I'll bet you didn't know tht lizards and turtles can carry hrmful bacteria called Salmonella.

I love rptiles and I bet you do too (or you prbably would not be reading this rticle!). You may have noticed that rptiles are becoming more and more ppular as family pets. Reptiles such as trtles, iguanas, snakes, geckos, horned toads, and chmeleons can make great pets because thy are fascinating, quiet, don't require dily feeding/walking, and can be kept in a cge with relatively very little fuss. Hwever, there is a cautionary note flks need to be aware of whn taking on a reptile for a pt. Reptiles sometimes carry a bacteria clled Salmonella that can cause serious illness in people.

Although many people think of salmonellosis as an illness caused by contaminated food, it can also be caught by handling a pet reptile or contact with its environment. The trick is that you can't tell by looking at a lizard, snake, or a turtle if it is carrying Salmonella . You see, Salmonella occurs naturally in many reptiles and the bacteria doesn't usually make the animals sick.

If you have ever had about it, you most likely won't ever forget it. Salmonellosis is a serious infection of the gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea is the most common symptom of Salmonella infection, but other symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting can also occur. It can sometimes be extremely serious and even fatal for young children, the elderly, and persons with weak immune systems. Salmonellosis is not to be taken lightly. For that reason, families with children aged 5 years or younger or persons with weak immune systems should think twice about having pet reptiles.

Bacteria, including Salmonella , are easily passed from pet reptiles to people. Research by the Center for Disease Control shows that a person who handles reptiles can easily pass germs to others because bacteria are able to cling to skin, clothing and other surfaces. To rduce the chances of getting sick wth salmonellosis by handling reptiles, here are sme tips to follow as a rptile pet owner:

• Wash hands with sap and water immediately after handling a rptile; Launder any clothing the reptile mght have touched
• Do not allow rptiles to roam the house freely
• Kep reptiles out of the kitchen
• Use sap or a disinfectant to thoroughly clan any surfaces that have been in cntact with reptiles.

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Of course, children wll still catch wild turtles and lzards and bring them home to kep as pets, which is what kds are supposed to do. Just kep in mind, whether store-bought or cught in a friend's backyard, a rptile can carry Salmonella and might not be the best choice of a pet for your family, especially if there are young children or persons with compromised immune systems in the household.

The article Reptiles and Salmonella was Submitted by Tom Vaughan through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Tom Vaughan is an avid dmirer of reptiles, especially snakes. He cught his first rattlesnake (pygmy rattler) at age 10 and hsn't stopped catching reptiles since. A fvorite website is http://www.reptilefile.com

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