# Other Pythons > General Pythons >  Do you kiss your snake (or allow your kids to)?

## MelissaFlipski

OK, the pet store told us to wash our hands after handling the snake and not to kiss the him (risk of Salmonella).  We held out for 2 weeks.  Now, we kiss him quite often.  (I think the hand washing has gotten lax, too.)

The kissing started with my 3 and 6 yr old sons.  My 3 yr old kept asking if he could kiss Mr. Snake (the BP).  The 6 yr old wanted to, but resisted.  Finally, we broke down and said, "OK, you kiss him first, and if you aren't sick within 3 days, we'll kiss him, too."

Mostly my 3 yr old and I have kissed him.  My 6 yr old did it a few times.  My husband has not gone on record as having done so (yet).

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## JLC

I think folks would be less inclined to kiss 'em....and more strict about washing up after handling them....if everyone could visit a large breeder's facility and take a look at the albinos and other light-colored morphs....and see some smears and smudges that you don't usually notice on the normal colored snakes.  They crawl through their own wastes....and even if you keep the enclosure clean...it's not like they get to go wash their hands after each time they go to the bathroom. 


So....nope....no kissing my snakes for me or my kids.  I love my BP to pieces and enjoy "cuddling" with her...but I keep my mouth away from her body and wash up afterwards.  :Wink:

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## rob0781

My roomate always kisses his ball python and never washes his hands after handling it..He hasn't got sick yet,but i still don't think its a very good idea.

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## Kagez28

for once i think the pet store gave some good info.  there defiantly is a risk of spreading salmonella, and i am sure there are some stories of people getting sick.  especially with children, who don't have the strongest immune system.  would you you let your kid lick a piece of raw chicken?

i would stop the kissing, and DEFIANTLY start proper hand-washing.  you need to be a role model for the kids.  if you don't wash your hands they aren't gonna do it, and thats when people get sick.

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## SarahMB

> The 6 yr old wanted to, but resisted.  Finally, we broke down and said, "OK, you kiss him first, and if you aren't sick within 3 days, we'll kiss him, too."


I really hope you are joking about that. 

No, we don't kiss our snakes and we wash up after any handling.

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## bhmorrill

More than likely you are going to be OK, but I wouldn't do it just by the small chance that you do get sick.  Salmonellosis SUCKS!!!  Not a good sickness to have, and children and Sr. citizens are at a MUCH higher risk of getting it than a healthy young adult.  I have a little girl coming in Nov, and I know that I am not going to let her touch snake stuff much at all (meaning not even the carpet in the snake room), and the few times I do I am going to wash her down real quick.  Just check out the below link on salmonellosis and then see if you think it is still worth the risk.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmonellosis

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## MelissaFlipski

Um... my bad.    :eek:

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## Sunny1

We don't kiss our snakes here either. My kids get to handle the snakes under my supervision, and it has become such a practice that now I don't even have to remind them to wash their hands afterwards. Do we kiss any of the animals? I have trained one of my cockatiels to give me a "kiss" when I make kissy sounds and I have caught my kids kissing the dogs or the cats on occasion, but would I really allow them to.... no. The cats are in and out of the litter box, the dogs are rolling in the dirt, and though my BP is kept in sanitary conditions with regular cage cleanings and spot cleanings in between, I think that the risk of the kids getting salmonella (sp?) are just too great for me to allow them to kiss her.

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## frankykeno

Blech sorry I had a younger sister that got worms from allowing our dog to lick around her mouth. That put me off ever allowing that with my own kids. We have a strict house policy....

"if it can lick it's own bum (or mess about in it's own poop)....it does not get kissed by us or is allowed to kiss us"

We also have gel hand sanitizer in the house which we use due to having snakes in quarantine. For regular handling of the rest of the snakes, good handwashing with soap and water does the job (except for kids from outside the house or snake shows at school...then everyone sanitizes before AND after touching any of our snakes).

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## Stewart_Reptiles

No snake kissing here, no dog kissing either, no animal kissing period!




> "if it can lick it's own bum (or mess about in it's own poop)....it does not get kissed by us or is allowed to kiss us"


 My thought exactly any animal that can sniff and/or lick it's own butt or that can sniff and/or eat their own waste or those of others :Wag of the finger: , get no kiss from me

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## Nate

I always wondered where ramen noodles came from!!!

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## MelissaFlipski

> I always wondered where ramen noodles came from!!!


And now you know why they are so cheap, too!   :Rolleyes2:

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## Daemonicus

I kiss all my snakes...and I've had salmonella and e-coli  before thanks to the military using the lowest bidder for water purification while deployed.  The only thinkg I ever worry about is my BCO trying to bite my face while getting kissed.  The others are a little too small to worry.

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## cute3pyth0n

Yes i kiss my snake.
Never had problems kissing my pets :Smile: 
except the ones with the claws.....

(first post  :Very Happy: )

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## Athen

ok i gotta ask nathan what in the world is that pic of ?

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## PythonWallace

Nope.  :Confused:

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## Myenia

I understand the dangers of kissing a snake...but I don't see the big deal.  I have made the mistake of handling my snake, then eating (or, doing it simultaneously) and didn't get sick...so I assume she's not currently effected.  I work at a pet store, and always shower after work before handling her...so as long as I know she's not contracting anything, I assume she remains clean.  I isolate her.  Kudos to those who are careful/paranoid with their pets...but working at a pet store, I handle way too many animals with too little time to wash up between to be paranoid.  This goes the same for all the customers who pick things up and choose not to wash their hands. Never had a problem, so I'm not going to start being afraid now.

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## PsYcHo_99

i kissed my snake once but i didnt know any better lol! 

my gf got salmonella after kissing her ball.. kinda sucked.. she was in aggonising pain for a couple of days.. it got better.. now shes ok.. 

woudn;t advise it

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## norcal_707

Who knows if you will ever actually get salmonella poisoning from your snake, but really why chance it? That is always a possibility when handling something that is known to carry salmonella and by not using even basic hand washing requirements certainly has to increase your chances of getting sick from it. Especially when it comes to your children, I always think it's better to take the proper precautions needed to insure they are safe and healthy. I don't think  that having the "It won't happen to me" attitude while being irresponsible and just hoping that it won't happen to you is a good example for any child. Part of being a pet owner is teaching about the different responsibilities and requirements that come along with caring for each pet, which I believe is extremely important. I'm not going to lie and say that it has NEVER happened in my home because just the other day my 3 year old did sneak a little kiss to the snake when I was snapping some pictures of the 2 of them...but it isn't something that I ALLOW or ENCOURAGE. A little kiss every now and then I don't think will present a whole lot of salmonella poisoning danger but to make it a frequent event which is encouraged is, in my opinion, an unnecessary health risk that I would not be willing to take with my own children, or anyone elses for that matter. I also know that it may be a pain to get some kids to really wash their hands every single time they want to touch or did just touch the snake, but it's an important rule my kids have to abide by if they want that privilege. A great product that I came across at my local pet store called* Wipe Out 3* is a antiseptic hand gel made especially for sanitizing your hands when handling your reptiles, for your safety as well as your theirs. So if washing your hands properly is something that is just too much of a hassle I would suggest using this product or something similar. It's quick, easy, convenient, and most importantly SAFE for your CHILDREN and your PETS! Here's a pic of the one I have so you have an idea of what to look for. 



CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE THEM LARGER

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## blackcrystal22

> ok i gotta ask nathan what in the world is that pic of ?


It's a nice fat strain of salmonella isn't it?


You guys realize you have about a 100x better chance of getting salmonella from chicken at any restaurant then from your snake?

It's possible, but not very likely. Yet we still eat restaurant chicken and wash our hands after holding our snakes. Oh irony.  :Razz:

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## CamStatic

I just recently had salmonella.. 11 days with pure hell on Earth.

I've been kissing my reptiles for a year or more now, but it was mom's chicken that made the whole bunch of us that sick 2 weeks ago.  

Ironic, yeah?  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

But I do think twice every time I feel the urge to give my animals a little kiss from now on..

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## kittyrodriguez

I'll admit I kiss my snakes <---- (Sheepish) I do not let the kids though. Funny thing, I'm still pretty OCD about the hand washing/sanitizing.  :Confused:

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## SecurityStacey

Now and then..... :Embarassed:

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## joephobia

Just curious...Alot of you go on about the snake going through it's own feces and so on but I was wondering, of that, how many of you own a toothbrush and how many keep it in the bathroom. A study was made that proved no matter where you keep your toothbrush and no matter how clean you are there is still a 99% chance that you will have fecal matter on your toothbrush. Everybody on this thread is so concerned over the fact of kissing a snake because of this and that, but neglect the fact that when you flush the toilet small fecal matter filled particles fly throughout the bathroom which means that they could potentially end up in your mouth. 
Oh yeah, and I do kiss my snakes, cats, dogs, etc. To live in fear of the things that have been around us for our entire lives is absolutely ridiculous. Might as well wrap yourselves in saran wrap or hide in a bubble. I know some people are going to say that they are safe whenever possible and why expose ourselves to more things than we need to. If it makes you happy...do it. If it doesn't, don't. To use germs etc. as an excuse you should probably call Howie Mandel and ask him some tips. Just my 2 cents.

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## MelissaFlipski

Glad to see my baby (this thread) is still alive and kicking!  A few new thoughts...

We got a Senegal Parrot and I kiss her all the time.  However, after petting her, then eating and using a finger to get stuck bread out of my cheek, I got an infection!  Thank goodness I made the connection and treatment with Listerine 2x or 3x a day for 3 days cured it.  I'm embarrassed about this story, but I tell it b/c it is enlightening.  However, I still kiss her, just not open lipped!

Also, have you heard about the down side of hand sanitizers?  If ingested by children (b/c it often smells so good) causes alcohol poisoning (http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp).  Antibacterial soaps are a problem in that they enter the watershed and are harmful to the environment (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0516100942.htm).

Have you hugged your tree today?

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## PythonWallace

We can't just let this thread drift? It only took a couple of posts to come to the conclusion that kissing snakes, or any animal, isn't a smart thing to do, and the reasons why it isn't. There are still people who like to kiss snakes, and won't be convinced. If open lip kissing birds and petting animals and picking your cheek, causing nasty infections won't thwart your physical affections, I guess nothing will. Let's move on. I also wash and sanitize my toothbrush regularly with chlorahexadine solution and peroxide.  :Rolleyes2:

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## jorgasm

I kissed mine the first time we met.  :Wink:  And it licked my bottom lip. My ball is a sweetheart. I'm SO relieved I found it.

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## Muze

Lol...I don't kiss my BPs or Beardies.  I do kiss my dogs, though.  I am pretty good about washing my hands after handling reptiles (or birds.  Used to work at a wildlife center.  It's interesting what birds of prey carry around in their talons), but I had Salmonella poisoning once...from eating chicken at a Thai restaurant.

Honestly, your probably in the most trouble by handling/kissing amphibians.  Turtles, frogs, etc., are the more common carriers of Salmonella.

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## dadspets

Ye, I kiss all my snakes and my beardie's. My wife say's I'm disgusting.  :Very Happy:

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## Pandora

> "if it can lick it's own bum (or mess about in it's own poop)....it does not get kissed by us or is allowed to kiss us"


I think that's ridiculous.
If you're following that statement, the snake should be the one animal you aren't worried about kissing because snakes don't clean themselves and therefore have no reason to lick their own ass. Cats and dogs on the other hand do.
Lick your lips right now. You just got a bit of salmonella.
I've been kissing my cats and dogs for years and clearly nothing has gone wrong. There's more germs on your door handles and the toothbrushes you keep in your bathroom than there are on your pets. That's a fact.  :Wag of the finger:

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## Somed00d

Chances are good if you have a snake that is captive bred it doesn't carry salmonella.

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## mobster

nope i dont kiss the snakes... i only kiss my wife and my neighbors wife

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## xanaxez

i agree it is a bad decision for you or any other member of your household to kiss the snakes or any other animal in your house.  always wash up after handling any pets you may have. as far as the snakes though i dont even let mine get close to my face at any point in time. if i am going to be bitten by one of them it sure isnt going ot be in the facial area lol

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## seercirra

my bp is actually incredibly hygenienic.
if he needs the loo, i know because for about two hours before hand, he'll try and get out of his cage, and he never, ever tries to escape for any other reason. often ill take him out especially for a piss, meaning my substrate almost never gets dirtied. if he does, by chance take a piss in his enclosure, he'll try and escape afterwards (aswell as before), and wont go anywhere near it. he puts his tail up to a corner of the enclosure and does his business there. then goes and sits in the opposite corner of his enclosure or continues to try and escape until its clean. then he still refuses to go near where he did his business for atleast 5 or 6 hours - even when its spotless. after any defecation i always bath him with running mildly warm water, which he seems to appreciate.

basically. yes, i do occassionaly kiss my snake, and have never got ill, i dont worry about it either. :p

letting a dog lick your face is MUCH worse imo.

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