I know reptiles have always been a popular scapegoat for almost any problem because they're not a popular animal (milk snakes, for example, got their name because farmers used to think they "**** the milk out of cows" ).

Likewise, ever since the 70s reptiles have been labled as salmonella carriers. I've heard both sides on this debate. One one side, every reptile carries the salmonella bacteria and you will automatically get it if you touch a reptile. On the other side, the salmonella scare in reptiles is blamed on poor feeding techniques (like throwing raw chicken or ground beef in for your herps to eat) and well-mainted herps are virus-free.

So what do you think? Is the Salmonella Virus in reptiles still a real threat? If so, how can it be avoided?

I'd love to hear some opinions on this one. Thanks everyone.

__________________
Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org
"Find out how YOU can get involved in reptile rescue . . .

__________________

Zane Neher.

The great and strong man is one who bears within his character many contradictions.
Crocodilian care.

Reptiles are salmonella carriers, but that doesn't mean that they pose a threat to humans. With proper cleanliness (i.e. washing your hands before and after handling reptiles) there really shouldn't be a risk of catching salmonella. In all honesty, we don't always practice proper cleanliness, but we have never become sick from being around reptiles.

The threat is supposedly greater to babies and women carrying babies, but this is also true of other animal faeces, and again proper cleanliness will avoid the risk - e.g. washing hands after cleaning a cat litter tray. Incidently, speaking of cats, my mum always told me that people were disgusted when she cleaned the cat litter tray while pregnant, but she always practiced proper cleanliness and therefore was perfectly fine.

IMO there is far greater risk of catching salmonella from eating chicken that you haven't had in the oven for long enough

__________________
"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

Absolutely! All reptiles and in fact most animals can carry salmonella. There is no treatment or test for it that is reliable. The affected animal may carry it but only shed the bacteria intermittantly. Just because a test comes back negative one time does not mean the animal is free of salmonella. The problem is more dangerous to children under five, the elderly or people with supressed immune systems due to problems such as HIV or chemotherapy. However even for an otherwise healthy adult it is an unpleasant experience. Ever hear the term running at both ends?
You cannot get salmonella just by touching a reptile. The bacteria is shed in the feces. It is a simple matter to avoid contamination. Keep your cages clean and wash your hands after handling the animal. As Rachel said you are more likely to get salmonella from improperly cooked chicken or eggs than from a reptile. The problem will be that if you do contract salmonella from ANY source. The first thing they will do is blame it on the herps.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I used to be so paranoid that I washed all my reptile cage accessories and water bowls in the bathtub and then bleached the dickens out of the whole bathtub. That is, until my husband calmly pointed out,"You rinse raw chicken in the kitchen sink. What's the difference?"

Duh...so now I use the kitchen sink, but I'm careful to scrub the sink and counter afterwards with a little bleach cleanser, just like I would after washing off raw chicken.

__________________
~Juliane~

If you get paranoid over various Salmonella in herps, chicken, meat, and eggs you best watch out for the fresh produce too. Fresh produce, especially “all natural” or “organically grown” stuff, is becoming a much more common means of ingestion of these nasty things. The evaporative cooling method used in many really helps to spread the contamination too.

But once you have that first raw quail egg cracked over a pile of sushi rice and smelt roe you can't go back, the stuff is soooo good.

__________________
~ Mark

i have a question about reptiles and disease,
can they get rabies? or is it just a mammal thing?

__________________

MY PALS
0.1.0 BALL PYTHON-JERRI
0.1.0 AMEL. CORN-BAYBE
1.0.0 GHOST CORN-BOSS
0.0.1 BLUE TONGUED SKINK-DOUGLAS
2.1.0 CATS-POJO, CHEDDAR, SAMMIE

__________________

Zane Neher.

The great and strong man is one who bears within his character many contradictions.
Crocodilian care.

I agree. No rabid reptiles.
Only crazy herpers!

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!