Salmonilla and chams

ZippiesPal

New Member
Do chams really have salmonilla?

Theres something I was told about how you should wash hands after handling a cham.

Is tat really true, or just another myth?
 
All reptiles can carry the disease but it is hard to catch it from a chameleon more often people catch it from other herps such as turtles.
 
It's still a good idea to thoroughly wash your hands before and after doing anything with your chameleon (including it's cage and feeders). Before because you don't want to risk bringing anything in that can harm him, after, for your protection.
 
Yes, reptiles carry the bacteria, but it's really tough to get sick from it. There are cases but it really isn't super common. I did a saliva culture on one chameleon I had once and it came back positive for E-coli as well! Frankly though, as clean as we keep our cages and things, I'm more worried about what my dogs are picking up in their mouths lol And even then I let them lick my hands and face, so clearly I don't worry very much.
 
It's transmitted in the feces so anything that touches poop (including your cham if he walks in it) is possibly contaminated with salmonella. So definitely wash your hands after touching anything that may have traces of fecal matter on it (which is more than you'd think).
 
I just wanted to point out that there are many kinds of salmonella that reptiles can carry and most varieties do not effect humans.

Also wanted to point out that bad salmonella that humans are affected by are carried by all sorts of animals (dogs, cats, birds, fish, flies, etc) and even raw meats (especially fish and poultry) and even other people can transmit it to fellow humans.

Reptiles just make the front page news for it because they are an easy sell for superstitious fears and hype. Dogs and especially cats carry a number of other nasties in addition to salmonella that are bad for people, and both have a habit of fecal oral involvement if you know what I mean (licking their butts clean and sniffing each other and dogs like to eat other dogs poop). Something to think about when one gives you that sloppy lick on the lips kiss. LOL
 
Yes, reptiles carry the bacteria, but it's really tough to get sick from it. There are cases but it really isn't super common. I did a saliva culture on one chameleon I had once and it came back positive for E-coli as well! Frankly though, as clean as we keep our cages and things, I'm more worried about what my dogs are picking up in their mouths lol And even then I let them lick my hands and face, so clearly I don't worry very much.

this is how ive always felt..my cat has all kinds of stuff he's munching on and running away with, and the dogs as well, my chams are like clean lil bubble babies caompared to say a wc cham..
 
I have got salmonella once

It was from a very stressed albino pacman frog who died a few days later :( It was my second amphibian and I was in middle school. I was sick for a couple of days and I was going to the bath room every hour. I think that getting salmonella is harder to get from reptiles and people usually get it from amphibians and turtles.
 
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You should still wash your hands, just to be sure.

Ferret mentioned that fecal matter gets in lots of unexpected places. That's true of human fecal matter too. Mythbusters did a piece about it that would make you seriously consider living in a bubble. It's really just a good idea to wash your hands after contact with any animal. And, yes, I kiss my dogs and let them kiss me on the face...but I always wash my hands after! It's just too easy to stick a finger in your mouth, nose or eye to leave it contaminated. Heck, I wash my hands every time I come in from outside...
 
Big on handwashing anyways

Thanks, I got what I was looking for here.

Im pretty big on handwashing anyways, and I always used to after feeding Zippy and working on her enclosure.

I had a friend who got scratched and bit by a cat. He was a real macho man, and did not seek medical attention. He was so full of infection by the next day, that the docs were surprised. I guess he almost lost that arm from the elbow down:eek:.

I have sprayed everything down in her cage, but I think it would be a good idea to sanatize before I bring a new cham into that enclosure. Would 10% bleach do the trick, or is there something a little less "chemical"?
 
here's my experience w/ this and my story...

a few years ago when i first wanted a cham, i have heard about salmonella w/ chameleons. long story short, b/c i had yound children and an infant in the house, i decided against getting a cham. i even bought the cage, supplies and even a cham!

after my youngest was around 2 years old, i went ahead and purchased my first cham and haven't looked back since. now i have 3 chams and all my kids love them and so does my wife.

i am very diligent about sanitizing after i work, handle, touch any of my chams and their food. i have a bottle of purell near my chams and even after i use that, i wash my hands. to me, better safe than sorry.

hope this helps...
 
I had a friend who got scratched and bit by a cat. He was a real macho man, and did not seek medical attention. He was so full of infection by the next day, that the docs were surprised. I guess he almost lost that arm from the elbow down:eek:.

Yeah cat bites are definitely not a thing to ignore!! Cats have pasteurella (bad bacteria) in their mouth all over the place and it almost instantly causes infection. A cat bite to a bird (when it doesn't kill the bird at the time) often will kill the bird within 24 hours just from the infection of the bacteria alone. Even really big, totally healthy birds. In the clinic if we get bitten by a dog we wash it well and keep an eye on it. If we get bitten by a cat it's straight to the nearest emergency clinic immediately for antibiotics! There is no delay, you are immediately dismissed from work to do that because the infection is so fast and can be so bad. Kind of scary when you think about it! Good to remember if your cham ever gets nipped by your cat on accident...it's not as severe in reptiles, but they should still get on antibiotics.
 
I have kept chameleons and other reptiles for over 20 years and had autopsies done on most of the ones that died as well as numerous tests on WC's that came in with issues and through all of that there was only one that came back mentioning salmonella. I've always washed my hands after everything I do with the reptiles and I also wash them between cages anyhow.
 
To remind myself, I just keep a hand sanitizer pump bottle (with a cleaner that does kill salmonella) next to the cage and use it after handling or cleaning. I also ask anyone who has handled my cham to do so as well. Now I am no germophobe and don't sterilize everything related to my pets every time, but have also never picked up salmonella either.
 
I had a friend who got scratched and bit by a cat. He was a real macho man, and did not seek medical attention. He was so full of infection by the next day, that the docs were surprised. I guess he almost lost that arm from the elbow down:eek:.

I have sprayed everything down in her cage, but I think it would be a good idea to sanatize before I bring a new cham into that enclosure. Would 10% bleach do the trick, or is there something a little less "chemical"?

Yikes! Cat induced injuries can be nasty... I have a friend who's cat bit straight through his thumb (nail and all), his thumb was "forked". Obviously, immediate emergency treatment happened. Later that year he nearly died from a "mysterious" infection...they kept guessing at antibiotics, finally found one that cured him...a couple of weeks later told him it was from a cat scratch.

On cleaning the cage. If you're doing it between chameleons, then there's no reason not to use bleach. As high a concentration as you want... let it dry completely, then rinse it well with water...let dry again. As long as there wasn't something absorbent in the cage, there wouldn't be any bleach left. Bleach disapates really quickly. I have those mesh over pvc cages and when prepping them for a new chameleon, I run them through the diswasher with that high bleach diswashing detergent.

I have kept chameleons and other reptiles for over 20 years and had autopsies done on most of the ones that died as well as numerous tests on WC's that came in with issues and through all of that there was only one that came back mentioning salmonella. I've always washed my hands after everything I do with the reptiles and I also wash them between cages anyhow.

Better safe than sorry...and there are other things to be concerned about too, so washing up is an easy, cheap safety precaution.

Good to remember if your cham ever gets nipped by your cat on accident...it's not as severe in reptiles, but they should still get on antibiotics.

Yikes! Maybe we need to mention this to the poster who thinks her cat scratched her chameleon!
 
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