do you guys wash your hands after handling your snake

[FitnessFreak]

hey my mom always tells me every time i touch the snake i need to wash my hands

i was wondering-is this really neccessary or just paranoia or something??

plz answer quick im leaving in 20mins

[FitnessFreak]

any1 have any answer?

[Stefan-A]

It's necessary to prevent diseases from spreading. Salmonella isn't fun and the risk is always present. You should probably wash your hands before you handle a snake too, especially if you have more than one terrarium.

My opinion. Others might disagree.

[FitnessFreak]

It's necessary to prevent diseases from spreading. Salmonella isn't fun and the risk is always present. You should probably wash your hands before you handle a snake too, especially if you have more than one terrarium.

My opinion. Others might disagree.

thanks-is that hand sanetizer good too, where u dont wash it off u just rub it into ur hands?

[Stefan-A]

I believe so, depending on how it works.

[adamanteus]

I always wash my hands before and after handling snakes.

[reptileparadise]

I always wash my hands after handling snakes. I also use alcohol gel.
It has become a standard thing, after leaving my reptile room, I wash my hands, even when I havent touched anything (like crickets or something)

[Serpentine99]

Although I don't usually wash my hands when handling snakes in the wild (mostly because by the time I get back to my house I forget), but I've heard from experienced snake collectors and zoo keepers that It's important for keepers of any animal to wash your hands after handling them. Not only for the person but for the animal as well. It's also preferred for people with a collection of animals to wash your hands before handling them too.

[KITKAT]

I notice that some of you use alcohol gel.

Just remember that alcohol gel does not kill 100% of the bacteria on your hands, and the bacteria that survive are the strongest ones, which may reproduce and become a strain of bacteria that are resistant to alcohol gel.

Washing is also a less than 100% kill of bacteria, but is apparently not as likely to create resistant strains.

So, I use the gel when I am in a hurry or when I am in the field (or at the local herp show), but I try to wash with soap and hot water whenever possible.

[Cindy]

I wash my hands before and after I handle the snake because I don't want to get sick
Cindy