Samonella(sp) in balls

[Flirtycuddle]

I was reading online and came across a webpage(dont remember link) that said children under 10 have been killed because of the samonella in balls. I have a 1 yr old that is just facisnated with my snake and a new baby on the way. If I just wash my hands before and after handleing the snake I should be ok right? Also is it safe to let my daughter (the 1 yr old) touch the snake if I wash her hands with soap also? If not I will just handle my snake after she goes to bed at night.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Thorough hand washing before and after handling ANY animal is extremely important for everyone, especially young children and the elderly.

Statistically speaking, a child is far more likely to contract salmonella from a fast food restaurant, grocery store, or improperly cooked food products at home than an animal.

In the last year there were only 40,000 illnesses and 600 deaths attributed to salmonella ... the same amount of people died last year from accidentally strangling or suffocating in their own bed linens (597 according to the National Safety Council).

Animal rights activists love to scream salmonella in their fear mongering campaign to rid exotic animal owners of their pets ... don't believe the hype ... but do wash those hands!

-adam

[Flirtycuddle]

So as long as I'm washing hands is it ok for my daughter to touch the snake? She sits and looks at it and points and then wants to touch it and I just want to be sure its ok. I figured that the deaths from samonella was just someone trying to scare people from having exotics.

[Adam_Wysocki]

In my opinion, it's fine .... my son is 4 and he handles the snakes almost as much as I do ... we always wash our hands before and after and we've never had a problem.

-adam

[daniel1983]

go get you one of these, I do not know what I would do without:

I wash my hands after too ....and keep the kids from kissin the cute critters

[bg1906]

go get you one of these, I do not know what I would do without:

I wash my hands after too ....and keep the kids from kissin the cute critters

Amen! I wash and use hand sanitizer!

[Jeanne]

go get you one of these, I do not know what I would do without:

I wash my hands after too ....and keep the kids from kissin the cute critters

Yep! Its the only way to go, I do it too! And so does anyone who handles my reptiles.

[frankykeno]

I have to second what's been said, especially Adam's comments about fast food restaurants, etc. Actually a lot of food related illness in children is from our own homes and our own kitchen routines unfortunately.

When I have children here that I babysit I do have a strict policy of no snakes coming out of their tubs while I'm in charge of other people's children, unless the parents are present and have given permission. With my own children (and any children or adults that are visiting) we have a strict routine the same as the others have stated, whether it's our snakes, our breeding rats, whatever.

The kids laugh but I have this house rule as well...."anything that can lick it's own butt, is NOT allowed to lick your face!" LOL


~~Jo~~

[Diceman]

accidentally strangling or suffocating in their own bed linens

-adam

Do I even wanna know how?

[tigerlily]

Yeah I have two young kids, and we are just very strict with hand washing. I'm a bit pyscho too, so I like to use that Lysol disinfectant on all door knobs and areas the snakes have been out in, just in case. I also use a antibacterial hand lotion, since that other stuff always dries my hands out. I keep it in my purse and take it everywhere, it's great stuff.