Urgent Care :: Does RES Water That Evaporates Contain Toxins?

[Crazy Girl Turtle]

Hi. Our RES is about two years old and is kept in an 80 gallon tank with no cover. We use a 120 gallon filter and keep things as clean as possible. We are neurotic about washing our hands if we touch her or the tank. She does not play outside the tank. We are not worried about salmonella.

We have a 9-month-old son with some serious health complications and my mom keeps telling me she thinks that water evaporating from the turtle tank could be dangerous for him. He doesn't present with allergies or asthma that seem to indicate the quality of our house air is bad. But...overall we have to monitor his health carefully and closely.

Does anyone have any research on the water that is evaporating into the house from the tank? Could it be dangerous? Obviously our son's health is our priority and if we had to give the turtle away we would be sad, but we would do it if there was an indication she was unhealthy for the baby.

Please give me some insight....

Thanks!!!

[marisa]

I have no research, but I doubt that there would be anything that could evaporate into the air that would cause health problems. Chlorine, if the water is chlorinated and you don't use a dechlorinator, will disspate into the air, but the amount shouldn't be a problem. Many of the so-called toxins in the water (nitrate, for example) stay in the water, which becomes more concentrated with them as water evaporates and over time can harm your turtle. (One reason why it's good to do water changes.)

Is the baby in the same room with the turtle? If so, and if you're really concerned, put one in a different room. Evaporating water will increase the humidity in the room, which I guess possibly, if there were a lot evaporation, have an effect on breathing.

You might do some research on your own if you still have concerns.

[jozzep]

I would like to know more about this as well since i keep asking myself the same thing....
I tried google but nothing came up.
I have 3 turtle tanks in my living room, and sometimes it can get a bit smelly, but don't know if that "air" can be toxic.
I don't know if i would chance having the baby in the same room where turtles are.My sister has a 6 month old and she doesn't stay at my place for more than 10 min when she has him with her.
maybe transfer them to the basement or a room that isn't that frequented.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

My brother's son was raised in a room with turtles in it since he came home from the hospital. Hes now 6 years old. Nothing wrong with him except he really loves turtles.

Well in the desert to purify water

This technique can also be used to purify dirty water. Fill the bowl with the muddy and nasty water and seal it over with plastic wrap and weight the sheeting over your cup. Place in the sun and wait. Once the water evaporates, it will be free of contaminants and clean, and safe to drink (so long as there are no microbes that might still be hanging around).

So the water evaporating from the tank would be clean. Your just not catching the water on plastic wrap to drink lol

[theartbook35]

My brother's son was raised in a room with turtles in it since he came home from the hospital. Hes now 6 years old. Nothing wrong with him except he really loves turtles.

I know that if you pee in a container cover it with plastic wrap eventually the evaporating water will hit the plastic wrap and collect there. That water is drinkable. So I think turtle water evaporating will be fine.

I have noticed, when you raise kids with a lot of different animals, they tend to really become lovers of those said animals, and also become very affectionate and open-minded. Kids understand other kids, they really do.

Interesting little bit of science you got there... I wish I knew more stuff like that, sometimes. The only pet I know of that can actually produce "toxic fumes" is cats. I swear, you drop a few garbage bags of used cat litter on offending troops, and, GAME OVER MAN! (it's over nine thousand!! sowwy... I couldn't resist...)

Just to warn you, 'crazy girl turtle', you should have a good chunk of money saved up on the side, because while babies are money pits by themselves, the addition of turtles makes an even bigger money pit. I'm not saying having kids and turtles is a bad thing, because it isn't at all, just very expensive.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Lol sorry im editing around stuff. I think the urine part was to much so i went with the desert bit. They did say to urinate in the dirty water to help speed up the process and why

[TheComputerGremlin]

Crazy Girl Turtle - First, remember that your water may not be contaminated with Salmonella, that is dependent on your turtle and stress levels. It's very likely that if you had the water tested right now, it would be free of the bug. That's not saying that washing your hands each time isn't a good thing, it definitely is!

Second, I'm not sure you are going to find much research on whether or not the evaporate is dangerous. I'm fairly certain that most of the chemicals remain in the water, as well as any Salmonella if it's present. Those things don't usually evaporate.

I would recommend if you are very concerned would be to look into a really nice air purifier/dehumidifier. Set that up at the level of the turtle tank and that should do a good job of trapping anything that may be present, if it is at all.

[seanwb]

Lots of research suggests that for allergies, a humid environment is better than a dry environment. Unless you are getting damp in the house such condensation on the wall I would not be concerned.

My understanding is that only pure water evaporates leaving all the toxins in the water. Hence the need for water changes as opposed to just topping the water up.