WARNING

We took Luke to the zoo for the first time the Monday before he got sick. This is for all you mothers who also have small children. I feel like the most uneducated mother out there. If you have a child under the age of 3 it is recommended that they
DO NOT TOUCH REPTILES OR AMPHIBIANS!
Children, especially those under the age of 3, can get

Reptile-associated Salmonellosis

Reptiles and amphibians carry salmonella in their skin, and it can make your kids very sick. The picture above it like the animal that Luke touched. As we were leaving the zoo there was a zoologist holding one for people to touch. None of us wanted to touch it, but he said it was a right of passage so we could feel how smooth its skin was. We all touched it, including Luke. It can cause extreme stomach aches, high fevers, and diarrhea which is what Luke had. Small children can die from this poisoning! The reason children under 3 shouldn't touch these animals, including things like pet turtles and lizards, is because they touch their mouth or eyes too often or too quickly after touching these animals. Older children can learn not to touch anything else before washing their hands after handling these kinds of animals. Learn from my mistake. I had no idea that these animals can carry salmonella in their skin. In face, in the 1970s there was a ban on the sale of turtles as pets because of so many cases of salmonella! I am just not a pet person, so I guess this is something I never even thought about. So now you know!