Tiger salamanders & human babies??

[BIGBODYBEAR]

My wife is pregnant & my tiger is morphing now , she wants me to get rid of my tiger because she thinks its going to release diseases in the air that will affect her & the baby, is this true & has anyone gone thru the experience , i dont touch my tiger unless i have to

[Kaysie]

It's true that most herps carry salmonella in their gut. But it's not usually airborne. If you haven't been sick from them yet, you're not likely to get sick from them in the future. Just practice good hygiene when handling herps and no one should get sick.

I've kept animals for many years and have never been made ill from mine nor those of good keepers. I've known plenty of pregnant women who have handled snakes (which are way worse for salmonella) and not had any issues.

Tell your wife she's much more likely to eat bad chicken/eggs (which is worse for salmonella than anything else) and get salmonella than she is from tiger salamanders.

[Pete]

My wife survived her pregnancy and our baby was/is healthy even though she had a heavier than normal caudate exposure than the average expectant mom. Provided you wash your hands after handling, I can't see much to be concerned about.

[Cam]

Keeping a tiger salamander is no more dangerous than keeping eggs & chicken in your refrigerator. Just wash your hands if you handle it, otherwise there's really nothing to worry about.

Besides, kids that are kept in 100% sterile environments develop chronic allergies and health issues due to grossly under developed immune systems.