snake care during pregnancy (of owner)

[ephemerata]

Just wondering about cleaning my garter's cage and feeding since I am pregnant.
Shall I wear plastic gloves during these activities, or get my husband to do it? I've already given away the cat litter box and aviary cleaning tasks, but not sure about this kind of creature. I also handle his fish and worms when it is his mealtime. I'd like to keep handling him with my bare hands when he comes out every day to play if it is safe.
Thanks :)

[Mommy2many]

Good question! I will need to know, since I am preparing to become a surrogate for my sister in the next month. It has been 4 months already getting ready and another month to go. This is alot of work! I don't envy anyone who has a problem having children naturally.

I am fully aware of the catbox issue but what about the snakey poop? Anybody have any ideas? I don't think the worms, fish or pinkies are an issue if you wear gloves and then wash hands. I think even if you had to, you could clean the cat box wearing gloves and diligently washing hands afterwards. But what about handling our dear friends?

Any info is very appreciated!:D

[guidofatherof5]

Jen,

Since you are taking steps to protect yourself and your baby why not let your husband do the cleaning of the cage on the snake. As far as holding your snake I don't have any facts to give you about any possible hazards to your baby. I'm sure there are others on the forum that can give you that info. Why not just play it safe for the short time. If your husband is holding him/her you can still interact but in a safe way. The time will pass and before you know it you'll be back with your friend.
Is one of your concerns salmonella? Here's a link with some tips in regards to that. Your snakes and their salmonella (http://pet-snakes.com/snakes-salmonella). Consult with your OBGYN or regular Doctor. Your snake will understand.
I'm not sure what to tell you about handling fish and worm other than standard precautions.
Best of luck and congratulation on your pregnacy.

[ephemerata]

Thanks Le Ann and Steve!
I think I'll continue to do all as usual with the exception of wearing gloves when I clean his space...unless anyone knows something concrete...
BTW Sugar stays very clean, as he goes swimming in the ponds every few days
(go to dailytexanonline.com, then to "Museum of Ephemerata" in "multimedia" and the video opens with sugar's guided swimming in our pond)
Cheers, Happy Slithering

[drache]

our skin is a pretty good barrier to most things one can pick up
just don't stick your fingers in your mouth, nose, eyes, or any other orifice, until you've washed them thoroughly, and you should be pretty safe

[MoJo]

The reason that pregnant women are told not to clean cat boxes is because cats can carry an infection called toxoplasmosis that can be devastating for a fetus if the mother gets it while pregnant.

Pregnant women's immune systems are not as robust as when they are not pregnant so if you did get sick while pregnant you might get more ill than when you were not pregnant. I think you can continue to clean the snakes cage as long as you are careful about washing your hands well and not touching your face. Wearing gloves will not help if you put your hands to your face or brush your hair out of it! Salmonella is the most likely infectious disease that you could get from your snake and it is passed via the "fecal oral route". This means it is passed from contaminated feces that is ingested.

Hand washing is the most important thing that you can do. This means lathering up your hands and rubbing them well with soap and water while you sing "Happy Birthday" twice and then rinse well! A quick wash or rinse will not do. You should also not touch the fawcetts after you wash your hands but turn them off with a paper towel!

I think this is more than most of us do but it is the proper way to wash your hands.

[drache]

singing happy birthday just once was enough for the clean needle certification, so it should probably suffice - after all they expect you to wash your hands at least three times during the ten minute exam - every time you've touched something not sterile
but yes - lathering up, making sure you get under your fingernails, maybe with a little brush, and all the creases

oh - and about the cat litter
there is additional concern because of dust carrying the bacteria, thus making it airborne during cleaning

[Mommy2many]

All very good suggestions! I did not know about the cat litter dust thing. Looks like the kids are gonna have a new chore!!!:D

The hand washing as you all have said is the most important as well as not touching your face, etc. Lots to keep in mind. Thank you!

[ephemerata]

This means lathering up your hands and rubbing them well with soap and water while you sing "Happy Birthday" twice and then rinse well!.

I love it! I think handwashing suddenly became more fun...:rolleyes:
And BTW I'm well aware of toxoplasmosis and staying away from the cat litterbox. I delegated that chore away right off the bat!

I'm thankful to have a specialized forum like this. It's strange that Doctors don't even ask about 'less common' pets: birds, snakes, etc. when running through the 'don't do this anymore' list. But I guess most people don't have a small zoo like me.
THANKS AGAIN

[sschind]

Jen,


Is one of your concerns salmonella? Here's a link with some tips in regards to that. Your snakes and their salmonella (http://pet-snakes.com/snakes-salmonella). Consult with your OBGYN or regular Doctor.

Yeah, if you want a doctor to tell you to get rid of your snakes consult them. I'd bet 9 out of 10 would say to get rid of it. And the 10th one would probably say that you don't have to get rid of it just lock it in the basement in a sealed room until the kid is 18 and moves out of the house.

I find it amazing that anyone over the age of say 30 is alive at all. Everything they tell expecting parents not to do now days because it will hurt the baby I'm sure many of our parents did without batting an eye. I'm not saying they are all fine things to do (smoking and drinking for example) but I think most of it is way overblown. Just like the dangers of salmonella are way overblown. No one is given any credit for having common sense any more. Of course that may be because so few people actually exhibit common sense anymore so it may be necessary to nanny everyone.

[drache]

doctors are obligated to tell you all sorts of stuff, covering them for the smallest probability of suspicion of negligence, or their malpractice insurance will have their butts, or simply not cover them
in the case of ob/gyn, their rates are through the roof already, because everybody is already suing their sorry butts for every damn thing that can possibly go wrong in a birth, because in this place and time, if something goes wrong, somebody better damn well be responsible
so yeah - they will err on the side of caution
I can't imagine that they'll make you get rid of the snake, but who knows . . .

[sschind]

doctors are obligated to tell you all sorts of stuff, covering them for the smallest probability of suspicion of negligence, or their malpractice insurance will have their butts, or simply not cover them
in the case of ob/gyn, their rates are through the roof already, because everybody is already suing their sorry butts for every damn thing that can possibly go wrong in a birth, because in this place and time, if something goes wrong, somebody better damn well be responsible
so yeah - they will err on the side of caution
I can't imagine that they'll make you get rid of the snake, but who knows . . .

I know they are obligated to tell you certain thing and unfortunately, in this CYA world we live in, those things have continued to grow in number. They aren't obligated to tell you to get rid of your pets but when it comes to reptiles I'd bet that's what the majority of them would do. Maybe not 9/10 but I'd bet at least 75% would recommend you get rid of the snake.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about cleaning my snakes cage or preparing its meals if I were pregnant, I'd be worrying about plenty of other things if I were pregnant trust me. My point is use common sense and you should be OK but if it worries you get hubby to do it and enjoy the break.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

when I was pregnant 2 months ago (i miscarried) I still planned on going about snake care and snake keeping much in the same way that I do now. I am already very good with keeping myself clean and hand washing and not putting my hands in my mouth. I feel that the people who shelter themselves and their kids from everything are the ones who, when they finally DO conrtact something it can be devastating. Only by constant exposure to new things can our bodies learn to fight them before something serious hits us. if you never get the flu your whole life, and then you do when you turn 80, chances are, it will kill you!

[mustang]

when I was pregnant 2 months ago (i miscarried) I still planned on going about snake care and snake keeping much in the same way that I do now. I am already very good with keeping myself clean and hand washing and not putting my hands in my mouth. I feel that the people who shelter themselves and their kids from everything are the ones who, when they finally DO conrtact something it can be devastating. Only by constant exposure to new things can our bodies learn to fight them before something serious hits us. if you never get the flu your whole life, and then you do when you turn 80, chances are, it will kill you!
im very sorry to hear that:(

[ephemerata]

Thanks for everyone's 2 cents. I agree with everyone's ideas about the medical community overadvising - exposure to some germs is beneficial to your immune system (actually, in the "Raising Baby Green" book it suggests hanging out at your local farm so your baby is less likely to develop allergies!) - and if you have common sense and wash your hands, all is well.
Someone who knows I have and love a bunch of cats ignorantly asked me even "So are you going to give away all your cats?" right away when I shared my good news.
Don't worry, Sugar isn't going anywhere! All is well, I'm not too concerned anymore - just a fleeting question.
Cheers

[cuillan]

It's probably a small risk we keep alchohol hand cleaner that we use between snakes and then wash our hands thoroughly before touching anything especially as we have a 3 year old. I am four months pregnant and wont handle the snakes because they haven't been salmonella tested (corns anyway) I have heard garters are slightly toxic. I guess I felt it was a decision we had to make as a couple and we personally felt better be safe rather than sorry. The alchohol is probably a good compromise though. You might need a few to try my corns dont like the smell of some.

Hope this helps

[Mommy2many]

I've gone through five pregnancies and had everything from cats, dog, toucan, fish and what not. I think you are apt to get more things from your own kids!

Like everyone has said before, just use common sense and don't be too paranoid. Good luck with the baby!

[drache]

don't forget that the place to pick up the nastiest bacteria is at your local hospital and surrounding restaurants frequented by hospital personnel wearing their scrubs