Turtle & chelonian hazards — Salmonella zoonosis, dietary-protein gout, shell disease, and respiratory infection
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Hypovitaminosis A is common in aquatic turtles and insectivorous lizards fed a diet deficient in preformed vitamin A.The commonly used nutritional supplement beta carotene cannot be metabolized by many reptiles.Primary visceral gout is the accumulation of urate microcrystals in organs secondary to a chronic hyperuricemia and is generally caused by excessive protein in the diet.Classically, septicemic cutaneous ulcerative disease (SCUD) is a shell disease of aquatic turtles caused by Citrobacter freundiiMycoplasmosis is a known cause of rhinitis and upper respiratory tract disease in cheloniansEar infections occur frequently in turtles, especially box turtles and aquatic turtles.Salmonella have been frequently isolated from clinically healthy reptiles and should be considered part of their normal GI flora.The zoonotic nature of these commensal organisms must be considered when handling or treating reptiles.However, UVB light (290–300 nm) is especially important for most diurnal lizards and chelonians for vitamin D3 synthesis and calcium regulation.Species identification is essential to critically appraise captive diets (see the tables Composition of Animal Foods That May Be Offered to Reptiles and Composition of Plant Foods That May Be Offered to Reptiles).
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Source: pdf-raw/exotic-toxicology/reptile.txt · https://www.merckvetmanual.com/