Am I over doing it

[bluesrt]

I take Boots out of tank and place it on the Formica type counter, wait a min or two for Boots to pee or poo. Next I put Boots into a small stocking cap and place Boots in the cap onto the top of the tank, at this time I bleach/sanities the counter before the cats have a chance to get on the counter. Then I get the cap with Boots in it and sit and watch TV with the cap on my belly. So at this point the cap is potentially contaminated with Salmonella as well my shirt. I guess my question is after reading a few threads about Salmonella on here is, let’s say Boots does have it, and Boots poops then the microscopic germs are still under its tail is it safe to let Boots explore on the carpet or couch and not worry about being infected? I’m so anal about this I worry about a cat getting germs from the stocking cap on the tank, then the cat could then spread it all over the house. I had Salmonella a few years back, I had I bearded dragon at that time, however I believe I got it from the peanut butter crackers I ate every morning at work. It was bad and could have died from this. The State blamed it on the lizard of course and if anyone is interested Ill post a topic on what happen.

[Linnea]

uh....yes? its up to you though. im not an expert on salmonella, definitely not, but i know the cases are few in the case of reptiles here. nonexistent if i dont count the people who drunk water turtle aquarium water. if you find anything of what i write about to be wrong, then please ignore it or correct me.

i was quite concerned about the salmonella risks in the beginning too - but seriously, all wares sold in sweden are tested like 50 times, even the food i give to my lizard xD im sure its tested where you live as well. Eggs and bad meat are a common source of this problem. but normally we kill most salmonella bacterias that gets into our very acidic stomachs, but we may still feel uneasy if its something totally non-edible <.<

if youre on a certain medication that makes your immune system go down, or if you have very young ( lets say under 5? just an estimation) or very old and frail people around you a lot, then you may want to take caution.

however, if this is not the case, think instead about your average hygiene while handling, like washing your hands with some soap to mechanically remove a few bacterias, or maybe hand sanitizer alcohol if your skin can take it. salmonella wont survive long on your shirt unless you have spilled lots of food on it - then maybe it will grow a little overnight and then die when the food is gone.

i really just wash my hands to ensure my lizard wont get sick from anything i bring from outside! and i let him crawl around in places where it is not dirty - also for his health.

you need a lot of bacterias, bad timing and a lowered immune system (like if you have a cold) to even get salmonella xD maybe just dotn let him crawl in the kitchen.

the risk is always there though. its just very very small. and since you live with a pet in your house, handle him, and everything...personally id say as long as you keep good hand hygiene the risk while handling and keeping him compared to just keeping him in the cage, is pretty much the same.

[bluesrt]

Linnea- That post will help a lot of hesitant would be reptile owners out there. Yes I was on an antibiotic that killed all good and bad bacteria in my system about two weeks before I got Salmonella. I already had the bearded dragon a few years before I became sick. Now all the Bts people will love this. I would eat peanut butter crackers every morning from kwickshop. One day I got very sick then a few days later went and got tested and was one of three confirmed cases is Kansas. This was during the peanut butter recall. So a week had past I got enough energy to get to kwickshop and get a few packs of crackers and guess what? Only the cheese ones were still in stock!! I asked what happen to them and they threw them out 3 days prior due to recall. So yeah I lost 30 pounds in two weeks and the state of Kansas was all over this in asking a million questions as to what and where I eat. Once they found out I had a dragon they stopped asking questions and assumed it was the cause. Now I do bathe the skink in my kitchen as the sink is kind of of granite and helps with the nails, but I bleach the heck out of it, then use anti bacterial soap then dawn after each use. So it sounds like to me that the Salmonella will die after it’s in the open air for a bit am I correct on this?

[Fatal_S]

Unless you're working with very young, very old, or immuno-compromised people I'd say you're overdoing it.

I've had food poisoning in the past (did you know rice crispy squares contain milk products and shouldn't be eaten when 3 years old? ). How concerned am I about what I eat/drink/touch now? Still not. I kiss my skinks, they wander my kitchen counters and sink, and I share food with them. I don't even care when I get peed/pooped on (I just wash up normally).

The only time I care is when I'm going to shows or to places where I'll be near small children. Then I use hand sanitizer and recommend the children do the same. I still give my skinks kisses though, and I let the kids hold and bother the friendly skinks.

If your skink isn't living in filthy conditions and you're not immuno-compromised, I really don't see it as something to worry about. Your cats are probably more of a concern than a reptile is.

[MiMi]

Your cats are probably more of a concern than a reptile is.

WORD!
(only time I ever spent an over-night in the hospital was from a cat bite - yikes, what a mess)

I will say this,
if "overdoing it" causes you more work than you care to do,
then you should tone it down,
BUT, if you don't mind the extra effort required to do all what you do
to give yourself peace of mind....then keep doing it.

[Bird_Brain]

I will say this,
if "overdoing it" causes you more work than you care to do,
then you should tone it down,
BUT, if you don't mind the extra effort required to do all what you do
to give yourself peace of mind....then keep doing it.

Such wise words of advice! Kudos to MiMi!

[Susann]

I will say this,
if "overdoing it" causes you more work than you care to do,
then you should tone it down,
BUT, if you don't mind the extra effort required to do all what you do
to give yourself peace of mind....then keep doing it.

Such wise words of advice! Kudos to MiMi!

AMEN!

Yes, you can get Salmonella from a reptile. Because alot of (most? I can't remember the statistics) reptiles CARRY Salmonella but are themselves not affected by it.

So why not ASSUME your BTS has Salmonella? I do. So, whenever I have one of my BTS out, when I put it back I wash my hands. I don't change my clothes because I don't put them in my mouth. I don't sterilize my carpet because neither I nor my children (or visitors) lick it.

If you have a crawling baby though, you may not want to let your BTS crawl on your carpet, because it's easier to keep your BTS off of it than a toddler. A crawling baby, or a child that gets on the floor, will most likely put their hands on something after being on the carpet that will go in the mouth. I.E. greater chance of contamination.

When I have a BTS on my table or counter, I immediately wipe them off (...the table or counter....NOT the BTS!) with sanitizer. Wash my hands.

I personally ASSUME that my reptiles carry salmonella, and take precautions accordingly. I feel that I am safe with the precautions that I take. If you feel you need to do more, then that is by all means what you need to do.
Is there such a thing as "Overdoing"? That is a very personal thing. In MY opinion, when the steps you take to protect yourself from a possible infection impedes your life--or enjoyment thereof, that's when I would pack up the reptile bag. But that's just me.

[bluesrt]

I think it’s like 80% of reptiles could carry the virus, but most of it’s probably strains that won’t hurt people. I have a three year old that runs all over the place, then I catch her licking her own feet sometimes lol. So Boots on the carpet= not such a good idea! But then again with dogs and cats its possible no matter how clean I am Salmonella could end up on the floor.

[Nae]

Imo, if salmonella was easily caught from BTS, Id be contaminated by now

Ive held wild ones since I was very little. Now being little, I never worried about washing my hands before running indoors for a snack, I used to kiss Mazi, feed him off my plate, place him on the kitchen bench while mum was cooking so she would give him the (healthy for him of course) scraps.

But no one, not me, my mum, dad, sister, visitors ever got sick.

But when I get my centralian, as he will be captive bred compared to my Mazi, I will begin washing my hands so as to prevent anything from passing to him.

I personally think you are more at risk of salmonella from uncooked foods then reptiles. But hey, if it makes you feel better, I certainly dont see the harm in cleaning, but I definitely do not see it as something to obsessive about unless, like mentioned, you are working with at risk people.

[Katrina]

Woah! I agree with the others here, sounds like it is excessive.

I have NEVER heard of someone getting salmonella from a bluey. I know it can happen, but I can't remember anyone ever posting on the forum about an experience or hearing of an experience.

[Fatal_S]

Doing a quick search online is showing me that most cases from reptiles come from animals that live in the water (turtles and water-frogs). These animals are pretty much swimming in their own waste constantly. Since salmonella is believed to live in the gut of the reptiles the biggest issues would be with reptile waste. If your reptile is living in it's own waste then any salmonella they have is probably going to multiply to dangerous amounts. With reptiles like snakes and lizards and geckos, when kept in sanitary conditions, I don't think there's nearly the same risk.

Keep in mind I'm the type of person who thinks that some exposure to disease is good for building a strong immune system. I'm totally fine with a kid licking the floor or eating dirt, and I would personally have no issues kissing a frog or turtle. I'm also somewhat crazy Were I in your situation I'd probably give the reptile some big kisses to see if I'd get anything. If there's not enough salmonella to cause even a mild reaction in me, I would assume there's not enough to do much to a kid.

Given that you do have a 3 y/o, I'd say take some precautions, but don't let it interfere with your enjoyment. I do take a lot more precautions around my nieces/nephews (ages .5-3 y/o) then I ever would for myself.

[MiMi]

I would personally have no issues kissing a frog or turtle.

that made me LOL


also....the Toads want to know what you're doing Saturday night

On a more serious note,
I *am* much more careful when cleaning the FireBellyToad tank,
than I am when dealing with the BTS. I'll often let Icky eat on the kitchen counter, and then clean & disinfect it when he's done and back in his enclosure.

I'd never, NEVER let the toads out, or handle them. They're cute...but yucky.
(well, they also tend to hop like they're made of springs, and the dogs would likely think they're terrific snacks)
But I wear rubber gloves when I do a water change, and I wash my hands & surrounding area that likely got drops on it, with an antibacterial when I'm done.

Also, if I feel my health is vulnerable or compromised in ANY way, I tend to be more scrupulous with my cleaning, and err on the side of caution.
Example? The toad tank could really use a water change this week-end, but I just had my wisdom teeth out, yesterday.
Despite the fact that it's a stretch, and I have no intention of bringing anything from the toad tank anywhere near my mouth (unlike Fatal, lol)
I'm going to push that water change back to next week, and give them some fresh filtered water to hold them over.

[critterguy]

Its a two way street. Salmonella bacteria should be taken seriously as it can cause fatalities, however as mentioned most cases are from reptiles such as turtles with which poor sanitation is often the norm when it comes to keeping them. Even when well kept no doubt salmonella does better in a moist environment rather than dry ones like our skinks are in.

I've done some reading and it doesn't seem like cats/dogs with shots updated can carry anything particularly serious(the worst is probably Toxoplasmosis) so emphasis on reptile pets is partly justified-but tends to be greatly overstated.

A healthy immune system can take down certain numbers of salmonella bacteria. With a weak immune system the number required to get you sick is probably fewer. I think it is smart to err on the side of caution and disinfect(alchohol based stuff would work) anything the reptile has touched and that you may touch and somehow ingest. That being said, do as I say, not as I do.

Rinsing the actual animal itself is not a bad idea either. If you are worried about the BTS tail being dirty, you could simply bathe/scrub him and pat dry before allowing him to explore.

[El Lobo]

I would personally have no issues kissing a frog.

Ahh...the dream of finding a prince.