Beardies as Therapy Animals-What do you think?

[jkatzenfutter]

Hey everyone!

I had an interesting thought today. I have a lot of pets and I've always wanted to get my dogs certified as therapy animals to go visit people in hospitals. I also thought it would be cool to get my beardie certified because she's extremely docile and lets anyone hold/pet her. I was disappointed to find that "snakes, ferrets, lizards, and other exotics don't get certified because of their unpredictable behavior". Many animals are unpredictable, but I found that almost every bearded dragon I've met has been extremely calm and friendly. I think that bearded dragons would be great therapy animals-what do you guys think?

 

[RolandKyramere]

I think its an interesting idea, the only problem is that there are a lot of preconceived notions about lizards that they are creepy, crawly, and slimy (my parents called my new caledonian crested slimy!). You would also have to worry about salmonella.

 

[jkatzenfutter]

I think its an interesting idea, the only problem is that there are a lot of preconceived notions about lizards that they are creepy, crawly, and slimy (my parents called my new caledonian crested slimy!). You would also have to worry about salmonella.

That is true-but I was thinking more about the positives. It would be an opportunity to teach children and even adults some things about reptiles (that they really aren't creepy, crawly and slimy). It might interest a child who is sick/dying and give them something new/interesting to learn. Is salmonella really that big of a concern in beardies? I always take precautions before and after handling my reptiles, but I always thought salmonella was more of a concern in reptiles that live in moist environments. Also, hand sanitizer can be provided after handling.

Interesting thought though.

 

[pudden318]

i bring one of my males to both my kids schools and let them touch and feed them some greens but afterwards we hand out sanatizer wipes made by purel to everyone who came in contact with the dragon. ive never had any problems.

 

[jkatzenfutter]

i bring one of my males to both my kids schools and let them touch and feed them some greens but afterwards we hand out sanatizer wipes made by purel to everyone who came in contact with the dragon. ive never had any problems.

that's really cool! yeah, I've never heard of anyone ever having a problem with salmonella and beardies haha

 

[Starforce2]

I've been handeling toads, turtles, frogs, tree frogs, giant salamanders, lizzards, snakes and just about everything I can get my hands on ever since I was a kid and didn't always wsh my hands..none of them have ever gotten me sick. Like someone said...whats on the bottom of your shoe is probably more unhealthy for ya then your pet.

 

[jkatzenfutter]

I've been handeling toads, turtles, frogs, tree frogs, giant salamanders, lizzards, snakes and just about everything I can get my hands on ever since I was a kid and didn't always wsh my hands..none of them have ever gotten me sick. Like someone said...whats on the bottom of your shoe is probably more unhealthy for ya then your pet.

agreed. as long as you dont carry your pets in your mouth, i'm sure everything will be fine hahaha but back to the topic:

does anyone have experience with therapy animals? i wonder if beardies could be an exception to the rule.

 

[Freeie]

I've been handeling toads, turtles, frogs, tree frogs, giant salamanders, lizzards, snakes and just about everything I can get my hands on ever since I was a kid and didn't always wsh my hands..none of them have ever gotten me sick. Like someone said...whats on the bottom of your shoe is probably more unhealthy for ya then your pet.

Hahaha that was great!

 

[Freddiemom]

I have done alot of pet assisted therapy with my cat. He was one of the first cats in this country to be certified by the Delta Society & passed away this Christmas. I ran the therapy programs for some big names in Chicago for a while. That was before I had my lizards. I would agree that some beardies would do an awesome job being a therapy animal. But the drawbacks would be the healthcodes, insurance, etc with a reptile, especially with people who sick or weakened. They are so much more susceptible to illnesses. A salmonella threat to a healthy person could be nothing, to someone who is compromised already it could be deadly. Star came from a chef who was afraid to handle her for health reasons. I would check out the delta soc. for their regulations and licensing. And there is the ick factor as we say, most older people would not want to handle an animal like that so nursing homes would be tough. What we do now are "shows" with the herp club we joined. We have done Boys and Girls clubs, a childrens museum, a city wide halloween party and many other things. Fred loves to go to school and do shows, Star is a little ham and doesn't want to stay in her viv for days afterwards. This is cool, this is the way to reach the public. We show little kids and adults how handle the beardies and other reptiles, and they all enjoy it. There are always people they like and dislike (the beardies that is). This works because participation for the public is voluntary and it is working with healthy people. We have a blast and the money the club makes first pays insurance then goes to rescues that the members do. A win win situation! So there are plenty of chances to work with the public, maybe just not as a therapy animal but as a limited access therapy animal. Go for it! It is so rewarding.