I guess my point is (and without beating the horse nearly to death - this will be my last post) that EVERYTHING in life is a risk. As responsible pet owners, as parents we try our best to do what is right for our children - but placing them in a sano protected bubble in hopes that nothing will ever touch them isn't the answer.

The reptile industry as a whole has a huge stigmata against it - reptiles in case you haven't heard are icky creatures and no one should be allowed to own them and they most certainly will kill any small child or pet withing 1000 feet of it.

The chances of a child contracting salmonella from a snake are slim - especially under responsible monitoring. Lets stop using the occasional freak accident to scare people into what you think is right for their child - we can use it to educate -- but it was clear that this poster was educated on the risks and took care to make sure that the handling experience was done right. Seriously far more children drown every year than get sick from their snakes - my guess is you'll still take your children to the beach or pool because you feel that that is an acceptable risk that you are willing to take.

The reptile industry needs to be able to show the world that hey my snake is not icky - it is cool - it will not eat your chihuahua - it's not going to kill your children and it's not going to migrate into all 50 states and wipe out your natural ecosystem. And we need to start by not attacking responsible herpers within our own community.

Stepping off the soap box now.
-----
Tosha
JET Pythons

[ Show Entire Thread ]