Salmonella in ducks

[DenverDucky]

My roommate and I got into a discussion last night about how unsanitary having a "house duck can give everyone salmonella" Apparently she JUST figured out. Needless to say she's mad about my duckling running around the house, even though she wears a diaper. I told her if she's worried then she should consider the risks of the other pets in the house, the snake, water dragon and dog as well because they can carry salmonella and they poop everywhere, my duck doesn't. She didn't like that but Soleil and I are moving out on Friday so I'm not worried about it. I didn't like living here anyways

Well all of this drama brought me to wondering...


1. How do they test for salmonella?
2. Can I just go to the vet and ask her to test my duckie Soleil?
3. Is salmonella in ducks easy to treat?

 

[Stormy Autumn]

Your vet can test for salmonella if you're really worried about it. They will take a sample of poo or blood and check it for the bacteria.

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that when chickens and ducks get salmonella, they get sick just like people do. It's not like they'd be carrying it around without you noticing. Symptoms of salmonella in birds are lethargy, weight loss, diarrhea, and eye infections. If your duck doesn't have any of those, it's really unlikely that it has salmonella.

Also, they aren't born with it. They have to catch it from somewhere. So if you get a duckling from a place with sick birds (or if you don't know where the duckling came from), salmonella is a possibility. But if it came from a place with healthy birds, it probably won't have salmonella.

 

[whattheduck]

Denver - just sent a PM... would LOVE to hear more about your diaper

 

[ambrose]

I was under the impression that salmonella is often caught through poultry feed. Though I could be wrong.

I know even for human-grade food uncooked grain is more of a culprit than you might think -- I remember some article recently saying the reason not to eat raw cookie dough is really more about the uncooked flour than the uncooked egg.

My cat gets muddy paws and then walks on our counters. That's not gonna stop me from getting ducks. My cat also tries to drink out of the toilet whenever given a chance. Indoor animals are kind of gross, but we love them anyways.

Though if the duckling is wearing a diaper I would think that would resolve things. But whatever, bye, bye germ-phobe roommate.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Just keep the diaper on the duck and clean up any accidents . Wash your hands well after changing and washing the diaper and stop worrying about it.

 

[cincyfarmgirl]

Your vet can test for salmonella if you're really worried about it. They will take a sample of poo or blood and check it for the bacteria.

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that when chickens and ducks get salmonella, they get sick just like people do. It's not like they'd be carrying it around without you noticing. Symptoms of salmonella in birds are lethargy, weight loss, diarrhea, and eye infections. If your duck doesn't have any of those, it's really unlikely that it has salmonella.

Also, they aren't born with it. They have to catch it from somewhere. So if you get a duckling from a place with sick birds (or if you don't know where the duckling came from), salmonella is a possibility. But if it came from a place with healthy birds, it probably won't have salmonella.

This is really good information thank you very much. It sets my mind at ease. I don’t believe my ducks have salmonella because they show zero signs of being sick in fact they’re quite active and healthy and I believe I just have an intolerance to duck eggs in general as it tends to give me a stomach ache when I eat them even though I eat our chicken eggs quite regularly without a problem. Thank you for the info.