Do all geckos (including blizzard and leopard geckos) carry salmonella??? If they do, do they carry it on the inside of their body or the outside???

All reptiles can carry salmonella. It is in their intestinal tract and is shed in their feces. So there can be traces of the bacteria on the animals body. As long as you practice good hygene principles it really isn't a big hazard. Just wash your hands well after handling the animal or cleaning up after it and if you use sinks or tubs for cleaning equipment or soaking that are also shared by humans simply clean them out with bleach before human use,
And DON'T kiss your animal!
Of course you can also find salmonella in raw chicken!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Ill also say a reptile can have get a high salmonella level which can be fatal to it. That is a medical issue for the animal though. Like Merlin said just wash your hands before and after and youll be fine.

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It's also good practice to not let chidren under the age of two handle reptiles.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

Blizzards are Leopard Geckos, not a different type of gecko,just a morph. You should always wash your hands with soap and water after handling any herp

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Jason

Hi,
the salmonella thing has been debated for so long now! I can tell you I share my home with 14 iguanas, 1 giant sulcata tortoise, 1 russian tortoise, numerous amount of snakes, frogs, small lizards, I also have 4 kids and we have never come down with salmonella. I can tell you I am very strict with the hygiene and cleanliness of these animals though! I feel if you keep up with cleaning their feces and ALWAYS wash your hand you should be okay! They also a have a hand sanitizer called germ x that I use after I wash my hands too. My kids also are trained that if they so much as touch one with their pinky that they have to wash their hands and use the germ x. It has worked out well for all of us. So by practicing good hygeine you should be okay!

Good point Mike! Very young children, the elderly, as well as those having immune deficiency problems like those with aids or enduring chemotherapy are most at risk from contracting salmonella and in those cases can be extremely serious.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Salmonella or not, it's probably a good idea to keep reptiles out of the hands of two-year-olds simply because they're two-year-olds I'd be more worried about the reptile than the kid at that age, lol.

But yeah, as the others said, the risk is pretty low, especially if you practice good hygiene and keep the cages clean. Any reptile can potentially carry the bacteria though.

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Are you sure you don't have kids Matt. That is very true. My 2 1/2 yr old likes to grab tails and she's pretty quick about it as well.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

Too funny Mike! My five year old learned the hard way! I have an iguana who is quite large and very tame, he comes out a lot and she just kept messing with his tail. I told her to stop, then one day he had enough and WHACK right across the the nose, she definately has a deep respect now and has learned that maybe she should listen when mom talks She is just like me so she had to learn everything the hard way, lol.