I’ve written before about small turtles as my only pet when I was a young child.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that a Salmonella outbreak in seven states is being linked back to small turtles.

According to the notice posted on Tuesday, there have been 22 reported illnesses linked to the outbreak, including eight hospitalizations and one death.

The CDC says that pet turtles carry germs in their droppings even when they appear clean and healthy, which can spread in their tank and anything they come into contact with.

People can get sick from touching the turtle and anything in its environment after touching their mouth and swallowing the Salmonella germs, the CDC says.

The CDC also asks people to avoid kissing or snuggling turtles and to not eat or drink around them.