Salmonella paranoia

[Stimson328]

Hi all. I've been wanting a snake for a long time and finally got one last week, a juvenile stimsons. He's very friendly and just what i was after. The problem is I've now deep dived into research on keeping, and discovered the high % of reptiles having salmonella. I have 2 kids 7 and 9. I'm taking the obvious hygiene precautions, hand washing etc.

The problem is I've now become so obssessed about catching it that all the joy of the new snake ive been wanting for so long is gone. I almost regret getting him now.

I know, im probably over thinking it.

I don't even know if i have a question to ask. I guess its just, how frequent do you fellow herp owners contract salmonella? Is it just part of the hobby you accept as a risk?

 

[Tobe404]

I've been tagged a few times by my Snakes and once by my Goanna but never contracted anything from it.

As long as you wash your hands and clean them properly before and after having any interactions with a Reptile, you should be fine.

Not sure if anyone has any horrer stories though

 

[danyjv]

You’ll be right mate .
Just wash your hands after contact and don’t kiss it or have any contact with your mouth.
Dont let that ruin your new pet feeling , the chances must be slim. I do not wash my hands ( disgusting I know ) and iv never had an issue
Enjoy


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[Yellowtail]

Mate I've handled thousands of reptiles over more than 60 years, cleaned their cages, been crapped on and bitten countless times, bred thousands of rodents for their food and never had a problem with salmonella or anything else. Similar experience with birds and they are supposed to be a problem too. Probably more chance of catching something from a dog or cat and certainly more chance from human contact.

 

[Fall guys]

No reason to worry, I wash my hands before handling, and never after unless I'm planning on eating right after, or if my hand has been in contact with snake dookie.

I don't think I've seen a case of someone contracting salmonella from a captive reptile in recent years :l

 

[Stimson328]

Thanks for the replies, i think i just need to forget about it. Im sure that once i handle him for weeks or months without catching it then ill be over it.

I think its like when you have an ache or pain, the worse thing to do is start googling because all you see are the horror stories!

 

[danyjv]

Now you know your safe and your pet snake will not kill you . You can now Show us a picture of it .


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[Stimson328]

Haha yes ok danyjv, here is a pic of me picking him up from a melbourne pet shop this week. 6 month old stimsons

 

[danyjv]

It’s a nice looking snake enjoy that.
And thanks for sharing the pic ...


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[Sdaji]

The Salmonella thing is a myth. You, me, and everyone who will read this thread has Salmonella in their bodies and on their skin right now (unless they are currently showering in disinfectant, in which case it's only inside their bodies and probably a bit under their fingernails etc where they missed). Dogs, cats, the ground we walk on, it's everywhere. In most cases you could literally lick you snakes and have a lower risk of Salmonella than from cuddling a dog, and far less risk than interacting with young children. I've spent literally decades working with countless thousands of snakes, I'm very careful about not infecting the snakes with anything, but I have never put any effort at all into preventing myself from being contaminated by whatever the snakes may have on them, and after literally handling thousands upon thousands of snakes and being bitten by hundreds, maybe over a thousand, I've never had a Salmonella issue from them.

Yes, you can find Salmonella on reptiles, but then again, if you swab your own skin and do culture tests, you'll also find Salmonella. Salmonella becomes dangerous depending on the amount and the strain. Reptiles are among the absolute cleanest of animals. Shaking a stranger's hand is tremendously more dangerous than the risk of Salmonella from playing with a snake, especially when it's the same snake kept at your house you always play with.

 

[Stimson328]

The Salmonella thing is a myth. You, me, and everyone who will read this thread has Salmonella in their bodies and on their skin right now (unless they are currently showering in disinfectant, in which case it's only inside their bodies and probably a bit under their fingernails etc where they missed). Dogs, cats, the ground we walk on, it's everywhere. In most cases you could literally lick you snakes and have a lower risk of Salmonella than from cuddling a dog, and far less risk than interacting with young children. I've spent literally decades working with countless thousands of snakes, I'm very careful about not infecting the snakes with anything, but I have never put any effort at all into preventing myself from being contaminated by whatever the snakes may have on them, and after literally handling thousands upon thousands of snakes and being bitten by hundreds, maybe over a thousand, I've never had a Salmonella issue from them.

Yes, you can find Salmonella on reptiles, but then again, if you swab your own skin and do culture tests, you'll also find Salmonella. Salmonella becomes dangerous depending on the amount and the strain. Reptiles are among the absolute cleanest of animals. Shaking a stranger's hand is tremendously more dangerous than the risk of Salmonella from playing with a snake, especially when it's the same snake kept at your house you always play with.

Thank you for this post, much appreciated it is very reassuring!