I have one Indian Flap shell turtle in my home. Is it a poisonous pet? I'm concerned if it bites children (or even adults). What is the risk to my family?
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What makes you think it might be poisonous? I scanned the Wikipedia and don't see anything about poison there.– James JenkinsCommented Oct 14, 2015 at 10:23
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2Poisonous is where you ingest and get poisoned, do you mean venomous?– AravonaCommented Oct 15, 2015 at 19:55
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1 Answer
In TurtleForum they happen to ask the same question as you did in one of their threads(search near the bottom):
Yes, softshelled turtles are generally extremely aggressive, have very long necks, and inflict painful wounds. No turtle in the world is venomous (i.e. they do not have venom glands and an apparatus to inject a toxic substance like a cobra would). There are a few species of turtles that are known to eat extremely toxic grasses, mushrooms, etc. without harm to themselves but can store these toxins in their meat/fat. If the turtle is killed and eaten it is possible for the predator (human) to be poisoned. There are a few rare examples of human deaths from circumstances of this nature. An uncleaned wound of any kind has the potential to develop into a bacterial infection which could be extremely dangerous if left untreated.
So you're okay OP. Just clean your wound in case the turtle happens to bite you.
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So Shall I let to move free inside home with kids ? It also loves to be attached with me Commented Nov 8, 2015 at 7:38
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1Well I don't know that, since I don't know much about turtle behavior. @DarshnaRaval Commented Nov 9, 2015 at 15:44
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OK Anyway he is let free to roam inside home too....he is also too much attached with me and my kids.... Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 3:09