When I was younger, my little brother had an iguana. The iguana lived in a little terrarium along with some water, and rocks, and a few various sticks designed to look like a tropical rainforest protruding into his little home. One thing that we understood well was that after handing the lizard, we needed to wash our hands. Why? Salmonella.

At the time perhaps I didn’t have a clear idea of why “Sal” was such a big problem, or who that was really, just that it was something that could make my brother and I quite sick. So we generally did as we were told, thoroughly cleaning our hands after handling the iguana every time. It wasn’t until years later that I learned that this is the same bacteria found on unwashed/uncooked chicken and is cause for how we prepare it the way that we do.

I found an article today in the Huffington Post about doctors trying to educate the public about young children and exotic pets that might carry even such staid domestic bacteria as salmonella. As adults some of us have become experienced veterans of the kitchen and know full well the danger of not washing up properly when handing raw chicken and turkey (Hello, Thanksgiving!) but younger children who coo and chirrup over amazing green things like iguanas don’t quite have the judgment to be as safe as we do.

The Huffington Post, Hamsters, Exotic Pets May Put Young Children at Risk, Doctors Say.

For example, about 11 per cent of salmonella illnesses in children are thought to stem from contact with lizards, turtles and other reptiles, Pickering said. Hamsters also can carry this germ, which can cause severe diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. 

Salmonella also has been found in baby chicks, and young children can get it by kissing or touching the animals and then putting their hands in their mouths, he said. 

Study co-author Dr. Joseph Bocchini said he recently treated an infant who got salmonella from the family’s pet iguana, which was allowed to roam freely in the home. The child was hospitalized for four weeks but has recovered, said Bocchini, head of the academy’s infectious diseases committee and pediatrics chairman at Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

Of course, Mr. Lean-and-Green isn’t the only hazardous pet that our kids really want to get their hands on. The article goes on to talk about quill sticks from hedgehogs and how hamsters can also carry salmonella.

The idea here isn’t to frighten people into not owning these pets. Under most conditions they’re perfectly adorable animals and good for the soul, but there’s a great deal of misunderstanding by both parents and children about the relationship that we have with our pets, care and feeding, and as could be divined from fears of doctors, their own special quirks.

With any pet it’s a good idea to consult a veterinarian to determine if they’re right for you and yours. Oftentimes when you adopt a pet from a shelter, the whole event will come with an exit interview, a great deal of extremely useful knowledge will come with the person who presents you with your newfound friend.

So, when going out to get a new pet always come with questions and include not just how to care for the health of your pet but also of your family. Remember: your pet depends on you being healthy just as much as themselves.

Be healthy. Be safe.

Anyone out there have any exotic pets themselves? I’m wondering if anyone else has experience with some of the more interesting variety.