA, Soil scientists have long known the connection between human health and the soil, links to soil-borne diseases
Wood chips, molds etc. - Various wood chips are popular substrates in indoor tortoise enclosures.
- Clean Air Sciences - fungal glossary, wood chips are often attacked by M. plimbeus fungus causing "wood chips disease" and "furrier’s lung", 2008
- emedicine - Mold allergy, bark chips are correlated with accumulation of molds, 2009
- interScience - Chip pile workers are exposed to high concentrations of airborne mold spores, abstract, 1987 & 2007 (search for "Chip pile workers and mould exposure")
- Journal of Occup. & Environm. Medicine - Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome (ODTS) is a flu-like syndrome that can occur after inhalation of cotton, grain, wood chip dusts, or other organic dusts or aerosols, abstract, 1997
- PubMed - a review of published data suggests extrinsic allergic alveolitis in wood workers is primarily caused by inhalation of the spores of contaminating fungi (e.g. in wood chips), abstract, 1994
- Save Our Cypress - cypress mulch purchased today comes from wide spread clear cutting of entire eco systems
- Tampa Bay Estuary Program - Cypress Mulch - Why Kill a Tree to Grow a Flower? (under Yards & Neighborhoods)
- All chip and particle type substrates may cause intestinal blockage if ingested. These include sand, calci sand, small gravel, corncob litter, crushed oyster shells, aspen, cypress mulch, orchid bark, and other bark type substrates. See the necropsy (autopsy) links below for examples of intestinal blockages.
- Mrs King's BioWeb - necropsy photos, Bearded Dragon that died of intestinal blockage caused by ingested crushed walnut shell substrate
- Repashy Forum - necropsy photos, lizard that died of intestinal blockage caused by ingested orchid bark substrate
Coconut products - Coconut fiber products are popular indoor substrate for tortoises.
- ASCIA - Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, contact allergic dermatitis to coconut products
- ImmunoCAP - e.g. occupational allergic conjunctivitis due to coconut fibre dust
Formaldehyde - Toxin
- ATSDR - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (US gov); Low levels of formaldehyde can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin
- EPA - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (gov); Indoors, the most significant sources of formaldehyde most likely are pressed wood products (particle board, plywood, fiberboard)
- HBN - Healthy Building Network; formaldehyde is a carcinogen, bronchial irritant, and asthma trigger
Plastics - PVC is toxic
- ATSRD - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (US gov); vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC, vinyl) and PVC is used to make a variety of plastic products; FDA regulates the vinyl chloride content of various plastics (e.g. plastics that carry liquids and come in contact with food)
- ATSRD - toxicological profile for vinyl chloride
- CHEJ - Center for Health, Environment and Justice; list of common PVC products in your home, PVC products have number "3" or the letter "V" inside or underneath the universal recycling symbol, but not all products are marked
- Green Guide - by National Geographic, plastic containers buying guide, symbols #1-7
- HBN - PVC (polyvinyl chloride or vinyl) is the worst plastic from an environmental health perspective
- HBN - vinyls explained (PVC, PVCD, EVA, PEVA, PVA, PVB)
- KSE - Kids for Saving Earth; in homes, PVC releases carcinogenic gasses into the air; Excerpt: "A 1997 study by the National Institute of Public Health in Norway showed that children with PVC (vinyl) flooring in their homes had an 89% higher risk of lung problems than children in PVC-free homes." (intro to kids environmental health link, doc file)
- PVC Information - PVC Products and non-PVC alternatives
- Recycling - Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, plastic recycling symbols #1-7 explained
- Veg Family - list of plastics considered SAFE (#1 PET/ PETE, #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE, #5 PP) and NOT safe (#3 PVC, #6 polystyrene or styrofoam, #7 misc.)
Plastics - acrylic is ok
- Dyna Lab - Plastic Properties of Polymethylmethacrylate (aka acrylic)
- Health Observatory - Smart Plastics guide: "Avoid #7 plastics labeled as PC. PC or polycarbonate plastic can leach harmful bisphenol A (BPA). Other #7 plastics like copolyester, polyamide, acrylic and polylactic acid (PLA) are safer choices because they don’t contain BPA." (a pdf file)
Paints, fumes etc. - Wooden tortoise tortoise tables (open-topped boxes) need waterproofing.
- EPA - volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- SF Chronicle - Sick building syndrome, odor is a first indication of the presence of irritants in the air
Zoonoses - Diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
- AVMA Journals - Sporotrichosis is often seen in gardeners
- CDC - US Dept of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Reptiles and Salmonella
- CDC - Salmonella, hand washing instructions
- CTTC - Salmonella prevention for reptile owners
- FDA - Pet Turtles: Cute But Contaminated with Salmonella
- NWZG - North West Zoonoses Group, UK, list and description of zoonotic diseases
- Pediatrics - Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Associated With Small Turtle Exposure, Nov 2009, abstract
- Tortoise Group - Reptile associated Salmonella Q & A
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