BP's and Children..help

[smoothdog89]

We currently have 5 Ball Pythons and 2 crested geckos which we were planning on getting into breeding BP's until this past Wednesday. I have 3 children ages 7, 3, and 2. On Wednesday my 3 year old son had to be rushed to the ER due to a fever of 104.1 (that we couldn't brake), vomiting, diarrhea, rapid resting heart rate and extremely lethargic. Turns out he had gotten salmonella, not only in his stomach but also found out it had gotten into his bloodstream. This is his 2nd day of antibiotics and he is finally returning to normalish, saying he isn't sick anymore. Needless to say we are very relieved that it seems he is getting over this. Now i have kept various reptiles for over 20 years and never gotten sick because of them. Also myself, wife and all kids wash there hands after handling any of our reptiles. The doctors were saying either he got salmonella from something he ate (under cooked) or the reptiles. We all eat the same stuff so i think its a little odd that no one else had gotten it. The doctors are saying we need to get rid of all reptiles until all of the kids are at least 5 years old. Of course, they are all currently up for re homing and will most likely be gone in a day or 2 because i am not willing to take a risk like that again. My question is, has anyone else had any experience like this? or been told no reptiles in the home with children? Lastly, is there any type of reptile that would be safest to keep?

[FollowTheSun]

I'm so sorry you and your son went through this!!!

I would honestly not rehome the reptiles though. There are risks with any pet, going outside to play, going to school or the supermarket. Unless your child is found to have some severely compromised immune system (leukemia, organ transplant recipient, congenital immune suppression), this is not necessary.

If you practice good hand-washing and don't allow the children to hold the reptiles for now, you should be okay. As you can see in my sig, we have lots of pets and some of them do carry risks. We just wash our hands and keep things reasonably clean.

Also talk to the vet about possibly treating the animals in question. I have no idea if this is something they do or not, but it would be a good conversation to have.

P.S. While I cannot and will not give official medical advice, even as a registered nurse with 4 years Pediatric ICU experience, I can give you advice as a fellow parent and tell you what I would do in your situation.

[NewmanLovesSnakes]

We currently have 5 Ball Pythons and 2 crested geckos which we were planning on getting into breeding BP's until this past Wednesday. I have 3 children ages 7, 3, and 2. On Wednesday my 3 year old son had to be rushed to the ER due to a fever of 104.1 (that we couldn't brake), vomiting, diarrhea, rapid resting heart rate and extremely lethargic. Turns out he had gotten salmonella, not only in his stomach but also found out it had gotten into his bloodstream. This is his 2nd day of antibiotics and he is finally returning to normalish, saying he isn't sick anymore. Needless to say we are very relieved that it seems he is getting over this. Now i have kept various reptiles for over 20 years and never gotten sick because of them. Also myself, wife and all kids wash there hands after handling any of our reptiles. The doctors were saying either he got salmonella from something he ate (under cooked) or the reptiles. We all eat the same stuff so i think its a little odd that no one else had gotten it. The doctors are saying we need to get rid of all reptiles until all of the kids are at least 5 years old. Of course, they are all currently up for re homing and will most likely be gone in a day or 2 because i am not willing to take a risk like that again. My question is, has anyone else had any experience like this? or been told no reptiles in the home with children? Lastly, is there any type of reptile that would be safest to keep?

I’ll be straight forward with you, I have a toddler too around that age and he is an absolute handful. There’s a big possibility he could of gone into the trash and touched something infected with salmonella. Toddlers move so much and get into anything they can. Unless you recently let your child hold one of your reptiles or you have them easily accessible to where they can handle them without you guys knowing, there’s no way to know where he got sick from. I personally would not want to rehome all my reptiles with out more certainty that they are the actual cause.


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[NewmanLovesSnakes]

I’ll be straight forward with you, I have a toddler too around that age and he is an absolute handful. There’s a big possibility he could of gone into the trash and touched something infected with salmonella. Toddlers move so much and get into anything they can. Unless you recently let your child hold one of your reptiles or you have them easily accessible to where they can handle them without you guys knowing, there’s no way to know where he got sick from. I personally would not want to rehome all my reptiles with out more certainty that they are the actual cause.


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[303_enfield]

I hope your child makes a full recovery! You can have the reps test for salmonella by your Vet. I have only found salmonella in wild caught reps. Now, the pig ears from china are another story.

Good luck!

[Bogertophis]

Most medical doctors know very little about reptiles & are quick to paint them all with the same brush, ie. saying they carry salmonella. In truth, it's far more likely found in aquatic turtles, and WAY more likely your child got sick by accidentally coming into contact with a cutting board or towel that contacted raw chicken in your kitchen than anything to do with your snakes or lizards. And don't forget the grocery store! Do you use the sanitizing wipes on the carts??? People put raw meat in the carts and the packages may have leaks & germs on the outside, hint hint! Your doctor just jumped to an unfounded conclusion, IMO.

You have my very best wishes for your son's speedy recovery...while I understand your priorities, I'd not be so quick to get rid of your reptiles over this. Little kids
stick their hands everywhere, as was already suggested, plus they are smaller & have less resistance to these things compared to older kids or adults. I understand your panic...no one wants their children to be seriously ill...it's scary...but IMO it's NOT the snakes that are an issue (& I have 34 years of keeping a house FULL of snakes & some lizards, along with raising my own rodents & having multiple dogs), & as a parent of small children, getting rid of your reptiles is not any sort of guarantee that your children will never get such an illness again.

[Cheesenugget]

My young nephews (3 and 4) have handled and petted my reptiles many times before without issues. They wash their hands afterward. They get sick mainly from other kids or just because. Like the other posts, most likely your child caught it somewhere else. Most likely your doctor is wrong, just as they diagnose my niece that she is allergic to cats and cannot have them, but yet she is fine when she is playing with the neighbor's cats. Fear can overshadow reason.

However, if I were you, I may probably do the same. We don't have kids but my fur pets, especially my cat Happy who is my heart cat, when she was mysteriously hurt, the first thought in my mind was to rehome my other cats who may have (But most likely not) injured her. I wanted to protect her and shield her from every potential harm. That parental instinct, I think, if you need to rehome your pets, I would not judge you for.

[wnateg]

There's always a risk. That's like saying you can't have cats because the risk of toxoplasmosis. Obviously, you should do what you want to do, but if you don't let them handle the snakes and you're washing your hands, I wouldn't think it necessary to rehome.

I have a dubia roach colony of about 10k, and I've heard you can get allergies from them, but so far so good.

I had my first ball python at 7, and I handled him a lot, and I was totally fine.

[Bogertophis]

Speaking of doctors being prejudiced about snakes & other reptiles, just consider how many veterinarians do not like or are afraid of them & will NOT treat them
under any circumstances...and vets are well-educated ANIMAL lovers, right? Sadly, many physicians that we see know zip about herps & are happy to share
the same misinformation that's been around for years. Not saying there is "zero" risk, but you cannot raise your children in a bubble to prevent all risks no matter
what, & statistics favor all the other culprits as the source of salmonella (contamination found in the home kitchen or grocery stores, other kids, under-cooked food,
etc.). I wonder what the vet would charge to test your pets for salmonella?

[Toad37]

If salmonella is the big concern here then I hope you don't have any cats or dogs. Their feces can also transmit salmonella. Not implying your kids play with poop lol but I too have small children and they will sometimes "help" clean the litter box or pick up dog poo in the yard. We're cautious and we've never had an issue but that's not to say there isn't risk. My point is the reptiles themselves aren't solely to blame. Whether they're the culprits or not many diseases- salmonella included -can be transmitted by all animals not just reptiles.