Salmonella is a horrible but common bacterial disease. It affects the intestines and has many symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, and fevers. Usually, a mild case only lasts for a week, but it can be perilous for vulnerable patients.
We commonly associate it with undercooked food. However, the bad news for reptile owners is that their pets also commonly carry salmonella. There are many horror stories about people contracting it from pet turtles and lizards. In this guide, we’ll look at the best ways to avoid salmonella and keep everyone safe.
1. Test Your Reptiles
One of the first things that reptile owners can do is test their pets for salmonella. Mitigate the risks by buying from legitimate licensed sellers. For example, it’s illegal for reptile distributors to sell turtles under four inches. The reason is that young children frequently put them in their mouths and become sick.
It’s advisable to test all reptiles for multiple diseases before bringing them home. However, it’s important to note that salmonella tests for reptiles aren’t foolproof. They shed their skin, and this can result in false negatives. It’s not a guarantee that they don’t carry salmonella, so it’s important that you still exercise care when handling them.
Testing is also important to check for harmful bacteria or infections that could affect other reptile pets. This is a major problem when people buy animals from dubious breeders. Use your best judgment and do your research before bringing a new pet home.
2. Practice Personal Hygiene
Personal hygiene is one of the most important ways to avoid contracting salmonella. Let’s be honest: most people don’t always wash their hands immediately after handling dogs or cats. They probably do it before meals, but they might not think about it otherwise.
However, it’s crucial to wash hands properly after handling reptiles or touching anything the animal has been in contact with. This is one of the easiest ways to avoid getting sick. Use soap and hot water to kill the harmful bacteria that they may spread. Your reptiles don’t want to hurt you, but it’s possible if you don’t take care.
It’s also essential that parents help children to understand the importance of this too. Salmonella is contagious so a negligent child can spread it through their household. Also, supervise youngsters because they may bring the reptiles close to their mouths. Don’t allow them to kiss their pets because this is an easy way to catch salmonella. As noted, reptiles are not great pets for children under five years old.
3. Keep Enclosures Clean
Hygiene practices should also extend to keeping enclosures clean. It doesn’t matter if it’s a turtle tank or a snake’s vivarium. Cleaning enclosures is important for both the health of the owner and the reptile. Remember that you’ll need a second cage for your pet when you’re cleaning their regular home. The best thing to do is clean a little bit every day. Change their water like you would with any other animal. It’s even more essential for aquatic reptiles because they will defecate in the water. Always remove leftover food too as well as dead skin.
Owners should also perform a deep clean every one to three weeks. This may vary depending on the type of reptile. For example, caring for a bearded dragon is more work than for a leopard gecko. You should have multiple brushes to clean every surface and crevice in the tank. This will significantly reduce the salmonella risk. Don’t forget to clean enrichment items like stones and twigs or branches. You can boil them or simply replace them with new ones.
4. Be Careful with Frozen Mice
Another important detail that many new pet owners don’t consider is managing frozen feeder rodents. They can be very tasty treats for corn snakes and ball pythons. But they sometimes bring unwanted germs into our lives. Be careful not to allow frozen mice to defrost before bringing them home. Don’t allow them to come into contact with regular human food. It’s best to put them in an individual compartment or an airtight box.
Defrost feeder mice at room temperature. Avoid using artificial methods that apply excessive heat because this increases the risk of salmonella developing. You could even cause it to spread onto other surfaces. If your pet reptile eats a mouse carrying salmonella, it may also contract the disease. We recommend wearing gloves when handling frozen feeder rodents.
5. Clean All Surfaces
Many reptile owners take their pets out of their enclosures to play. They’ll rest lizards, snakes, and tortoises on tables, floors, or countertops. This is fine as long as you remember to clean these surfaces properly afterward. Some people think that reptiles are low-maintenance pets. That’s true in the sense that they don’t require regular exercise like dogs or cats. But hygiene is even more important because of its potential impact on human health. Don’t take any risks.
Unfortunately, that means buying a bottle of bleach or another powerful cleaning agent. Scrub the surfaces properly to remove all traces of contamination. Never use bleach in the reptile’s cage because it can harm them. Also, take care because it can be toxic for humans, too!
See a Doctor if You Feel Unwell
Sometimes the best-laid plans might fall apart. We might follow all the steps above and still somehow contract salmonella. It’s not likely but it’s possible. The actions you should take will depend on the severity of the condition.
If you’re suffering from mild diarrhea and vomiting after handling a reptile, you should see a healthcare provider. They can diagnose your condition and offer the treatment you need to recover.
