Is it possible to get salmonella infection from pet chameleons?

[ragidi]

As the title says, can humans get salmonella infection from chameleons?
I always wash my hands with soap thoroughly for 10 seconds after handling my chameleon Alphys. I wear gloves when cleaning her enclosure. I also have a big bottle of disinfectant I use after every handling or cleaning.
I sometimes let Alphys roam around my bedroom. She climbs any thing she can: window shutters, bed sheets and pillows, carpet, couch, bags, etc. I always make sure she's dry (the plants she sits on are wet so..).

Any answer/reply/suggestion/advice is appreciated thanks in advance!

 

[bryantt]

You can catch Salmonella from any reptile...

Having said that your viv would need to be pretty dirty and you'd probably have to lick your cham to catch it lol.

As long as you wash your hands after handling your cham and keep your chameleons viv clean I wouldn't worry

 

[MSMorgan]

In regards to pillows and bedding, I'd steer clear of those items with your little one.

 

[tinypaws]

that said, chameleons don't lick their behinds and other junk like dogs and cats, and everyone is not always washing their hands after petting them. Are we getting a little pedantic?

 

[ragidi]

In regards to pillows and bedding, I'd steer clear of those items with your little one.

Won't do it again. She was sitting on my head then she crawled down to the bed, so it wasn't intentional. Is there any particular reason why she shouldn't be around bedding? (reptile skin doesn't like fabric, etc..?)

 

[ragidi]

that said, chameleons don't lick their behinds and other junk like dogs and cats, and everyone is not always washing their hands after petting them. Are we getting a little pedantic?

Well, since it's salmonella we're talking about. Cats and dogs are not known salmonella carriers soo yeah. Better safe than sorry, y'know?

 

[JoCarp]

I think it's more about not having them all over where you put your face for 8 hours a night as far as keeping them off your pillow. I think any egg laying animal can carry salmonella, but I'm not positive on that.
All in all I think you're pretty safe being conscious of it as you are, just not worth having them crawl all over your pillow as it raises risk to some extent even if it is slight.

 

[jannb]

My vets tell me that it's very rare for a chameleon to have salmonella. He has never encountered it. I would still recommend washing your hands before and after handling your chameleons.

 

[Seiryu]

Agree with Jann! You would have to be very unlucky to catch salmonella from any reptile, let alone a chameleon. The big carrier would be turtles (not tortoises) and even then there are few reported cases. People kiss their reptiles all the time. While I don't care for that kind of stuff (a little silly), people do it and I haven't seen any reports posted on a forum about someone getting it!

 

[ragidi]

Agree with Jann! You would have to be very unlucky to catch salmonella from any reptile, let alone a chameleon. The big carrier would be turtles (not tortoises) and even then there are few reported cases. People kiss their reptiles all the time. While I don't care for that kind of stuff (a little silly), people do it and I haven't seen any reports posted on a forum about someone getting it!

I'm not a huge fan of turtles. They're cute, but I wouldn't want one as a pet. How can they be kissed though? They hide themselves as soon as someone comes close xD
I'm gonna show this thread to my mom so she can calm down xD she was too worried about what 'diseases' chameleons might carry.

 

[brownie64]

I'm not a huge fan of turtles. They're cute, but I wouldn't want one as a pet. How can they be kissed though? They hide themselves as soon as someone comes close xD
I'm gonna show this thread to my mom so she can calm down xD she was too worried about what 'diseases' chameleons might carry.

Not so fast. I must be one of the unlucky ones. Granted I only got it once in 29 years of keeping chameleons, but it is more than possible. My enclosure wasn't dirty either. I was force feeding him because he was sick, and that's how I contracted it I'm sure. Just got careless and didn't take the right precautions. I would definitely keep your hands washed, and sanitized if handling a chameleon especially a sick one. Otherwise it's about four days of pooping water, and throwing up. Sorry if this was too graphic just wanted to get my point across.

 

[ragidi]

Not so fast. I must be one of the unlucky ones. Granted I only got it once in 29 years of keeping chameleons, but it is more than possible. My enclosure wasn't dirty either. I was force feeding him because he was sick, and that's how I contracted it I'm sure. Just got careless and didn't take the right precautions. I would definitely keep your hands washed, and sanitized if handling a chameleon especially a sick one. Otherwise it's about four days of pooping water, and throwing up. Sorry if this was too graphic just wanted to get my point across.

No problem. Point taken! That must have been terrible Take care!

 

[kinyonga]

I've been keeping chameleons and other reptiles for over 25 years. Almost every one that died was taken for autopsy and in all those years I only had one report of salmonella in a chameleon....and I never got it. Even so...i always wash my hands after each one I handle to keep them safe and me too.

There are some bacteria that chameleons can get that people get too though....so if you have a sick chameleon take good precautions.

Btw....they don't like their butter but they do like the branches that they wipe their butter on sometimes.