Do you kiss your snake (or allow your kids to)?

MMM yummy and on that note I admit I have done it once:skullbone

I dont feel sick. Would I do it again?? Not sure if I would..
Guess I will see that time when I get there.

I wash my hands BEFORE I handle my snakes. I'm more afraid of my snakes getting sick than the other way around.

yes totally i love him to death

I have had snakes since I was 9 years old Now I'm a 52 year old Mom I have kiss them on the head and always washed my hands, my kids wash their hands after handling them too and yes they have kiss the top of the snakes heads. We have never been sick. I know it probably can happen but heck these snakes are like kids to us all.
Until you love a snake , a part of your soul remains
unawakened.....
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:snake:

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Originally Posted by myreptiles

I have had snakes since I was 9 years old Now I'm a 52 year old Mom I have kiss them on the head and always washed my hands, my kids wash their hands after handling them too and yes they have kiss the top of the snakes heads. We have never been sick. I know it probably can happen but heck these snakes are like kids to us all.
Until you love a snake , a part of your soul remains
unawakened.....

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Thanks for your post. I guess with snakes, there will always be many ways and many philosophies.

I LOVE your quote "Until you love a snake , a part of your soul remains unawakened." It's so true for me!

Absolutely... I kiss my Labrador Retrievers... and believe me they use tongue... hehe and we both kiss the snakes! I have a snake around my neck pretty often. So yeah, I touch the snake, then touch my keyboard, then put the snake up, then eat... and so forth. So yeah... I'm doomed!

I pick, "OK... I'll admit I did it once" I properly wash my hands before and after handling but I did kiss one once- to freak out my cousin when she was visiting;):rofl:

Nope never, I will admit that one of my favorite snakes has flicked me with his tongue while I was handling him (he was given a bath (in his own tub with chlorhexidine dilution) before I hung out with him.

I have signs poste, hand disinfectant..all the proper procedures are followed...Usually..cause I have grandkids. * I know they probably slip up once in a while and I do not constantly remind adults to wash their hands.

I've done it once lol

my nice BP gets a smooch on the top of the head often. i have no children and i don't usually let children do much touch when it comes to the snake. when my snake puts his head all up in my face i give him a smooch and he never seems phased :P

http://www.reptileeducation.com/mkpo...b_pict2070.jpg


I always wondered where ramen noodles came from!!!

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

I always wondered where ramen noodles came from!!!

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And now you know why they are so cheap, too! :rolleye2:

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.

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

(first post :D)

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

Nope. :confused:

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.

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

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.
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...11-08_0017.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...11-08_0024.jpg
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h1...11-08_0022.jpg
CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE THEM LARGER

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Originally Posted by Athen

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

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It's a nice fat strain of salmonella isn't it?
http://www.geocities.com/avinash_abh...salmonella.jpg

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. :P

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? :rolleyes:

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

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:

Now and then.....:oops:

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.

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?

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. :rolleye2:

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

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.

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

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

"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"

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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. :colbert:

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

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

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

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.