Reptile handling with jewelry and metal toxicity

[CelticVikingNerd]

After reading zinc and copper are very toxic to herps (idk about skin contact for reptiles though but better not chance it),And not finding much information on the matter, I've gotten rather curious about whatever there's metals that are safe for reptiles to come in contact with when handling them while wearing jewelry made of said metals (jewelry would have no sharp points of course) or if most metals used in jewelry like gold, silver, nickel, etc. are also toxic to reptiles? I'm interested in hearing your input on this. Personally, I'd rather not risk it and not wear any jewelry whatsoever when handling a herp.

[Craiga 01453]

I've never heard this. If be interested in knowing your source??

I'm intrigued and am looking forward to others chiming in.

[Bogertophis]

I've not heard anything about this either but (1) I think it would take a LOT of handling* and (2) it's safer not to wear jewelry around snakes anyway,
especially necklaces or bracelets they can get entangled in. *I HAVE heard that many products, not just jewelry, that are imported and made from very
questionable sources can be toxic to humans...look at all the toys that get recalled due to lead & other contamination...and at the rate our EPA and other
governmental agencies that protect us consumers are being dismantled it pays to be very wary...it's all about "profit" now, not what's safe & healthy...so
any issues for pets get even LESS attention, and precautions for reptiles would have to be in the negative range...

Thinking about exposure to zinc & copper, it's more likely to be in our drinking water. Don't get me started on "current events"...but you have to hope
your local water agency regularly completes & releases their reports accurately. That still only applies to human safety though, & we're much bigger
& more resilient than our herps, but maybe we should be looking closely to see what levels are in our water? Interesting question/subject....

[CelticVikingNerd]

I've never heard this. If be interested in knowing your source??

I'm intrigued and am looking forward to others chiming in.

The part about zinc i came across on this site http://reptile-parrots.com/forums/sh...es-in-Reptiles and the part about copper i came across while reading through a couple of threads on this site.

[Craiga 01453]

The part about zinc i came across on this site http://reptile-parrots.com/forums/sh...es-in-Reptiles and the part about copper i came across while reading through a couple of threads on this site.

Thank you for the follow up and the link. I'm intrigued...

[Bogertophis]

Yes, excellent link, thanks!!! I can't imagine a snake swallowing a penny though especially in captivity. I can imagine a wild snake consuming prey that
has ingested a penny though. Monkeys or squirrels come to mind as possible sources. I would HOPE no one puts sunscreen (zinc oxide) on their herps.