How much does Salmonella bother you?

[Ptarmigan]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice from experienced reptile keepers. I know that reptiles often carry Salmonella bacteria, and it's something you need to be aware of while keeping them. I was wondering, how much are you worried about infection, what sort of things do you do to avoid it, and how serious are you about your precautions?

Background: I've owned lizards in the past, but they were for display and I never handled them unless I was cleaning out their cage, so it wasn't something I worried too much about. However I'm planning to get a snake, which I intend to handle often, and I wanted to get an idea of how to manage the Salmonella issue.

 

[chloe.j.f]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice from experienced reptile keepers. I know that reptiles often carry Salmonella bacteria, and it's something you need to be aware of while keeping them. I was wondering, how much are you worried about infection, what sort of things do you do to avoid it, and how serious are you about your precautions?

Background: I've owned lizards in the past, but they were for display and I never handled them unless I was cleaning out their cage, so it wasn't something I worried too much about. However I'm planning to get a snake, which I intend to handle often, and I wanted to get an idea of how to manage the Salmonella issue.

I’m not experienced but wouldn’t it be the same with cooking chicken?? Just making sure you are washing your hands after?
I’ve never heard it to be a problem


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[Imported_tuatara]

I wouldn't worry at all, or at least i'd worry less than if you had a cat, dog, etc, seeing as though they're more hands on pets.

 

[Sdaji]

Salmonella is on everything, including human skin. People overblow the risks of it being on reptiles. Reptiles are far cleaner than animals like cats and dogs. Other than reptile specific issues like mites and reptile viruses (which can't harm humans at all) I have no fear of reptiles, but I always like to wash up after being in contact with animals like dogs and humans. In all my years of socialising with a wide spectrum of humanity (including some scenes I'd probably prefer to avoid these days!) I've seen things such as a drunk girl making out with a blue-tongued skink all night at a party, people licking and kissing snakes for fun, people pulling water bowls out of reptile enclosures and having a drink, and some warped stuff you probably wouldn't want to know about, and I've never personally known anyone to get sick from it, though I do know of people getting sick from contact with dogs, cats, rats, birds, etc. Salmonella issues from reptiles that you hear overblown reports about in the media are usually just unknown sources blamed on reptiles (If a kid gets salmonella everyone just assumes it was from a friend or eating food prepared with poor hygiene or whatever, which is usually correct, but if they had any contact with reptiles people love to blame the reptile without evidence), or in the extremely few cases which are genuine it is usually turtles, probably because turtles **** in their water and then swim around in their own **** and for some reason people like to play with them. Even with turtles though, the risk is extremely low and I personally wouldn't worry about them.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Even with turtles though, the risk is extremely low and I personally wouldn't worry about them.

And to my knowledge, there hasn't even been a single confirmed case in Australia of salmonella in turtles. We had a Uni doing tests on salmonella in Australian turtles, come and test several hundred of AFT's turtles for salmonella back in 2007 and every result came back negative.

You hear of the odd case in the states involving RES but look at what they feed their turtles over there... a non natural meat-based diet and that's not right anyway. Aquatic turtles primarily feed on aquatic insects, invertebrates and plants... Not raw chicken breast, 3 week old mince meat and sausages.

 

[dragonlover1]

I am aware of possible salmonella contamination so I wash all my reptile stuff after the human stuff and have a separate brush but I'm not too concerned.I wash my hands after contact with reptiles but don't go overboard.I don't get out the fungicide,just water and soap will do.

 

[Scutellatus]

and have a separate brush

They have a brush?
I think I'm on to you Dragon, instead of going the leatherback way you have created 'Hairybacks'!
The brush is for when you give Barry the Bearded Dragon and his buddies their weekly combover.

 

[dragonlover1]

They have a brush?
I think I'm on to you Dragon, instead of going the leatherback way you have created 'Hairybacks'!
The brush is for when you give Barry the Bearded Dragon and his buddies their weekly combover.

haha you got me mate,the bearded dragons are actually hipsters

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Toothbrush? Hehe

 

[Ptarmigan]

Hey guys, thanks heaps for responding

I'm glad to hear it isn't a huge issue, and general hygiene measures should cover it.

 

[dragonlover1]

Toothbrush? Hehe

yeah Kev they have a toothbrush too , with teeth like this guy you can't be too careful.

 

[Houdini-The-Bluey]

Personally i wash my hands before and after touching my reptiles and pets, more so for their health than anything else. Im more worried about the chances of them getting sick than i am of myself getting sick from them

 

[pinefamily]

Ptarmigan, you probably had as much chance catching salmonella from cleaning out your lizards enclosures as you would from handling a snake. Washing and sanitizing your hands after contact is enough.

 

[pythoninfinite]

The Salmonella thing is pretty much overblown. Much of the worry comes from a couple of cases in the US decades ago when young kids put baby turtles in their mouths. This led to some states disallowing the sale of young turtles that were less than 4 inches (about 100mm) in diameter, so only if your kid had a big mouth would there be a problem.

As you suggest, normal hand hygiene suffices...

Jamie

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

I would be more concerned over the bacteria carried by all those dirty humans you might come into contact each and every day tbh.