DO YOU HAVE ANY EXOTIC PET AT HOME?

Exotic pets pose a health risk to kids

KUALA LUMPUR: Tears streaming down his cheeks, your 5-year-old boy wanders in with a cut on his finger or blistering red bite-marks on his hands.

Normally, you will wash his hands with soap and water, and apply a bandage.

However, if you are the owner of exotic pets like iguanas or hedgehogs, it might be wiser to find out what really happened.

If the injury was a result of an encounter with the pet, the appropriate thing to do would be to wash the wound with water for about five to 10 minutes, apply anti-bacterial medication and get medical assistance as the wound can get easily infected.

According to Malaysian Paediatric Association vice-president Dr Zabidi Hussin, organisms found in exotic pets are harmful to both children and adults.
Veterinarian Dr Wong Won Hong, who agreed, said the risk of being bitten or scratched by exotic animals could also happen to the elderly and those who suffered from chronic diseases like asthma.

"Fever, mild dehydration, diarrhoea, headaches and more are tell-tale signs when a person with a weak immune system has been scratched or bitten by an exotic pet. This is due to the bacteria and viruses in the animal."

While the immune system of a healthy adult person is able to deal with the risk of injuries sustained from such pets, the same may not be the case for children, particularly under the age of 5.

Malaysia HerpetoFauna Club pro-tem committee member Mohammad Nazri Hassan Basri said as exotic animals were wild animals, they should be treated with understanding.

"But this may not happen with young children and, therefore, they have a higher possibility of being bitten or scratched by the pet.

"Young children love to touch, play and cuddle their pets, but their show of affection is generally not suitable for exotic pets.

"Therefore, if there is an exotic pet at home, the parents or guardians should make the children aware right from the beginning of the do's and don'ts when handling the animal."

Nazri said that besides wanting to create public awareness on reptiles, he formed the club for reptile lovers to exchange information on good husbandry practices when it comes to their pets.

On the name HerpetoFauna, he said herpetology was the study of amphibians, reptiles, turtles and crocodilians. The word was derived from the Greek word Herpetos, which means to crawl, while fauna refers to animals.

"As a reptile enthusiast, I do have a few exotic pets at home, one of which is the leopard gecko. My 6-year-old son is only allowed to handle it under my supervision.

"He is only allowed to touch the back of the gecko and sometimes, the top of its head. At times, even that is out of bounds as the reptile might mistake his hand for a cricket and try to bite it.

"The most important thing is to wash your hands with micro-bacterial soap, both before and after handling an animal, to reduce the risk of infection."

Nazri, who is a volunteer with Zoo Negara, said knowing how to handle and take care of exotic pets was very important.

Meanwhile, Dr Wong, who is attached to Mid Valley Megamall Pets Wonderland, makes it a point to advise those wanting to own such pets on how to handle and feed them. -- By Laviinia Dhanagunan