Is this true????

[BMoore]

I heard just the other day "that snakes carry saminila".......
Does anyone know if this is true? ???

[Red]

Re: Is this true????

yup! Tis' true... Tis' true...
Butt don't you worry your perty lil' head now...
You just wash your lil' hands every time you hold that snake and there will be no problem...
In fact just about every thing has it... It is used in digestion...
IF you keep you snakes cage clean and you allways wash your hands after you do anything with the sankes cage, food, snakes them selfs, ect Then you will have very lil' chance of getting it... If fact probley you would have no chance but I can't say that for sure...
I would give you a link to a good artical about it or a site dedicated to it but well I don't feel like it right now sorry...
Have a good'un
ERic aka....Red

[SnakeDan]

Re: Is this true????

IT'S TRUE !!! IT'S TRUE !!! Yes most reptiles that I know of do carry salmanila bacteria . This is why we must always keep a good cleaning schedule ,at all times. And , why hand washing is so important .
Although I've not known even one person that has been infected .
Later on,
Dan

[BMoore]

Re: Is this true????

LOL Red your funny. But seriously, thanks for the info, both of you. I kinda thought it was a myth. I usually use hand sanitizer before and after each snake. Do you think thats efficient?

[diablo]

Re: Is this true????

yea all you have to do is clean your hands with any hand soap/sterilizer.

[Doug]

Re: Is this true????

HI,
Many animals can carry and shed salmonella dog's, cats,rats, chickens, turtles, snakes can have small quantities that may increase and decrease depending the animal. here's a post writtenfor vets that is supposed to be given to new reptile owners.. Suitable for printing and hanging in the reptile room..
 http://www.arav.org/SalmonellaOwner.htm
most Vets are trained to not treat salmonella in reptiles  because it can cause resistant strains.
Just simple hand washing and good animal husbandry will prevent the risk of infection.

psps here's a news flash  almost all chicken frozen in your freezer can have small quanities of salmonella and even some of that red meat can have it too and I won't go in to E-coli  strains,, lets just say be sure and cook that meat. . so please wash your hands when you handle fresh thawed meat, you may want to clean that counter to. or you may make your self sick without even seeing the snake today. many of the new and emerging super bacteria are due to the over use of antibiotics in cattle and animal feed.   Geeze-wiz :P
where's my kaopectate...hehe cwm4.gif s4.gif cwm8.gif
  Doug

[XzyluM]

Re: Is this true????

All reptiles carry some form of salmonella. It's true that you are at a greater risk handling raw chicken than getting salmonella from a reptile. The symptons related to salmonella is mild and usually only last a week or so and is nothing fatal. Children are also prone to getting salmonella, so caution should be used around children. Wash your hands before and after handling reptiles and never associate them around the kitchen. I did do a very nice article on salmonella and snakes, but lost it somewhere.

[T.C.]

Re: Is this true????

I have had reptiles for many years as well as many friends with them and none of us had a problem. Fact is you have a better chance of getting SALMONELLA from a resturant or your own kitchen before getting it from a reptile. Another fact that many people don't know is the ONLY way to get it is to ingest the feces of the infected animal. The way this happens is you pick up a snake(any animal) that has been through its feces and handle it. After you grab a snack and eat it without washing your hands... whalah! You may not have seen anything on your hands, but you have just contracted salmonella poisoning. Just remember to wash your hands BEFORE and AFTER handling any animal.

[BMoore]

Re: Is this true????

Alright so if washing my hands is the biggest factor than I have nothing to worry about.
Thanx everyone......  Very insightful.  I knew about the raw chicken thing and am very careful about it.  I am just paranoid for my 2 & 4 year old children.  I just didn't realize that it was common in most animals.  I thought someone was bull$#@$%^*, know what I mean?  And sorry to those who have already answered a question like this a million times! :-/
It seems like everytime I post a question, I come across the answer somewhere in the forum later on.  There is a lot to read here!  I've been reading as much as I can and feel bad when I post questions that may wear on peoples nerves.
Okay, well thanks again- hope everyone has a great week.

[T.C.]

Re: Is this true????

Ask any question you want. It doesn't matter if its been asked before. If you want to try to find an answer first than great, but if you just want an answer and don't have the time to search
I would be glad to read your question and answer it. 8)

[benttoe]

Re: Is this true????

They say the Only bad Question is the one Unasked!!!!! So fire away.. sometimes it better to ask when you thinking of it.. I know i can lose my train of thought easy enough...