CoLoRcHaNgEr13
Established Member
Sorry if it's a dumb question, But do chameleons spread any illness to humans. Can a chameleon cage be keept in a bedroom?
Do Chameleon Spread Illness To Humans
- Thread starter CoLoRcHaNgEr13
- Start date
Anilr16
New Member
Well they can obviously spread salmonella and stuff. Thats all I know of atleast. And of course you can keep one in your bedrrom!!! It lets you keep an eye on its health alot easier and stuff
Just make sure to keep those hands washed!
CoLoRcHaNgEr13
Established Member
I have a 3 year old son that im worried about. I don't want him getting into the cage and getting salmonella.
dodolah
Retired Moderator
salmonella is all I have ever heard about. I think you would have to never clean your enclosure, put your chameleon in your mouth and possibly eat its poo to get it. I dunno for sure though!
It is actually quite possible to catch salmonella from chameleon; but, one has to not practice standard hygiene habit, although not to the extreme like what you have described.
The best way to contract salmonella from chameleons, or any reptile in general, is to not wash your hands after tending them and their cages.
dodolah
Retired Moderator
I would limit your 3 yo son the access to your chameleon room.
Wash your hands before and after you tend your chameleon's business.
Always make sure your son wash his hands in case he touch or handle any chameleon related items in your house.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
It's not a dumb question at all. The media likes to scare us with all the dire warnings about disease and the germs in daily life. If you keep your cham's cage clean (which the cham and you will appreciate anyway) and clean your hands after handling you would just about have to put the cham in your mouth to get salmonella. Any reptile, amphibian, bird can carry salmonella but it is far easier to get it from something wet...such as a frog. I just keep a bottle of simple hand sanitizer right at the cage front...so when anyone handles anything cage or cham related it is handy and becomes part of the regular routine.
laurie
Retired Moderator
Any time I have anyone in my cham room or when I do a program at the schools, I take a bottle of sanitzer and everyone uses it both before and after they are near my animals. If you have a sanitizer next to the door just teach your son to sanitize as he walks in and as he wlaks out. then you should not ever encounter that type of problem. I love chams and kids so don't want either to have problems due to passing germs.
FaunaBgirl
New Member
While there are around 2,235 variations of salmonella statistics have shown that only 36% of lizards actually carry salmonella. Seems to me that percentage would be in the wild more than the Captive bred. But still no reason to forego precautionary habits.
royden
New Member
With children I'd be safe, pay the money for a salmonella culture and know for a fact. Because if they don't have it, they're not likely going to get it (unless you also keep turtles or iguanas or handle unknown reptiles).
My vet once told me that he's never once seen a healthy looking reptile that had salmonella. But it never hurts to check. It's bad for the reptile too.
My vet once told me that he's never once seen a healthy looking reptile that had salmonella. But it never hurts to check. It's bad for the reptile too.
cushcameleon
New Member
I kept two chameleon cages in a dorm room and also kept some in my bathroom for awhile. As long as your bedroom is suitable for a chameleon (quiet/low traffic and proper temperatures) you can definitely keep it in there. As everyone else said, have proper sanitation habits and everything should be fine. If it makes you feel better, I once ate half a bag of sunflower seeds before I realized I did not wash my hands after handling two chameleons and preparing them for a road trip. My hands were definitely cham-contaminated, but I did not develop any sickness.
Out of all the autopsies that I've had done of chameleons over the last 20+ years only one ever came back saying that the chameleon had salmonella. I don't think it ever came back in most of the other species of reptiles I had either....including water dragons and others that I thought it would show up in. Maybe I've just been lucky??
Its still very important to practice good hygiene.
Its still very important to practice good hygiene.
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Yeah, a serious illness called "chameleon addiction"
moody232002
New Member
Also i think that you have a good base start with your three year old.You can teach him the hygiene from day one and it will be second nature for him to wash his hands before and after handling.
Miss Lily
Chameleon Enthusiast
It's definitely not a dumb question, but actually a very valid one! It can't hurt to act as a reminder to everyone to wash their hands before and after handling the chameleon and cleaning it's cage. The Salmonella thing did cross my mind and worry me before I got Lily. I am always very careful not to touch poop,etc with bare hands and make sure that i wash my hands thoroughly after handling and cage cleaning.
