| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| amanda121921 |
Posted - 19/05/2010 : 22:36:19
just wondering how many of you with children let them handle the snakes. my 9 year old son wont even touch them but my 5 year old daughter loves to. of course she's always closley supervised and only allowed to for a few mins with strict instructions to scrub her hands and arms with dettol soap afterwards. she holds kasey all the time but not squidward yet as although he's much calmer he does tend to still nip if i make sudden movements so it would probably be too stressful for them both. the reason i ask however is when i took kasey to the vet a while ago i was asked if i had kids and was told to never let them touch the snakes. i can understand the risks but surely if they wash their hands and stuff, they should be fine |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 26/05/2010 : 22:43:44
I think as long as the person who is supervising, and there must always be supervision, is capable of dealing with a potential situation then its not a drama. Obviously a small child is not gonna be capable of holding some of the snakes, but the smaller ones, yeah, as long as they dont squeeze!
Thing to remember is snakes are unpredictable, at the best of times, so someone who can deal with a simple snake bite is a must really, not someone who is gonna panic and panic the child even more!
In our situation, i will supervise all handling, kate does the geckos, but is not good with some of the smaller snakes, ironically, so i do the snakes, because i know i can deal with more or less any situation the snake can throw at me! |
| amanda121921 |
Posted - 26/05/2010 : 12:52:16
yeah, i think the vet-who's an exotics vet-was being ott, thats why i chose to ignore her!think i'll be changing vets tho as she also seemed really concerned that kasey doesn't have a basking lamp??i dont let the kids touch squidward yet as he's still a bit nervous and has only just stopped striking when i go to get him out but kasey is so chilled he lets anybody near.as long as they are careful with the snakes and wash their hands after, i'll let the kids handle them as long as they are interested. |
| Fal |
Posted - 25/05/2010 : 22:39:01
No but I bet he does lick his.. anyway lol :) like I said, each to their own! I drop food, call out, 'three second rule!' and then eat it, so I can hardly say anything can I lol
We haven't had any kids round the house since getting Bella, nor round the other house since having the lizards or king snake, but I think it would depend on the child (temperament etc..) and the parent as to whether we would let them handle any of the reps. As for cleanliness, any adults we know who handle them get anti bact. gel thrust at them afterwards anyway, so a child certainly would! Can't having our scaly crew being blamed for any poorlyness now can we :D |
| reptiledanny |
Posted - 25/05/2010 : 15:59:54
quote:
Originally posted by Sta~ple
I would never share a lolly with my b/f dog! It crushes rabbits skulls wethaer they are dead or alive that have mixy and it also eats fox poo, waps or anything.I do kiss my snake's though :3 I don;t intensionally but I don;t think I will never stop the ekimo kisses with Venom. I haven;t been ill yet and if I do get ill, it's my fault although I think I'm more likely to get ill from hugging the cat.
To get back on topic, I never let anyone touch my hatchies, Venom's too big so I only let people hold Char and that's only if she is ok with it.
ewww, my dog doesn't do anything like that, nor does he eat any poo |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 24/05/2010 : 18:05:00
I would never share a lolly with my b/f dog! It crushes rabbits skulls wethaer they are dead or alive that have mixy and it also eats fox poo, waps or anything.
I do kiss my snake's though :3 I don;t intensionally but I don;t think I will never stop the ekimo kisses with Venom. I haven;t been ill yet and if I do get ill, it's my fault although I think I'm more likely to get ill from hugging the cat.
To get back on topic, I never let anyone touch my hatchies, Venom's too big so I only let people hold Char and that's only if she is ok with it. |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 24/05/2010 : 14:48:57
quote:
Originally posted by Fal
Fair points Staple!!! As for dogs tongues danny, not sure about that, since they eat poop and dog poop can and does cause blindness, but each to their own :)
There has been tests done which show that the average dogs mouth/tongue carries alot less germs and bacteria than the average humans. Although it dosn't mean they don't carry more dangerous bacteria.
That said i'm not so sure i would share a lollypop with sasha... |
| n/a |
Posted - 24/05/2010 : 12:40:23
I let my kids handle the snake - it's my eldest's snake after all. My eldest is nearly 8 and she's really very sensible with it but I'm always nearby to keep an eye on things. The other two are 6 and 5 and are good with it too but have to watch that they don't move too quickly when it tickles their arm or something. My youngest is only 2 so he's only allowed to 'stroke' it. lol I think it's really important for kids to be taught how to treat animals from a young age. Our house is a bit like a zoo! |
| Fal |
Posted - 23/05/2010 : 23:25:09
Fair points Staple!!! As for dogs tongues danny, not sure about that, since they eat poop and dog poop can and does cause blindness, but each to their own :) |
| reptiledanny |
Posted - 23/05/2010 : 18:27:53
quote:
Originally posted by gingerpony
[brquote:
Originally posted by SexyBear77
I'm not a big believer in fastidious hygeine when it comes to bugs etc. The more you try and protect yourself from the nasties out there, the more likely it is that you will end up ill, because your immune system isn't equipped to handle it.
I think your vet was being a bit ott!
totally agree with you SB! 
i agree as well. i do sometimes clean my hands after handling monty but not always. i kiss his body aswell.
i now this sounds desgusting but i share lolly pops with my dog, they have cleaner tongues than us |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 23/05/2010 : 09:04:23
quote:
Originally posted by Blackecho
Yes, mine have been handling them since they were old enough to understand not to go near the head or the tail, so about 2 years old.
my daughter has handled most of my snakes, under supervision, since she was old enough to understand what 'don't squeeze it' meant lol the only exceptions being my big Dumerils who is approaching 6ft and 4kg and any stressy snakes with feeding issues that i rarely handle myself
quote:
Originally posted by SexyBear77
I'm not a big believer in fastidious hygeine when it comes to bugs etc. The more you try and protect yourself from the nasties out there, the more likely it is that you will end up ill, because your immune system isn't equipped to handle it.
I think your vet was being a bit ott!
totally agree with you SB! |
| n/a |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 23:15:59
as soon as my 16mth old son is older and i know for sure he wont try and squeeze the snake i will let him hold and touch it same goes for my 3mth old daughter |
| n/a |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 22:09:51
In response to the thread title, ignoring all the off topicness... Nope, i do not let children handle my snakes. If you are under 18 you have no chance of touching them, and even older than that you have little chance. :D |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 21:54:13
Ohhh this should become it's own topic now! *rubs hands* sorry if I offend anyone but think unless you either have a poor immune system or your just a person that hasn't got good hygiene habits then your unlike to catch it.
I didn't think salmonella was such high risk O.o; I mean I knew you could get it but it was explained to me on how you got it was if your animals were kept in dirty conditions and you somehow ate their poo and quite a large amount of it. Of course, the smaller the being, the less is needed probably to become harmful. Salmonella is thought to be present in all homes so it's really the levels of it and how good your immune system is that will get you but if you have a clean house and you have good hygine habits I don't see the problem. Heck, you could even get salmonella from changing a kids nappy and you not washing your hands afterwards and then you decide to have a sammich.
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/healthandsafetyissues/qt/salmonella.htm
I think reading some of the stuff there about reptiles and salmonella some of it stuff that people should do anyway to promote good hygine but others such as changing your clothes seems a bit dumb unless the snake has pooed on it. It also says reptiles should't be kept around children who are under 5 :/ That's kinda like saying now raw meat should't be kept inside a house with a young child as that can carry all sorts of nasty diseases.
I have heard of many people giving away their animals because they are pregnant which is sad. I think it is because they are scared of the the circumstances you've just told us of what happened to your friend of a friends. Personally, if I have ever children/become pregnant I could never give my animals away, I bought them, I love them and I am committed to them. I'll wash my hands before and after handling definitely then and I'm not doing to dangle the snake onto the baby like I have seen in some photo's :/I wouldn't let a child touch my snakes until they were maybe about 4/5. To be honest though, I like reptiles or almost any animals more than children so... XD You can get salmonella from pet birds or any birds of that matter. A child could possibly get salmonella from chasing a flock of pigeons in town yet no-one stops them :s
At the end of the day with any pet and children or even adults, any pet can carry something that someone could die from, even fleas van kill people, just imagine all the harmful bacteria on a cat that goes wandering god knows where, licks it's body everywhere and then people and children are allowed to pick it up and stroke it and even kiss the thing and don't really think about washing their hands after.
Edit: And yes this rant has come from someone who exchanges Eskimo kisses from a snake so many I need to check my hygiene >>; I apologize also if it seemed off topic but it does relate to the original topic about children handling snakes and the health risks associated with it >>; I just got a bit carried away ^^;
I don't think I would let small children that don't belong to me touch my snakes incase the child caught a disease that my snakes could be blamed of causing or incase for what ever reason, the snake bit the child, I would not want to be responsible for that. Plus as well, the snake might react in a way to a child which may freak it out in which the snake would be harmed and wouldn't want that as it would mean I would have to beat up the little kid for hurting my snakes >>; |
| Fal |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 20:49:55
A friend of mine from work knows someone who unfortunately lost their baby due to salmonella (they had an Iguana), which is sooo awful, but she said it had been down to them not washing their hands after handling the lizard which is so tragic.
What about during preganancy? I heard on another forum, that a couple had given their bearded dragons away because she became pregnant? Anyone here had reps whilst pregnant before? I imagine you just take care and wash your hands as you do anyway? |
| Scarlett |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 15:21:09
Both of my nieces have held or at least stroked Ember and my Royal, it isn't really a big deal as long as you trust the tempermant of the animal and the child =] |
| punumbear |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 08:57:12
what sort of vet are they????? a reg vet or exotics vet.. as most exotic vets i have met will stress the importance of strict hygiene levels(wash hands before and after) but none have ever said dont let kids handle them, if anything they encourage the interaction between kids and animals aslong as hygiene is adhered to and its all done in a calm manner..... reg vets tend to tell you all sorts of scary stories cause they dont specialise or even dabble in that area.. so tbh wouldnt take their words to heart too much.. my daughter loves the python but my sons not really interested, even the dog gets in on the action n baths the royal.lol... |
| Kellog |
Posted - 21/05/2010 : 05:51:30
My 12yr old regularly handles the snakes and when I have friends with young kids over they often ask me to get the snakes out (I will only get Kellog out with strangers though) so that their kids can touch them....even if my friends are at the far end of the room - they dont want to pass their fear on to their kids.
I do think your vet was scaremongering to be honest. I always wash my hands after handling the snakes and make sure that anyone who touches them does, but only cos it promotes good hygiene rather than any fear of them catching anything from them.
xxx
|
| nova1990 |
Posted - 20/05/2010 : 21:26:09
i let my 9 year old sister play with ayame. shes knows not to touch the head and everything. because of that willow now wants a snake when shes old enough to look after it properly bless her |
| herriotfan |
Posted - 20/05/2010 : 11:18:01
My own children are adults but my nephew is only 9 and he handles all my reptiles. Like everyone else I keep a very close eye and we all use hand gel or hibiscrub after handling. I wonder why your vet told you that, did he give reasons? |
| Blackecho |
Posted - 20/05/2010 : 10:52:17
Yes, mine have been handling them since they were old enough to understand not to go near the head or the tail, so about 2 years old. |
