Salmonella and Turtle Safety

FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is responsible for administering the provisions of the regulation that ban the sale of turtles with a carapace length of less than 4 inches.  This regulation comes under the Public Health Service Act and is enforced by the FDA in cooperation with state and local health jurisdictions.  The ban has been in effect in the U.S. since 1975 because of the public health impact of turtle-associated salmonellosis.