allergic to turtles?
Ann Bethune
One of my box turtles was spending time in my daughter's classroom when
another teacher in the pod complained that her asthma had gotten worse
since the turtle's arrival. An iguana lives in the same classroom and
has for years with no apparent ill effect. Is it possible to be
allergic to turtles and not to iguanas? What would be the specific
allergen? (note: this turtle does not have a litter substrate in his
enclosure, just newspaper)
Ann Bethune
--
R.N.Gettings
Ann Bethune <bet...@pacbell.net> writes: > One of my box turtles was spending time in my daughter's classroom when
Have the teacher immediately notify Guiness Book of World Records. Bob.
The opinions expressed are those of the writer and not of PPG Ind,Inc.
Pythoness
> Ann Bethune <bet...@pacbell.net> writes: > One of my box turtles was
spending time in my daughter's classroom when
> > another teacher in the pod complained that her asthma had gotten worse
> > since the turtle's arrival. An iguana lives in the same classroom and
> > has for years with no apparent ill effect. Is it possible to be
> > allergic to turtles and not to iguanas? What would be the specific
> > allergen? (note: this turtle does not have a litter substrate in his
> > enclosure, just newspaper)
> >
Could it have anything to do with any moisture in the enclosure fostering
the growth of mold? The other teacher isn't allergic to newspaper, is
she?
I'd be on the lookout for other new factors besides the tortoise around
the school or in the general environment before being too certain about
the tort.
zg
zi...@teleport.com
Zi...@aol.com
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
He who has rejected his demons badgers us to death with his angels.
Henri Michaux
elliot
The original post hasn't made it to my site yet, so using someone
elses reply....
>Ann Bethune <bet...@pacbell.net> writes: > One of my box turtles was spending time in my daughter's classroom when
>> another teacher in the pod complained that her asthma had gotten worse
>> since the turtle's arrival. An iguana lives in the same classroom and
>> has for years with no apparent ill effect. Is it possible to be
>> allergic to turtles and not to iguanas? What would be the specific
>> allergen? (note: this turtle does not have a litter substrate in his
>> enclosure, just newspaper)
I would be surprised to see someone allergic to turtles, the possible
exception being some of the species with a strong musk, ESPECIALLY if
that person didn't directly handle the turtle. What would not surprise
me is an allergy to molds/spores brought in on the turtle, his
habitat, or his food. When I kept box turtles many years ago, I found
I had to clean the cage daily to keep molds out. The molds didn't seem
to bother the turtles, but they sure played hell with my sinuses!
bf1...@binghamton.edu
Well It's possible to be allergic to any foreign protein. But is the
asthma an allergic reaction to the turtle or is it just aggra
vate the
asthma. It could be anything from ammonia emanating from the water
because it's dirty or even feces. It's probably aggravating the asthma
and not causing an allergic reaction. It could be anything even the food
your feeding it. But it's PROBABLY just the asthma or even dust mites
from the
tank if it's dirty. Any fecal dust or anything can cause it.
On 28 Jan 1997, R.N.Gettings wrote:
> Ann Bethune <bet...@pacbell.net> writes: > One of my box turtles was spending time in my daughter's classroom when
> > another teacher in the pod complained that her asthma had gotten worse
> > since the turtle's arrival. An iguana lives in the same classroom and
> > has for years with no apparent ill effect. Is it possible to be
> > allergic to turtles and not to iguanas? What would be the specific
> > allergen? (note: this turtle does not have a litter substrate in his
> > enclosure, just newspaper)
> >
> > Ann Bethune
> > --
Cynthia Teague
In article <32EE31...@pacbell.net>, bet...@pacbell.net says...
>
>One of my box turtles was spending time in my daughter's classroom when
>another teacher in the pod complained that her asthma had gotten worse
>since the turtle's arrival. An iguana lives in the same classroom and
>has for years with no apparent ill effect. Is it possible to be
>allergic to turtles and not to iguanas? What would be the specific
>allergen? (note: this turtle does not have a litter substrate in his
>enclosure, just newspaper)
>
>Ann Bethune
As others have noted, it's unlikely that the turtle itself is causing the
problem. Molds do seem more likely since many people are allergic to them &
they tend to provoke strong reactions; my allergist tells me that reactions to
cat saliva & to molds are the two hardest to treat.
Another possibility could be an allergy to newsprint, which is usually an
allergy to the ink; unless the other teacher is quite close to the turtle,
this seems unlikely.
You say that the turtle has no substrate; does it have a water dish? Is food
left out? If yes to either, I'd suggest that your daughter try changing the
water daily, cleaning the container well, and that she put out fresh food in a
clean container every day, removing any hint of old food. Of course, she
probably does this already.
People with severe mold allergies are told not to eat leftovers, as the molds
begin growing immediately, even in the fridge, but it's hard to believe that
the other teacher would be affected just by being in the same room as food
that had been refrigerated.
I suppose she could try washing the turtle regularly, in case shell/skin dust
is the problem.
Good luck -- I hope something can be worked out that makes the whole pod
happy!
Cynthia Teague
tea...@pilot.msu.edu
Melissa Kaplan
elliot wrote:
> > Ann Bethune <bet...@pacbell.net> writes: > One of my box turtles
> >> was spending time in my daughter's classroom when
> >> another teacher in the pod complained that her asthma had gotten
> >> worse since the turtle's arrival. An iguana lives in the same
> >> classroom and
> >> has for years with no apparent ill effect. Is it possible to be
> >> allergic to turtles and not to iguanas? What would be the specific
> >> allergen? (note: this turtle does not have a litter substrate in
> >> his enclosure, just newspaper)
>
> I would be surprised to see someone allergic to turtles, the possible
> exception being some of the species with a strong musk, ESPECIALLY if
> that person didn't directly handle the turtle. What would not surprise
> me is an allergy to molds/spores brought in on the turtle, his
> habitat, or his food.
Molds and such would be my guess too, as well as possible allergies
to the newspaper itself (trust me, it happens!).
I think we will see more reptile-related allergies as more are kept in
captivity - already, there have been several reported cases of
iguana allergies (not just rashes from skin abraisions from the rough
skin and from products used in the iguana's environment), but it will
become important to sort out what is an actual allergy to the animal
itself (typically, proteins in the blood, saliva and urates/feces/urine),
and what is a reaction to something in the animal's environment that was
not previously used in the house/classroom.
--
Melissa Kaplan | mel...@sonic.net
Iguana Care: http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/ig_care.html
Herp Societies/Vets: http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/society.html
Other Herp Care/Educators Info: http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/
CFS/ME: http://www.sonic.net/~melissk/cfs_main.html
Paul Artman
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-> From: tea...@pilot.msu.edu (Cynthia Teague)
-> Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
-> Subject: Re: allergic to turtles?
-> Date: 30 Jan 1997 14:45:45 GMT
-> Organization: MSU
-> Lines: 41
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-> In article <32EE31...@pacbell.net>, bet...@pacbell.net says...
-> >
-> >One of my box turtles was spending time in my daughter's classroom when
-> >another teacher in the pod complained that her asthma had gotten worse
-> >since the turtle's arrival. An iguana lives in the same classroom and
-> >has for years with no apparent ill effect. Is it possible to be
-> >allergic to turtles and not to iguanas? What would be the specific
-> >allergen? (note: this turtle does not have a litter substrate in his
-> >enclosure, just newspaper)
Hi, I have asthma and we have a box turtle that we've had now for about
6 months and I haven't had any more problems with my asthma since having
her in the house. I make sure and keep her habitat clean and change her
water at least once a day and make sure there isn't any old food in her
bowl. Also I use a special bedding that is called carefresh, it's
sanitized and supposedly won't grow molds, bacteria or mites so I think
that helps some and she enjoys digging in it. I pick it up at the local
pet store and it's $5 for a 10 quart bag. So I think it's probably
environmental and not the turtle.
Hope this helps some,
Shelley : )