We shouldnt have chams!?

[camimom]

i was reading an article today about certain types of pets that we shouldnt keep.
this is what it said.

Iguanas and Lizards


Iguanas and lizards pose a very real danger — 90 percent have Salmonella and shed it in their feces. (This is actually true of all reptiles).

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 93,000 people are sickened by Salmonella each year caused by exposure to reptiles.


So my chams are going to kill me are they?

 

[amanda509]

i was just wondering about this! id like to bring my cham into school for senior project, but the principal has to approve it, and his biggest concern is salmonella :/

 

[Gotti]

So my chams are going to kill me are they?

​

Worthh itt.

 

[camimom]

​

Worthh itt.

Completley and utterly. However, I am fairly certain if Kink could, he would try to kill me. lol.

 

[clarkrw3]

I always wash my hands after handling and cleaning cages....actually I have liquid hand sanitizer in the cham room. I also sanitize between handling different chams. Seems simple enough since I sanitize my hands every time I walk in and again when I walk out of treatment rooms all day. Just a habit now!

 

[Winterhawk1960]

The most common (in the U.S.) type of salmonella causes gastro-intestinal problems. Usually diarhhea and possibly even vomiting. This type of gastro-intestinal problem is very closely related to E. coli. The easiest way to avoid it is to wash with warm soap and water and be sure to scrub your hands in between the fingers and fingernails very well (like singing the alphabet song in your head TWICE) while washing, before rinsing.

C-diff..........which is another gastro-intestinal infection is another that CAN be dangerous if precautions are not taken to avoid further spread. I work in the health care field and this is most common in either pediatric or geriatric patients (ie/ children and older adults). Typically, these are the age groups that have either under-developed (pediatric) or supressed (geriatric) immune systems. Most of US, unless we have a immune system disease that causes our bodies natural ability to fight disease of any type will have very minor problems with minimum exposure. That being said, WHY take the chance, especially if we or our reptiles are handled or live with children or the elderly. Again, it can be controlled and NOT allowed to be spread by simple and thorough HAND WASHING.

Now.........I'm gonna let you in on a little secret that for some reason hasn't gotten out to the "general public". MOST EVERY soap, of ANY kind has anti-bacterial tendencies. This means that when WE fork out the bigger bucks for the marketed "anti-bacterial" soaps, that the manufacturers laugh all the way to the bank. We learned this in Micro-Biology and actually had a project that showed the effeciency (or lack of) in soaps in general.

While some various strains of salmonella, C-diff and E. coli have MUCH more serious consequences than the "most common" strains and ANY and ALL of each should be taken seriously. The general public usually is unaware that one of the simplest things (thorough hand washing with soap and water) IS effective in stopping this in it's tracks.............the alcohol based "sanitizers" that are also commonly found in everyones home is INEFFECTIVE with gastro-intestinal issues.

Again...........DO NOT take the chance.........just wash your hands regularly and thoroughly and it won't be a problem.

I'm going on memory here, and it has been some time since my Micro-Biology class.............but these are the main points that I want to put out there. We have four grandchildren and they regularly handle our chameleon. The other thing that they ALWAYS do after handling him and BEFORE allowing them to touch their faces is...............thorough hand washing.

I hope this will clear up this issue for the concerns that people that own reptiles have.

 

[icegecko]

Meh. You can catch Salmonella from raw meat/fish/poultry as well. Just wash your hands after handling your cham and anything that came in contact with the cham. It's really not hard. People are not as clean as they would like others to believe.

Ok I'm going to stop before I get into a rant at how dirty people are and detract from the thread.

But seriously, wash your hands with soap.

 

[camimom]

I wash my hands before and after handling my chams. Just force of habit. I do it with my dog and my cat too. (only the after part though)
i just found it funny that the article said dont have pet lizards.
Its not that you cant have them, its that you need to own them responsibly. meaning if you are sick, or immuno suppressed, maybe you shouldnt handle them. Otherwise, wash your hands, keep the cages clean, use good reputable insect breeders, and ta da, no one will get sick.
its called being a responsible pet owner.

 

[Miss Lily]

I thought it was more prevalent in things like snakes and monitors that eat raw meat.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Hey either we get salmonella or get eaten out of house and home.. either way still worth it.

 

[icegecko]

Absolutely. If you're responsible and have common sense in caring for your pets and hygiene, you won't get sick from Salmonella.

 

[camimom]

Snakes were on the list too of pets to not have.
SOmethng about their size etc.
technically, all lizards can carry salmenella, but like i said, be responsible and it wont be a problem

 

[icegecko]

Banning reptiles because of people getting sick would be like banning bicycles because people who were not wearing helmets were getting injured. Wash your hands, you'll be fine. Wear a helmet, you'll be safer.

 

[KarmaChameleon1337]

Banning reptiles because of people getting sick would be like banning bicycles because people who were not wearing helmets were getting injured. Wash your hands, you'll be fine. Wear a helmet, you'll be safer.

Or banning spoons because they make people fat...

 

[camimom]

Banning reptiles because of people getting sick would be like banning bicycles because people who were not wearing helmets were getting injured. Wash your hands, you'll be fine. Wear a helmet, you'll be safer.

Technically..... Bicycles.... Lol jk.
Its true. I mean we can get sick or injured doing just about anything in life. Take precautions, be responsible and you'll be fine. Even if you get sick from salmenella, there is no way to determine if it came from your chams, or that rare steak you ate 3 nights ago.

 

[camimom]

Or banning spoons because they make people fat...

Spoons absolutely make people fat. As do, forks, knives, etc.

Dont you know, spoons dont make you fat, fatty food and bad eating habits make you fat.

chams dont get you sick, you not being a responsible owner makes you sick.

 

[SSimsswiSS]

I'm just building up my tolerants. So I'll be safe when all the non lizard loving people start dropping from salmonella.

 

[camimom]

I'm just building up my tolerants. So I'll be safe when all the non lizard loving people start dropping from salmonella.

Ditto! Then we can stand there, with chams on our shoulders and heads, and laugh at the people on the ground!

 

[emilybier]

It would be a lot like banning the sale of raw meat and eggs.

 

[shaunaroxanne]

My panther lives in my fourth-grade classroom during the week. My responsible students are allowed to touch/hold him sometimes. They must use hand sanitizer before and after handling him. I am actually more concerned about the germs they could pass to him than him passing to them.

My principal would prefer reptiles in the classroom over mammals, as we have so many students with allergy-induced asthma. Salmonella poisoning would be a less common risk factor than an asthma attack would be since the dander from a mammal is air-borne.