Well that just proves that not enough people do the research before aquiring a pet. All the reptile books I have, mention the fact that reps can carry salmonella. Good hygiene should be part of owning any pet, not just a reptile, cats and dogs also carry some nasties too.
It was the parents responsibility to carry out that research, seeing as the boy is only 9yrs old. Also, if she is a registered Childminder then how on earth did the boy get access to the snake? My daughter-in-law is a registered Childminder and when she had her inspection, they were told that their Royal Pythons cage had to be locked and in another room from where the minded children would be, or else she wouldn't get her registration, and she was told that by a reptile friendly inspector, who said if it had been another inspector then she may not have got her certificate, without getting rid of their Python :shrugs:
A friend of ours young Son, was in hospital with a salmonella infection a couple of years ago and they never, ever had any contact with reptiles. So can the doctors prove where the infection really came from, as I know the doctors couldn't tell our friends where he got it from. I'd love to know the answer to that one!
This sort of story just puts a bad picture out there, to people who don't know much about reptiles and it makes me mad and sad!
