I'm a terrible parent (pics)

[Mommy2many]

We were all out in the yard on Sunday, I was hunting earthworms for my crew and my husband was mowing the lawn, the kids were doing who knows what... My seven year old daughter caught her first snake, a garter about 16 inches. Of course the first thing the snake did was to bite her on the hand. Then she dropped it and the hunt was on! I did end up catching the poor thing (notice how I'm showing sympathy towards the snake???)

Well, all in all, my daughter is absolutely fine and our snake Stewie and our brown snake have a new pal.

Also, as a side note, about a month ago I was napping and my four year old told me after the fact that he tried to hold Stewie. I immediately checked the vivarium to make sure everybody was still accounted for and weights were back in place (which they were, sneaky kid). Connor said that Stewie had bit him when he was holding her so he put her back. Just goes to show you...

To play Devil's Advocate, What do you think the snakes would catch from the kids???

[MoJo]

Your son will be fine. As long as you washed his wound and put a bit of antibiotic ointment on it he will heal up just fine. If you can't see it already there is probably no significant opening in his skin.

Salmonella causes diarrheal illnesses and is transferred by eating material (i.e. feces) that contains salmonella.

Staph is everywhere and any skin cut is at risk for developing a staph infection. So unless you plan to bubble wrap your son he is at risk for skin infections all the time!

You are NOT A BAD PARENT! Your son is adorable and he will get many scrapes, cuts, bruises and worse and it is all a part of being a kid!

[Didymus20X6]

Better yet, Ben & Jerry's. Or as I like to call it, "creamy frozen crack."

[DrKate]

Salmonella causes diarrheal illnesses and is transferred by eating material (i.e. feces) that contains salmonella.

Thanks for the reminder, Joanna, I had meant to make a comment about Salmonella... One thing any parent should *definitely* add to kids' reptile-handling routine (wild or captive) is hand-washing immediately after touching any reptile. (Carry a bottle of hand sanitizer if you're not going to be near a sink.)

It's true that Salmonella is a diarrheal disease, BUT reptiles are very commonly asymptomatic carriers - they shed the bacteria in their feces their whole lives without being obviously "sick" (this is why it's important with captive reptiles as well as wild). Maybe it's not so likely that the kid would just eat the reptile's poo, but say there's a trace of fecal material on the animal, and then kiddo rubs his eye or picks his nose or sucks his thumb... Or picks up the sandwich you packed for lunch...

This is mostly a concern for infants and toddlers, because they are most sensitive to Salmonella and most likely to develop really severe disease. Once you're talking about school-age kids and older, they *should* be washing their hands (as should you!) but it takes a higher "dose" of bacteria to make them sick so it's just less likely to happen.

[Cobra Kai]

Well, I'm happy to report that his finger looks great. I can't even find the site. As far as behavior and symptoms, he's had a bad cold this week. But he already had that before yesterday.

Thanks everyone for your encouraging words and thanks for sharing your war stories.

[drache]

hand-washing immediately after touching any reptile. (Carry a bottle of hand sanitizer if you're not going to be near a sink.)

yeah - hand-washing
hand sanitizer is pretty much useless; it's just enough to make the bacteria slightly ill
okay - being funny here, but seriously - that stuff does not much more than a baby wipe, and perhaps a baby wipe is actually better because one wipes stuff off with them, rather than just rearranging it on the skin
if one is concerned about bacteria and the like in the wild, straight up alcohol is more effective, and even those little swab packages are fine, as long as one is being reasonably thorough

[Didymus20X6]

When traveling, take two gallon jugs of water with you. In one jug, mix in some anti-bacterial soap. When you're ready to wash, pour some of the solution over your hands, give a good rub, then rinse with the pure water. Keep water for drinking in separate convenient bottles.

[jitami]

I'm coming in way late here and you've gotten tons of great advice. I just wanted to give you some kudos for exposing your incredibly cute kiddo to nature His lasting love for animals will far outweigh any pain caused by a skinned knuckle Now go pick up that squirming toddler, blow raspberries on his belly, and tickle his toes for me <gg>

(wonders how much longer til I have grandkids to play with... hopefully a decade or so... it's going to be a long decade!)

[Zephyr]

Oh Steve... lol lol... Good for you Gabby for going after more snakes.... lol lol.... I can so picture this one......lol

I was catching garters as a kid back home in the Rocky Mountians in Montana..... never did get bit, but man I have been musked a few times.... once my mom smelled that she decided that the garter I had in a bucket on the floor of the truck had to be relaesed and I was not to ever be able to keep any of my catches......

Now I have three Garters, and 1 ball python...

Reminds me of my mother's famous quote from 2006: "Cockroaches? In this house? Yeah right."
:P

[charles parenteau]

THe only thing I really remember from my first garter snake is the multiple painfull bite she gave me.I think this is the trigger .