Reptile owners told keep kids away from pets

SNAKES, turtles and lizards may not be everyone’s ideal pet, but now reptile fans are being warned not to keep them if they have children under five in the house due to the risk of contracting serious illness.

The warning was put out by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) after a case of infant botulism was identified following exposure to a turtle or turtle feed, combined with the fact that a significant proportion of cases of salmonella are associated with contact with reptiles.

Botulism is a life-threatening illness caused by a toxin released by the Clostridium bacterium, which is found widely in animals that live close to the ground and commonly contaminates reptiles.