A mom's question about hygiene

[Dracoluna]

Welcome and like many others have mentioned, overall sanitation is the way to go. My snakes have been around kids a lot and the rule I have is either use hand sanitizer or wash hands right after handling the snake. Personally, I worry more about passing something between snakes and scrub more going between my quarantined snakes and my regulars. Adults are less susceptible to getting salmonella to the extent they notice it than children are. The younger the child, the more diligent I've always been about making sure they wash up afterwards. However, it's always a good practice to get into if for no other reason than it shows your son and any other kids the correct behavior. This also includes any friends he has over who handle or even pet the snake.

To lower your risk even more, make sure the snake's cage is kept clean. Don't only check once a week or every other. If the snakes poops, it should be cleaned up as soon as it's noticed. Think of it this way, the salmonella bacteria are shed in the feces. If the snake is left to slither through/over it repeatedly, that raises the risk.

As for surfaces, I keep the snakes out of the kitchen and if they slither on a table we eat on, that gets a quick wipe down afterwards.

The face thing is kind of up in the air. The biggest risk is the snake gets startled and bites. Before you worry too much, however, this is on a snake by snake basis. I have some snakes that I'd trust anywhere including in my face, and others I'm always watchful around. Chances are, if yours is being handled this much, kissed, etc. and hasn't bitten yet, you've probably got a relatively calm one. Just keep an eye on him and talk to your son about learning to read the snake's mood. Unlike dogs/cats, snakes don't growl or hiss when they are getting edgy. They tend to jerk more and try to get away. If he learns to read his snake, then he should be alright. Like someone else mentioned though, I wouldn't encourage licking the snake. Granted, I've had some of mine in my mouth (don't ask why...) but it's not a practice I'd recommend. As for kisses, I'm pretty sure that Ceti, one of my girls, thinks I'm crazy because I insist on kissing her on the head. If your keeping the enclosure and the snake clean, this poses minimal risk.

I've been dealing with snakes for over 10 years and have only seen one case of salmonella from a reptile. The owner didn't keep the cage clean and got sick as a result. To this day, I'm still convinced if he had kept the environment clean, there wouldn't have been an issue. Pork on the other hand....