Ever gotten Salmonella from your reptiles?

I am personally an absolute FREAK about germs and Salmonella is on my hot list! I clean my cages 3-4per week with Lysol Institutional spray for Hospitals and I always wash and sanitize before and after touching my snakes....In the spirit of full disclosure, I do have a germ & illness phobia. A great deal of thought went into my getting my beloved snakes because I likened Salmonella to brining a demon into my home. I'm really a freak about germs; I'm a weirdo I guess but my snakes are fabulous and appreciate their immaculate and beautiful homes.:banana:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chocolate Muffin's

I am personally an absolute FREAK about germs and Salmonella is on my hot list! I clean my cages 3-4per week with Lysol Institutional spray for Hospitals and I always wash and sanitize before and after touching my snakes....In the spirit of full disclosure, I do have a germ & illness phobia. A great deal of thought went into my getting my beloved snakes because I likened Salmonella to brining a demon into my home. I'm really a freak about germs; I'm a weirdo I guess but my snakes are fabulous and appreciate their immaculate and beautiful homes.:banana:

---

Using a lot of sanitizer isn't that great. That's how you get resistant strains of illnesses.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raptor

Using a lot of sanitizer isn't that great. That's how you get resistant strains of illnesses.

---

So far they have been very healthy. I had them tested for Salmonella and the test came back negative, but the lab said I could do a zillion more and then get a positive, so I just assume that there is always that bacteria. Maybe I could change up what I use, but I still think I need something that kills viruses and bacteria. What do you use to sanitize yours?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MarkS

I have a friend who's granddaughter and a friend of hers who had just gone through surgery both caught salmonella at her house which came from her herp room. She actually had a local disease control group come over and test the surfaces in her room and they were able to culture the same bacteria strain from some of those surfaces that was infecting the two people. She's really not that big of a snake keeper and is more of a lizard person and had a number of monitors at the time. But yes, it's not a rumor. People really can get salmonella from their reptiles. I don't think it's nearly as common as the CDC would like you to believe, but it is possible.

---

I'd bet ten to one that those monitors were fed raw meat, chicken perhaps. :colbert: And as we all know, raw meat can cause salmonella.

Just something further to think about.

So, did the lizards expose her or did she expose them? :twisted:

Rick

Consumer Reports just did more testing of chicken, and the rates of Salmonella and Campylobacter in chicken are still insane. The percentages are over 50% with many brands. That is, half of all the birds on the shelves are contaminated with Salmonella or Campylobacter, many with both.

Chicken is your #1 source for salmonella bacteria. Treat raw chicken like the biohazardous material it actually is, and make sure you cook it to the proper internal temperature, and you'll be fine. Your snakes are a far less likely source of contagion. Oh, and don't feed them chicken. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HypoPita

<--- Chronic Fatige and Fibro.

Never had mono. Sure there is a connection?

---

There are many possible triggers, Mono is one of them. I have CFS as well. I believe it was triggered by a Tetanus booster shot. :P
They found genetic markers for it a few years ago. It's believed now to be a problem with the way the body handles stress responses.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chocolate Muffin's

So far they have been very healthy. I had them tested for Salmonella and the test came back negative, but the lab said I could do a zillion more and then get a positive, so I just assume that there is always that bacteria. Maybe I could change up what I use, but I still think I need something that kills viruses and bacteria. What do you use to sanitize yours?

---

Watered down bleach with a bit of dove soap in it. Same stuff I use to wash goat teats with when I milk. I don't worry about bacteria and viruses. I was my hands after I mess with my reptiles and that's it.

I've had a Bearded Dragon for two years now and recently got Leopard Geckos, Ball Pythons, a Boa, and a Tegu. Even if I wasn't real careful and washed my hands after handling any of them I've never had any problem and I'm someone with a bad immune system. No to mention my tegu eats raw meat and is usually fed in my bathroom or kitchen, but if people follow good hygiene with their herps I don't think there should really be much of a problem. I always wipe down all surfaces after preparing my tegu's meals and then throw the washcloth or whatever away or in the washing machine. I recently got a power/steam washer to clean out my enclosures...

I wash my hands every time I handle my snake, both before and afterwards. Partly this is to protect me from salmonella, but it's also to protect my snake from any nicotine residue that might be on my hands from smoking.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chocolate Muffin's

I am personally an absolute FREAK about germs and Salmonella is on my hot list! I clean my cages 3-4per week with Lysol Institutional spray for Hospitals and I always wash and sanitize before and after touching my snakes....In the spirit of full disclosure, I do have a germ & illness phobia. A great deal of thought went into my getting my beloved snakes because I likened Salmonella to brining a demon into my home. I'm really a freak about germs; I'm a weirdo I guess but my snakes are fabulous and appreciate their immaculate and beautiful homes.:banana:

---

Yes you're a freak.

:P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mainbutter

Yes you're a freak.

:P

---

Haha...all dancing banana's are freaks...thanks for posting this thread. I don't know how to do it, so I appreciate it. Hopefully this freak has been helful to the OP:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

NO thank goodness...but I have gotten it from banana pancakes...it was the worst thing ever!! UGH

Many of you will probably think this stupid, but, aside from kissing my BP on the head and such, I've actually put her whole head in my mouth before (I like looking weird, take it or leave it).

Never have I felt sick afterward. I use my little bottles of hand sanitizer, but rarely after holding my snake. But ALWAYS after handling the mice and their dishes and whatnot. They are more unsanitary than my snake, if you ask me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Moofins07

Many of you will probably think this stupid, but, aside from kissing my BP on the head and such, I've actually put her whole head in my mouth before (I like looking weird, take it or leave it).

Never have I felt sick afterward. I use my little bottles of hand sanitizer, but rarely after holding my snake. But ALWAYS after handling the mice and their dishes and whatnot. They are more unsanitary than my snake, if you ask me.

---

You have to remember that the infection is in the fecal matter. Snakes usually move away from void, but it 'could' be on their head and face, but unlikely. I think if you enjoy that kind of closeness with your animal, thats fine.

I would kiss all over Muffin, but I am terrified of germs in general let alone Salmonella.

Never gotten it that I know of, which is to say that if I ever have, it must have been a very mild case. I always wash my hands after handling any reptiles or their enclosures or accessories, and before handling them if I have any reason to believe I have anything on my hands that could be harmful to them. I also don't ever kiss/lick/whatever reptiles or any of their stuff.

Proper precautions for the win and all that.

Snakes may move away from the void in the wild, but in a small enclosure they are sure to come back to it very quickly. It's unlikely a keeper (any of us) is able to get all voids cleaned out immediately after they happens. With all the ball pythons I have, I do occassionally need to clean speared poo off a bin wall and the snake.

It is pretty likely to get voided matter on its head unless you get every single void out of the enclosure immediately.

Rick

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chocolate Muffin's

You have to remember that the infection is in the fecal matter. Snakes usually move away from void, but it 'could' be on their head and face, but unlikely. I think if you enjoy that kind of closeness with your animal, thats fine.

I would kiss all over Muffin, but I am terrified of germs in general let alone Salmonella.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SiscoReptiles

Snakes may move away from the void in the wild, but in a small enclosure they are sure to come back to it very quickly. It's unlikely a keeper (any of us) is able to get all voids cleaned out immediately after they happens. With all the ball pythons I have, I do occassionally need to clean speared poo off a bin wall and the snake.

It is pretty likely to get voided matter on its head unless you get every single void out of the enclosure immediately.

Rick

---

Agree.....

I was once told that samonella wasn't good for reptiles either, and that the reptile had to be sick for the samonella to harm you. Anyone know if that's based in fact at all, or maybe just exaggerated?

and to contribute. Never had any problems. Usually wash hands afterwards, but not always. Cuddle/kiss and such.

edit- another common thing I've heard is that turtles are more likely to pass it than other reptiles. Fact or bs?

Never from a reptile and I have a tortoise but have gotten it from school when younger and from burger king

Well, I've never got sick enough from it to notice, despite all of my animals being in my room, and going to/volunteering on a farm since I was two. I keep a tub of Clorox wipes near the mice, who are so much dirtier than my BPs, and I always use those or wash my hands after handling them, and everything's kept pretty neat and clean. But my snakes hang out on my bed with me all the time, my friends hold them, the travel around the house with me or my mom... and no one's gotten sick yet, knock on wood. I've had chickens for years, hatched and raised in our bathroom or the basement, and I'd be much more worried about them than the snakes, they don't care what they step in, at least the snakes try to avoid their poop. And honestly, I can't imagine getting it now after years and years of eating a quick sandwich between tours while hanging out with some baby cows. ;)

Those answering yes should be sure that they have a confirmation that the salmonella came from the reptile, and not from some other source. It's easy to make assumptions when one is sick, but it's equally easy to be wrong without actual testing.
I remember a case where a boy got sick with salmonella, and a home inspection found that the family had a green iguana. Subsequent testing revealed that the iguana was innocent--the salmonella had come from the family dog. I subscribed to the FDA alert list, and it looks like salmonella contamination can exist in a remarkable variety of different foods. Right now it's ground pepper and seasonings put out by one company that is contaminated. Sesame seeds, peanut butter, fresh salad greens--the list goes on. People usually think of meat or eggs as the most likely source, but in reality, salmonella can be in just about anything.

I don't *think* so. I got slightly sick towards the end of last September and it steadily got worse, so we were in and out of the Doctor's office, the usual, oh maybe it's a Vitamin D deficiency, maybe it's Crohn's disease, all that stuff, and it wasn't until the end of January when it got so bad that I had to drop the winter quarter of school that they found out that all along, it had been salmonella.

The Health Department called me and asked a ton of questions, and despite the snakes, birds, goats, rabbits, chinchillas, and rat, they were still pretty convinced it was chicken. Especially when I told him I was attending culinary school, and our final, towards the end of September, was to truss, then fabricate a chicken in under ten minutes. Always good to get a bunch of people together with raw chicken, put their final grade on it, give them a time limit and say "GO!"

BUT the Health Department hasn't gotten back to me with what strain of salmonella it was. It *could* be the snakes, or the birds, etc, but until they call back and say that it was specifically arizonae, I'm going to assume it came from something I ate.

iI once just slightly reheated pizza for breakfast and poisoned me and my girlfriends mate.

I was sick for 5 days and man it felt like i was going to DIE for 4 of them.

Never sick from a pet though.

Jim

I guess they should outlaw eggs as well

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eventide

I get "food poisoning" fairly regularly (maybe once a month?), so I've probably had salmonella before, but (1) I don't know for sure and (2) even if I did, I wouldn't have a clue as to whether it came from the reptiles or from food.

I let my reptiles crawl on my face if they like (I just close my mouth, hee hee). I don't kiss them, either, though I have been known to eat and handle reptiles at the same time. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen sometimes. I know the threat is there, which is why 99% of the time, I take the appropriate precautions. But if I get salmonella from my reptiles, it's my fault, so I'll just deal with it.

---

Food poisoning once a month!!! That's insane! Lol who does the cooking in your house? If I were you and had an immune system like that I'd be in a bubble everytime I go anywhere near my snakes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PiebaldFan

yea i had it when i was like 8 years old becaus ei would go herping averyday and come home with a new reptile/amphibian avery day so then my mom realized the rashes and stuff and went to doctor got ointment and meds, :taz:
salmonella:rolleye2:

tall paul

---

Rashes?

nope :gj:

What are the symptoms of salmonella

not a party at all. really ugly sickness. my iguana scratched my face while she had a little poop on her claw. threw up for like a week

Ok. Salmonella bacteria:

Found in the feces of infected animals.

Transferred ORALLY--you have to EAT it. This can happen if you eat food contaminated with the organism, or have the organism on your hands and put them in your mouth, or eat something with the organism on your hands.

The organism reproduces in the intestinal tract, and the result is:
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, and blood in the stool.

If the salmonella organism enters your bloodstream, such as through a scratch, it may result in bacteremia. Meningitis is the result--NOT vomiting, or other symptoms related to salmonella infection in the intestinal tract. Bacteremia is rare, and many different organisms can cause it.

So--being scratched by an iguana will NOT result in gastroenteritis. If you ate without washing your hands after you handled the iguana, that might do it. If not, then most likely you didn't have salmonella at all, or you got it from something else that you ate.

I think this poll is not valid, because it's clear that folks have no idea what salmonella is, or how you wind up with it.