Are there any reptiles that do not naturally carry salmonella?

Question

I have been wanting some sort of reptile for some time, but I have small children in my home and I really don't want to run the risk of anyone getting sick. I would prefer an animal that does not eat live prey.

Answer 1

Generally you don't need to worry about salmonella unless your kids will be playing with the animals unsupervised. Most lizards will live in a cage so you just need to make sure they wash their hands before eating. Lizards aren't generally cuddly they won't be hauling them around. The problem is usually with animals such as turtles that are small enough to fit in the mouth, which is why they must be over four inches unless bought for research. You should look into an iguana or similar species which is vegetarian. Leaf lettuce will be your biggest expense at $2-2.50 a pound. In every opinion I've heard, and personal experience, larger male lizards are much easier to tame and stay calmer with less work than females. Good luck

Answer 2

Eating live prey is not the cause of Salmonella, contamination with fecal material is the cause.

Any animal living in a soiled cage MAY carry Salmonella, and many aquatic turtles have it. You greatly reduce the risk by keeping the turtles in a large, well-filtered cage with no 'turtle smell', and minimizing handling the turtle.

However, it is possible that you don't quite understand the whole story.

Salmonella is a very common germ that causes food poisoning. Almost every human has had Salmonella poisoning by the time they are 13. Whenever you've had a Salmonella attack you've probably called it a 'stomach flu' or a '24 hour bug'. The main symptonms show up in about a day and last about a day. You'll experience nausea, vomitting, and diarrhea, then be a little dehydrated, tired, and weak, then be OK.

Salmonella can dehydrate young or old people, and is not good for people with reduced immune systems, etc. Some strains of Salmonella (usually from food processing plants) can be more severe. It is largely avoidable, but really not a big deal.

Salmonella infests about 10% of water turtles, about 3% of most other reptiles, but is more commonly picked up from eggs, chicken, and meat in general that is left out, uncooked, undercooked, mishandled, etc.

Your main protection from Salmonella is simple handwashing.

Although the CDC suggests that families with young children not have turtles in the house, their biggest concern is the basic 'handle and kiss' issue that children do with many animals (and is not really a good idea with almost any pet), not having a decently cared-for animal being housed in a tank.



Now, having said all that- turtles are really NOT good beginner or starter pets. They take a lot of equipment and work, should not be handled much, etc. There are better options for kids!

Answer 3

Reptiles, amphibians, and birds usually carry Salmonella. whether not each reptile etc consists of Salmonella. they don't require Salmonella to assist them digest their food and that they genuinely won't die in the event that they are Salmonella unfavorable - they are able to stay long healthly lives free of value of Salmonella. in case you prefer to renowned in the experience that your puppy is a Salmonella provider, you may ask your veterinarian to custom their poop. in the event that they are agencies, they often do not shed the micro organism consistently - so which you would be wanting to objective 2-3 seperate poop samples. If it has Salmonella, usually the cage, water, bedding and epidermis of the animal will all replace into contaminated. extremely of taking cultures, the main secure element to do is assume that the animal is carrying Salmonella. Wash your palms whenever you look after them, clean and disinfect the cage in many cases, dont permit the animal bypass in the kitchen, and in case you clean the cage in the tub, spray the tub with disinfectant once you clean the cage. I cant permit you comprehend the way many babies I definitely have considered that grew to alter into contaminated with Salmonella after getting into the tub or sink after the lizard went for a swim or the cage became wiped clean.

Answer 4

Madkins knows his reptiles and amphibians. Hand washing and good husbandry are the key to keeping the salmonella under control. As to live prey, iguanas are mainly vegetarian. (if you decide to go with an iguana, please do a lot of research, they are very difficult to keep healthy in captivity. I know a lot of people have them, but most people have no clue what they are doing).

Good Luck and Take Care

Answer 5

If you choose a snake, buy one from a pet store who feeds frozen/thawed prey. If they are already eating that, there wouldn't be a problem conitnuing it.

I would not allow any reptile to be held by a child unsupervised, and as part of the supervision, you could have them wash their hands afterward.

Answer 6

My Bearded Dragon does not have Salmonella; I keep it clean. It eats veggies for the most part and sometimes crickets & meal worms. She REALLY likes pumpkin!

Salmonella is not generated by reptiles; it simply grows on them if they are exposed to it and does not harm them. Nice immunity to have. If you keep it clean it will be fine. But the poop really stinks, so if that gets to you, you might want a little frog.

Answer 7

Seeing as most reptiles lay eggs there are none. It's not as much of a risk if you do not breed them. I'm not sure on the Red Tailed Boa's as they are live bearers. As far as the live prey, you would have to work with the snake to eat already dead mice and rats. They sell frozen ones for them. You would just have to let them thaw for them to eat it. Alot of snakes will not eat them though as they prefer to kill them.