It depends here what exactly you are worried about with the Salmonella. From my experience it does not harm the other creatures. If you are that worried about it use a different tank for a while and bleach the one you think is infected but clean well and don't use it for a little while. Most reptiles produce salmonella in there head and scales when shedding them and the best way to deal with a pet that may carry salmonella is to be very hygienic. Wash your hands really well after coming in contact with them or other items in the tank. It is really not as big of deal as you might think so don't worry much. I am raising 4 turtles and I have never gotten sick with it. I wish you the best of luck with your tank and don't be mad at the tadpole they are very fun to have and chances are that they don't carry a high quantity of salmonella in them.

As halliee said, it really isn't something to get overly worried about. [Though as a correction ... herps do NOT "produce" Salmonella. Salm. is, as you mentioned, a bacteria. It just happens to like the moist environments that many herps and amph enjoy.] I haven't read anything to indicate that herps, amphs, or invertebrates are harmed by salm. So again not a big worry. As far as you handling of them goes ... none of the critters you mentioned is going to "enjoy" being handled anyway. In fact, they're better off if you don't handle them at all. If you do handle them, then wash your hands before and after --- the same thing you should do before handling any animal [including cats & dogs though most of us don't bother] to both avoid contaminating them as well as picking up something from them

Its to easy for most people to blame the critter when in all reality its the fault of the owner, critters (and people) carry all kinds of nastys little bugards, thats why one should wash their hands after handling just about anything =) Im sure if you handled someone you know fresh from a long day at work your chances of catching something are just as good as handling a critter =)

Salmonella is a bacteria that is commonly found in the intestinal tracts of animals. The reason that people get sick is because they do not keep their pets enclosures clean and they practice poor personal hygiene. Imagine a pet turtle constantly swimming around in its own feces because the owner does not feel like cleaning its tank. Now imagine someone handling the turtle and then not properly washing their hands and you have a possible source of Salmonella bacteria. Salmonella is a problem when animals are not properly cared for and a healthy animal kept under proper conditions Salmonella will not be a problem. This bacteria is commonly found in poultry and not reptiles many people say that the feeding of chicken pieces to pet turtles was the cause of the Salmonella infections that gave rise to the belief that reptiles give their owners Salmonella infections.

Mike, reptiles can carry salmonella infections as well as birds, you can also get salmonella from beef cows and mice. The reason that these animals can carry the bacteria is that they form a sort of symbiotic relationship where they can tolerate the infection and the Salmonella can survive their immune system, you carry E. coli but you aren't dead from it. Some strains are matched to some animals, other strains to other animals, humans don't do well with any strain and that is why we get sick but if people wash their hands and clean their tanks its not a major threat. Its always tempting to blame someone else, but truth be told factory farmed chickens are Salmonella free 99.9% of the time, when they do get it its from wild birds, amphibians, reptiles, or some other wild source. Factory farms are crowded, but they do take care of their animals despite what PETA would have us believe.