I've been breeding snakes for 14 years now and have kept them many years longer then that. I have kids that are 11 and 13 years old, they've been around reptiles all of their lives and neither one has had salmonella THAT I KNOW OF. I say it that way in caps because many people come down with light cases and get over it without even realizing they've had it. I also mainly keep snakes which I think are easier to keep clean and keep healthy. Even though salmonella is common in many reptiles, it's less likely for them to be shedding it if they are healthy and in good shape. I've never taken any extra measures other then regular cage cleaning, disinfecting with nolvasan and always washing my hands after working with the reptiles. Neither myself nor anyone in my family has become sick due to my reptiles.

On the other hand, I have a good friend who has been keeping reptiles as long as I have. Her grand daughter and a friend of hers both contracted salmonella from her collection (neither she nor her husband were ever sick themselves.) However she also keeps a lot of large monitor lizards, as well as various other lizards, snakes, and tortoises. Large monitors can be very messy and are more difficult to clean up after. In addition, she is also the chair of our herp societies adoption committee and ends up bringing many sick and/or stressed out animals into her home that have been given up for adoption. I think with her situation, with large messy lizards, a large and diverse collection and the chance of cross-contamination from stressed out animals that are less then healthy. Her situation is much, much harder to keep clean and sanitary then my own even though I have more individual animals.

When dealing with Salmonella, cleanliness is everything.

Mark


>>We've got a baby on the way, and reading the salmonella story on the KS news border got me thinking. I'll preface my question with saying that I am a university trained biologist with a masters degree. I have studied microbiology as well as all the other "Typical" biology/zoology/chemistry that goes with a college biology program. I have always been very aware of salmonella as a part of many reptiles' natural gut flora, and I have always been extremely careful with thorough handwashing and all the regular precautions.
>>
>> Reading the article about how easy it is for babies to pick up salmonella has me pondering how to keep our baby safe. In the article, it describe one baby who contracted salmonella from her father. He had a boa draped around his neck at some point during the day, came home and held his child who picked up the bug just from this limited type of contact.
>>
>>We will be moving into a new house prior to the birth of our son in July. We will have a seperate snake room, with its own sink. I plan to keep a pair of slippers in the snake room, to keep from transfering any possible germs to the carpets where the baby may play.
>>
>>What other precautions have some of you taken? What other precautions have you thought about taking? Any of you have horror stories? Any of you had several children that have never gotten sick? If so, can you describe your sanitation regime?
>>
>>Any other thoughts or comments?
>>
>>Obviously, I intend to continue working with my animals....As a first time father though, everything scares me. Babies I've seen in the past simply cant keep their hands out of their mouths, so how can we keep them from picking up not only salmonella but any other pathogen around the house.
>>
>>Thanks for any and all input!

[ Show Entire Thread ]