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CHER ABBY: I know a young newlywed couple who has just had their first baby. The baby has a few weeks and does not crawl yet. What worries me is that they have a box turtle for a pet in their small apartment. They have had the turtle for probably a year and, although she has a cage, they often leave her in the kitchen. I do not know if this has reigned over other parts of the house.
This turtle is at least 8 inches in diameter and its head is over an inch long with a half-inch bite. The baby will crawl this year.
I think the turtle is a threat, and the baby will probably be attracted to it and will probably try to crawl and touch it. The turtle bites are notoriously sharp and probably contaminated, and I'm afraid the baby will lose a finger. Is this a reasonable concern? – NEVADA PROTECTOR
DEAR PROTECTOR: Yes, that's it. There is more reason not to expose an infant or toddler (or anyone whose immune system is weakened) to a turtle.
The risk of biting is not the main one. The problem is that turtles (among other reptiles) carry salmonella bacteria that can infect the intestinal tract and cause nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea and diseases for a week.
Since young children – whose immune systems are not fully developed – are at increased risk of salmonella infection, the Centers for Disease Control has recommended that reptiles (including turtles) not be kept in day care centers where children are kept C & # 39; is the reason why the turtle should not be left loose in the kitchen where are prepared food or in any place where a baby will crawl.
Although most box turtles do not bite humans, they do not make good pets for young children because they do not like to be handled. Share this information with the couple, but in the end, the decision to keep the pet or not is theirs.
CHER ABBY: I lent my car to my granddaughter because she had a job and had no convenient transportation. After having had her for two months, I told her that she had to change the oil. She became very disrespectful and said that I could get the car back because she did not have the money to pay for it.
She became even angrier when I said that she should send him back with a full tank of gas since that's how she took it.
What is the problem with his mentality? She feels like I've messed her up instead of being grateful for all the time she's had it? I do not even know how to answer him. What would you do? – Shocked in the Midwest
Dear, shocked: The "mentality" of your granddaughter is one of right. Having received the car, she was waiting for you to keep it. The fact that you told her that if she had returned the car, the tank was to be full was something she did not expect to hear because – forgive me for repeating it – she felt entitled to use without assuming responsibility.
What I would do would be to "allow" him to learn to be responsible on his own and to limit your generous impulses as far as he is concerned.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, aka Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Cher Abby at http://www.DearAbby.com or PO Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Good advice for everyone – from teens to seniors – is in "The anger in each of us and how to deal with it". To order, send your name and mailing address, plus a check or money order of $ 8 (in US dollars), to: Dear Abby, Anger Booklet, PO Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling charges are included in the price.)
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