Is my set up ok?????

[mark cope]

me and joe always wash hands before ....inbetween ....and after handling snakes

[mark cope]

Attachment 4541Lampropeltis-mexicana-thayeri-Straw-Yellow-Leonis-Phase- It looks like one of these? Thayers Kingsnake or Variable Kingsnake. I thought it was something else, a gloden variety of the San luis potosi Kingsnake. Did the guy in the shop not tell you what it was? What ever it is it is very nice.

the guy in the shop was'nt sure what variety it was ........got it from a place called World of water, the place is a pond and fish shop but has a reptile and invertibrate section....we was originally going there for a terrapin

[Natrix]

the guy in the shop was'nt sure what variety it was ? If they weren't sure of ID then how can they give correct advise on feeding and care.

[mark cope]

The reptile guy that works there was away picking up new batch of snakes,
I'll ring the shop in a bit and see if he is there and find out

[mark cope]

Just spoke to reptile guy from the shop it's a Thayers Kingsnake

[Natrix]

Glad to see i got something right.

[Didymus20X6]

the guy in the shop was'nt sure what variety it was ? If they weren't sure of ID then how can they give correct advise on feeding and care.

This seems to be a rather common complaint on this forum: pet shops that don't have a clue what snakes they are selling. Sometimes it's a mislabeled snake - a T. radix labeled as a checkered, or the like.

[Light of Dae]

me and joe always wash hands before ....inbetween ....and after handling snakes

Awesome habit to make! It is not only for the snakes but for you n your son as well... They was something on here about people getting sick from not washing their hands around feeding and such with mice... not good. Washing is Good. lol

Steve knows the thread is around here somewhere... He is kinda like Forum Know-it-all with out being a brassy-know-it-all-in-your-face type of guy... Steve is good snake man.

[EasternGirl]

The problem with reptiles and not washing your hands is that reptiles can carry salmonella. From what I have read, it usually comes from them eating rodents and is carried in the feces and in minute amounts in the skin. Not all reptiles carry it, but I think it is something like 80%...and not all people are susceptible to salmonella...but it is wise to wash your hands after handling your snakes to ensure that it is not transmitted to you if the reptile happens to be carrying it. It is also good for the reptile to wash your hands before handling the reptile because we carry many germs on our hands that can be transmitted.

Also, if you are feeding mice to your snakes, always wash your hands after handling mice and do not prepare mice near where you prepare food in your kitchen. Wash any utensils used to prepare the mice separately from utensils, plates, pots and pans used to prepare human food. Clean surfaces used to prepare mice with disinfectant. Rodents have been found to carry salmonella. I also double bag my mice in the freezer and keep them separate from the food that my family eats.

[mark cope]

with the mice we got a beaker with a lid, put water in the beaker, take pinkie out of the freezer and drop straight into beaker, put the lid on then take the beaker to Joes room, when ready put pinkie in with snake............pinkie only touches inside the bag,inside the beaker and inside the snake..........