When did we lose all common sense?
The American Academy of Pediatrics in it’s October medical journal issued a warning that families with children under five should avoid owning non-traditional pets according to a story released Monday by the Associated Press.
The story highlighted lizards, hamsters, baby chicks and turtles as potentially hazardous because they can carry deadly germs and pose a higher risk of biting than cats and dogs.
There are so many things I find wrong with this I hardly know where to start.
There is no question there are major problems in the exotic pet trade. It is not regulated enough and the problems stemming from irresponsibility both in the industry and among consumers are real but that is separate issue.
In terms of keeping exotics, my personal stance on many, particularly reptiles, is that they should rarely if ever be handled because many of them are fragile, easily stressed, have a well developed flight response and the speed to back it up.
Exotics have special needs and require sensitive, educated care. Some reptiles are so sensitive in fact that handling will kill them because of the stress.
Now that’s not to say an average person can’t care for a exotic but in the interest of a successful experience for the animal and the human, the human will have done some homework.
And in the event that person has done said homework, he or she already knows certain animals can carry germs, bacteria or some diseases.
This stuff is not a secret and it’s not new news.
Which is where my irritation starts.
I guess the AAP gets a free pass on one level because obviously there are enough dumb parents out there that they feel the need to tell them this.
Who in their right mind would go out an get an iguana for a 3-year-old? Or a boa constrictor that will reach six feet before junior learns to tie his shoes?
Obviously it’s someone who can’t be bothered to take five minutes to type “iguana” into Google.
Children under five realistically don’t have pets — parents of children under five have pets.
Now if you understand that, you have a foundation to move forward.
Responsible exotic pet owners know to take precautions when handling their animals. Like washing their hands using antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer and carefully cleaning up any pieces of shed skin from reptiles or any droppings etc.
And to say that exotics pose a higher risk of biting and scratching than domestic animals?
When my oldest son was a baby, I remember being perplexed at the discovery of several scratches along his feet and ankles and wondering if there was an angry poltergeist in the house.
As it turned out the cat would sit beside the crib and wait for his feet to poke out and bat at them.
Dogs can and do maul and kill children, cats can bite and scratch and even the smallest of those wounds pose risks of infection. Not to mention dogs and cats can carry nasties of their own, like worms and toxoplasmosis.
Even humans carry lovely things ranging from the basic viruses and bacteria to strep throat or hepatitis or even HIV.
The bottom line is life has risks and exposures.
What concerns me here is that people may have a tendency to overreact as is typical when these studies come out.
Classroom pets, exotic animal demonstrations, petting zoos, easter chicks and turtle races could all be casualties of ignorance and negligence.
Many children have grown up eating mud pies, filing buckets with frogs and salamanders, having turtle races and have fallen asleep to the sounds of a squeaky hamster wheel beside their bed.
OK, don’t let your 2-year-old suck on a snake, (DUH), but don’t deprive children of exposure to the unique and fascinating things nature holds.
Don’t allow direct, unsupervised contact and wash your child’s hands or use sanitizer anytime they touch a questionable critter.
But children shouldn’t be raised in a bubble.
If parents and caretakers just take the time to research possible risks, understand them and supervise, there are ways to mitigate exposure and still have well-rounded, healthy kids.

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