Bacteriological isolation and identification were performed on 60 cloacal swabs and 15 aquarium water samples of pet red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) obtained from aquarium shops in the Klang Valley, Central Peninsula Malaysia. The most common bacteria isolated was Aeromonas spp., which was present in both cloacal swabs (70%) and aquarium water (86.7%). Klebsiella spp. (50%), Escherichia coli (33.3%), Yersinia spp. (16.7%) and Salmonella spp. (15%) obtained form cloacal swabs were identified as pathogenic to both humans and animals. Salmonella spp. were isolated from both cloacal swabs and aquarium water. The Salmonella serotypes identified were S. tennessee, S. typhimurium, S. brezany, S. pomona, S. corvallis and S. schwarzengrund. Bacterial infections in humans associated with handling exotic pets directly or indirectly in contact with aquarium water have been described regularly, hence the zoonotic significance of owning a turtle infected with Salmonella spp. or any pathogenic bacteria therefore cannot be ignored.