An interesting article came out in a local newspaper last week. It was regarding reptiles as pets and it had this some very interesting things to say. Here are a few:

1. Iguanas: women who have a male iguana as a pet may find that the pet becomes very aggresive toward them during their menstrual period. This is because the "feromonas"(hormones?) are similar to the ones produced by female iguanas during courtship. Unless there is another male (human) present in the home, the male iguana will become agressive.

2. If your recently acquired reptile does not want to eat or move from the place you left it, this does not mean that it needs affection. Carrying the reptile around the neck or taking it with you when you go out is not recommended. The animals need to be left alone in order to adapt to its new environment.

3. Reptiles do not recognize their owners in the same way dogs do. They do not have odor memory or respond to affection.

4. All reptiles possess as part of their intestinal flora, more than 3000 serotypes of Salmonella, microorganisms that can cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting in humans. This can also infect other pets in your home such as dogs, cats, or birds. Contagion occurs when the proper cleanliness is not rigorously adhered to when handling or cleaning up after these animals.

Obviously, in this article, reptiles are not recommended as pets. They play an important part in the balance of nature in their natural habitats, but when taken out, become more vulnerable to extinction.

quote:

---

Originally posted by doñadiana:
"feromonas"(hormones?)

---

I would guess that feramonas = pheromones (which are basically hormones that are emitted and affect other organisms instead of the organism that emitted them).

Salmonella is present in about 10% of reptiles, butit is also present in well over 75% of cooked chicken being served cold (chicken salad, etc.), cooked/served cold egg yolks, paper mooney (also coins, but not as often), etc.

Salmonella is dangerous, but you can get it a lot easier from other hings than reptiles.

The points about women in menses is often mentioned, but I don't know if it has been proven- however, iguanas IN GOOD HEALTH are not good 'cuddle' pets.

In fact, iguans, boas, etc. that are calm and placid around people MAY be suffering from UV deficencies, poor diet, and/or internal injuries. A key reptile vet has found that once these 'placid' animals are treated, they become more 'wild'.

Some reptiles make EXCELLENT pets- but I don't know why people think that iguanas are one of them (They ARE great for some, but not for any bozo with enough money to buy one!)

We have a Bearded Dragon and she is a wonderful pet. Yes we wash our hands after handling her and cleaning her tank. Her name is Puff and she is a big part of our family which includes cats, a bird, and a spider. As you can guess we love animals of all kinds.