Here is an article of the dangers of having exotic pets around small children. Click on the title and read the article.
I never knew they were dangerous when I was young, because my brother and I would have pet turtles, gerbel, hamster and even mice. We didn't wash our hands after handling them and we didn't get sick. When my boys were young we even had a pet skunk. She was a great pet.
When Tom got married he had a pet iguana, named Harriet and now he has pet rabbits. The kids play and feed them all the time and nothing happened to them. His iguana used to climb the living room curtain and lay on top of the curtain rod and just watch the sites around him. She just looked so darn cute up there.
Kids today need to get in touch with our wild animals because some make wonderful pets. They also add beauty to their young lives and help teach them what they are all about. I would never stop my grandkids from having an exotic pet because helps them learn the responsibility of caring for something so small.
4 comments:
i read the article quickly so i may have missed this but what i found interesting is that turtles get salmonella from being fed raw meat so if you find a good dealer that maybe raised the turtle and didn't do that you can feel safe buying the pet. I personally would not take a risk with a pet I know could have a dangerous bacteria or something b/c to me it's not worth it. that's just my opinion and my comfort level.
you mentioned that your personal experience with these types of pets is that your kids were fine. I wonder back then if some stuff could have been missed as being able to be traced back to a certain pet (not your kids per say but in general) or if that also the way these animals are raised has changed as well and is causing more of them to carry diseases.
anyway you look at it tho, its enough to drive a parent nuts with these constant warnings and stuff!
Jamie, I can't even believe that little hamsters are also in this dangerous article. It was also on TV today about it. I think hamsters are just so cute.
yeah i never heard anything about hamsters so i'd have to agree with you...i'll do a little research but i'd bet it has something to do with how they are bred
I think about a year ago they had some sickness and I think a kid died and they traced it back to pet hampsters. I knew about reptiles but before that happened I had no idea hampsters could carry it also.
(just for the record, Tom got the iguana before we were even dating and he got rid of it by the time Leanna was one or two. I don't think we had it anymore by the time we were married.)
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