Is Your Pet Poisonous?

A grandmother bought her grandson two pet turtles to play with during the recent hurricanes. She thought they were an excellent gift for the five year old boy. They were low maintenance, cute and inexpensive. Little did she know, those tiny turtles carried Salmonella, a bacterium that can cause serious illness and even death. Within several days, her grandson presented to his pediatrician's office with fever, severe diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

Almost all reptiles carry the Salmonella bacteria in the mouth and in the droppings. The bacteria are hardy, and can survive on cage and feed bowl surfaces, as well as on the animal itself. Reptiles include the following animals: iguanas, turtles, frogs, alligators, snakes and lizards such as skinks, anoles, geckos and chameleons. The reptiles have no symptoms or signs of illness from the bacteria. Children ingest the bacteria and become sick after handling the animals or their habitat.

The problem was identified in the 1970s when many parents bought their children pet turtles. It was estimated that during that period, over a quarter of a million children contracted Salmonellosis (a Salmonella infection).

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that all children under the age of 5 should avoid contact with any reptile. Reptiles should not be kept in day care centers. If you are expecting a baby, you should remove the reptiles from the house before the baby arrives. A house can easily become a breeding ground for Salmonella bacteria on any surface the reptile touches. Do not wash the cage, aquarium or food dishes in the kitchen sink, where children's dishes or baby bottle nipples may become contaminated. If you clean the reptile's habitat in the tub, clean it with bleach afterward. Never let reptiles roam freely in your home.

Reptiles can be safely handled by older children after educating them about the risks of Salmonella and teaching proper hand washing techniques. Hand washing includes running warm water, wetting hands, lathering (not scrubbing) with soap, and thorough rinsing. Turn the faucet off with a tissue or towel to avoid recontamination of your hands. The process of hand washing should take 15 seconds, about as long as it takes to sing the ABC or Happy Birthday Song.

The Humane Society of the United States has stated that reptiles "should not be kept as pets by the general public" because they carry Salmonella and are frequently neglected or set free into environments where they cannot survive. If adults decide to choose a reptile as a pet, they have a responsibility to safeguard children from the hazards of those pets if children come into the environment.

Educational materials are available from The Pet Industry Advisory Council at 1-800-553-7387.

Web References: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5249a3.htm accessed Sept. 2004. Franke, J. & Telecky, T. (2001).
Reptiles as Pets: An examination of the trade in live reptiles in the United States.

By Bonnie Anne Rice, ARNP, MSN, CCNS