Should i get a frog or lizard

They come in a range of colors and patterns, which make them fun to look at, and these geckos have been known to have individual personalities. Misting will become a part of the daily care routine because these geckos rely on humidity to smell their food and drink off of leaves and terrarium walls.

Like the leopard gecko, the crested gecko eats crickets, but they also eat various fruits as well. Your gecko will need to be fed times weekly. For more information on what it takes to take care of crested geckos read our handbook. Bearded Dragon — Bearded dragons are one of the most popular pet reptiles, and for good reason. Bearded dragons eat both plant and animal matter. You should be comfortable feeding them crickets, mealworms, superworms, and roaches. To balance their diet, you should also provide them with a mixture of veggies weekly.

For more information on what it takes to take care of bearded dragons read our handbook. Corn Snake — Corn snakes are one of the most popular pet snakes. They are a small breed of snake, typically reaching about 5.

Like the other pets on this list, their needs are simple and they are a very hardy animal. Years of being bred in captivity have resulted in snakes with a wide range of available colors and patterns.

Many people worry about snakes escaping their terrariums; however, this is an easy problem to avoid as long as you invest in sealed and escape-proof housing. Your snake will need to be fed once every days, and yes, you will need to feed them mice or small rats.

Young snakes are often nervous and must be handled gently. The more you handle your young snake the more they will grow to be accustomed to handling as they get older.

For more information on what it takes to take care of corn snakes read our handbook. They are more likely to tolerate handling than other amphibians, and will grow accustomed to you a lot faster because of this. Symptoms generally appear one to three days after contact with Salmonella bacteria. Young children, elderly persons and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe, and sometimes fatal, illness from the infection.

Therefore, families with children 5 years old or younger in the home should avoid keeping reptiles and amphibians as pets. Reptiles and amphibians might have Salmonella germs on their bodies even when they appear healthy and clean. If, after touching or handling an amphibian or reptile, you touch your hands to your mouth without thoroughly washing them first, you can infect yourself with Salmonella. The germs can also get on cages, aquariums, terrariums, the water reptiles and amphibians live or swim in and other containers that house them.

Anything that reptiles and amphibians touch should be considered to be possibly contaminated with Salmonella. Since , it has been illegal in the United States to sell or distribute turtles with shells that measure less than 4 inches in length. This size was chosen because small children are more likely to treat smaller turtles as toys and put them in their mouths. Despite this ban, such turtles are still found in some pet stores, flea markets, with street vendors or sold over the Internet.

In addition, children still catch wild turtles, lizards and frogs and bring them home to keep as pets. Whether purchased or caught in the wild, a reptile or amphibian can carry Salmonella and might not be the best choice of a pet for your family, especially if there are young children or persons with weakened immune systems in the household. Navigation menu. Salmonella Infection from Frogs, Turtles and Lizards as well as other amphibians and reptiles Reptiles and amphibians are popular pets with many families.

What is salmonellosis? What are the symptoms of salmonellosis? How do people get Salmonella infections from reptiles and amphibians? How do I reduce the risk of Salmonella infection from reptiles and amphibians? Feces and droppings are fancy words for poop. The bacteria can also be found in the aquarium water where some animals, like turtles and water frogs, live as pets. You get salmonellosis by eating Salmonella bacteria.

Symptoms of salmonellosis include fever, diarrhea which may be bloody , vomiting, stomach upset, and stomach pain.

Symptoms start within 6 hours to 6 days after infection. Most people recover from salmonellosis within 4 to 7 days without needing to go to the doctor. Children under 5 years of age, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems like pregnant women and people with cancer or other diseases are at higher risk for salmonellosis and may develop more severe symptoms.

If you have symptoms of salmonellosis, tell your parents. They should call your doctor. You or your parents need to tell your doctor if you've recently been around or touched a reptile, amphibian, or feeder rodent. Feeder rodents, reptiles, and amphibians can naturally carry Salmonella in their intestines also called their gut or digestive tract and show no signs of illness.

The animals shed the bacteria in their droppings. Even if the animals have Salmonella on their bodies, they can appear healthy and clean. Remember—the bacteria are too small for you to see. Because feeder rodents, reptiles, and amphibians can have Salmonella on their bodies, you may become infected if you spread the bacteria from their bodies to your mouth during or after handling. Because rodent, reptile, and amphibian habitats can also be contaminated with Salmonella , you can pick up the bacteria from bedding, basking rocks, the water where reptiles and amphibians swim, food and water dishes, and other objects in their enclosures.

Any object or surface used to store, thaw, and prepare feeder rodents can be contaminated with Salmonella , including countertops, microwave ovens, refrigerators and freezers, kitchen utensils, and glasses and bowls. If you get Salmonella on your hands or clothing, you can spread the bacteria not only to yourself but also to other people, other pets like your dog, objects, or surfaces.