Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone... I know this is not specifically an iguana topic but I normally post here and I know you guys understand how attached one can become to their pet cyclura, so I was hoping I could get feedback here. I am 3 months pregnant with my first child, and I have a crew of beloved iguanas that have been a part my life for many years. They are literally like family members to my husband and I. I am very concerned as I have read that parents must remove their reptiles from the household before bringing baby home. Is there any other option for us? We have an extra bedrroom where the reptiles are caged, and I was hoping if they stay in that room,or outside in the warmer months, and we are diligent about hand washing, we could keep our scaly family intact. I will even go as far as having the house professionally sanitized before I have our child. Does anyone have any feedback or experience with this type of situation? Thanks

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Bri

i have kept igs for ages my wife had a baby boy 3 year ago,but i had igs in his room when he came home from hospital ive kept everything clean and tidy in there and now them igs are his best friends and have never had no problems

China of Russia so I think that this is not a must remove but suggestion. As long as you follow a safe protocol I don't see what the big deal is. I am a foster parent and that was never even suggested from FIA that I remove my reptiles. Not sure where you got this info from. Good luck

Tom

This comes from the Oprah show i think.. hehe they showed some horror story about a baby getting salmonella from a green iguana and then all the old reptile haters panic and go berserk about it.. and talk with doctors about how salmonella can kill a baby under 3 years.. and iguanas are bad BLABLABLA--->

what they didnt talk about is that iguanas ONLY have natural salmonella that is easy to medicate against if one gets it...(to get it you have to be a very dirty bird =P )

Chickens have Resistant salmonella because they are given meds non stop.. the farms are dirty as hell... go to the nearest farm.. i bet you wont get out of the car because of the smell!

So dont worry! just keep it clean..

You can't blame the farmers or the iguanas! What it is people who don't care about proper hygene. I simple precaution like washing your hands every time you pick up the iguanas, sanitizing everything and sanitizing the cage would have prevent that sort of thing. some people handle raw chicken and touch other stuff or don't sanitizing anything that comes in contact with the chicken.

im just stating the facts

I'm agreeing with you! [chuckle] lol I'm just saying if people simple precaution as I mentioned, you wouldn't get sick.

And, I like add that farm chickens are great. Support the local farmers and economy! lol The reason the feed is medicated is because just in case the chicken ate something that cause a parasitic infection, you wouldn't get sick from it. Every year people get tricanosis from eating home grown pigs because the pigs are free range and ate whatever they wanted and become infected by the tapeworm larvae. One of the cause of mortality in the third-world countries are food related illnesses because often time the animals eat something they are not supposed to eat and become infected with parasites.

It's so true, Bri. Your child is in far more danger from the chicken you sit up on the counter than from any of your reptiles....