I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF EVERY ONE ON THIS SITES HELP!

[beardiebandit]

OK EVERY BODY! I NEED ALL YOUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND ADVICE!

my ex girl friend (babys mother) is wanting to go to court over custody of my son Peyton.
her main complaint is the fact that i have "nasty"lizards in my house. she is saying that he can not come to my house because she said

"he cant stay over there like its not safethe bug poo causes lung problems and the lizards cause stuff!!!" (she doesnt even have any facts to back this up) she said her doctor and her LAWYER feel the same way she does.

so lets take a look at the situation i have here. im going to give you a run down of the reptile enclosures.... i have 8 dragons. each with their own enclosure. they are on tile and they have their tanks cleaned every day after work. i sanitize everything after use. i do not feed crix. i have a colony of dubia roaches and they are in a rubber maid container in my hot water close. so how their poo with is the cleanest of all insects is going to cause a respiratory problem with my son is beyond me. my dragons are soaked at least twice a week so they dont ever have and thing on them their selves.

i need facts and personal experience to try and sway her doctor and her lawyer and possibly even a judge as to inform them that he is in a safe environment. she is trying to make my life hell and i need the help of all the dragon experts to help me Dis credit her accusations.

PLEASE RESPOND. ANY ONE WITH DRAGONS AND CHILDREN PLEASE RESPOND! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

 

[sunkist]

Wow! I would try to get a veternarians response about them. I know my kids have never gotten anything from my dragons and they are some of the kindest animals I have met. They put up with alot more than any dog or cat ever would.

 

[beardiebandit]

thank you for your input : ) that is a good idea. i will do that. my niece has a dragon and she loves on him for hours at a time and she has no ill effects. i just want to be prepared when the times come to go to court.

 

[Elora]

Make sure to take nice neat photographs of the whole room with the enclosures, showing that everything is neat and sanitized. then I would take photos of each enclosure showing the tiles floors and the clean beardies. also take a photograph of the room that the roaches are in and some close ups of the neatly stacked Rubbermaid containers. then write up a report stating your daily routine of cleaning and the cleaning supplies used. also include a section of how tile floors are non absorbent and cause for a very easy poop clean up and everything else you can think of. the more effort you put into creating a document like that i think the more a judge would be able to see that you take every step in creating a safe environment. also you could talk to your vet and see if he has any informant you can quote from him or any advice on how to describe how clean the roaches poop are, ect... Just describing how things are set up probably wont be enough for the judge so providing nice neat photographs for him to see that you are not lieing probably would be best

 

[beardiebandit]

yeah i have pics of the whole set up. ive been hard at work gettin my ducks in a row. thank you for the advice: )

 

[twyliteskyz]

i would get facts informing how popular of a pet they are, because people who may not know better, might be under the impression they are some abnormal diease ridden animal you bought off someone that no one else in their right mind would keep (this might be something your EX is makeing them believe).(as if your some creepy rare reptile collector) once you tell them all the major pet chains carry them and they are one of the number 1 selling reptiles for familys, they might have a better understanding

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

You could possibly print out any kind of research you can get about bearded dragons on the internet. Make sure you highlight any of the questionable problems they are saying you may have.
Definitely get something in writing from a vet , if you can.
Unfortunately,the lawyer is going to find anything negative he can on bearded dragons, so you are going to have to prove him wrong.
You might want to PM Holly(ETHILIA) in this forum. I know she mentioned she is a lawyer. She may be able to give you some advice. It's worth a try.

Good luck,

Dawn

 

[O-Gonchothedragon]

bring some books or info on them , maybe try to bring a vet.

GOOD LUCK

 

[beardiebandit]

You could possibly print out any kind of research you can get about bearded dragons on the internet. Make sure you highlight any of the questionable problems they are saying you may have.
Definitely get something in writing from a vet , if you can.
Unfortunately,the lawyer is going to find anything negative he can on bearded dragons, so you are going to have to prove him wrong.
You might want to PM Holly(ETHILIA) in this forum. I know she mentioned she is a lawyer. She may be able to give you some advice. It's worth a try.

Good luck,

Dawn

i pmed her. thanks for the advice. i really appreciate the support in this not so fun adventure! thank you very much. hey can any one who hase pics of their small children and their dragons post them here. i will put one up of my niece tomorrow. with her Rex or as she says it "wex" : ) thank you all again. if you guys have any other bits info or storys about how much your children love their dragons please post them here!

 

[vickson420]

I have kids,I have beardies no one in the family has ever been stricken with illness.The one and only concern from any lizard is salmonella.In order to actually get this it would require extrodinarily poor hygeine not to mention practically licking the animal and even then it isnt a done deal.They did a study a while back I believe 8% of all salmonella cases are attributed to lizards which means 92% are not so I guess that means you better stop feeding her since 92% comes from food.Its a real shame that this is happening to you but I would just line up as many experts you can vets,herp keepers,breeders,etc. and parade them in one by one.Good luck please keep us posted.

 

[Ethelia]

Have returned your PM.

Holly

 

[palomino]

Gosh, I really wish I had my law degree right now (I am just in the law school application process). I could maybe see her point if you had huge pythons that could kill a person or other dangerous reptiles but how many deaths can be attributed to bearded dragons vs. dogs. Does your ex have a cat? If so, cat scratches cause many more infections than reptiles and their litter boxes are about the dirtiest things one can have (I have cats) in their homes. I would definitely not only get the view point of a reptile veterinarian but I would line up the advice of your physician as well.
From my limited experience with the law, I really don't think that she has a case. I would definitely be sure to counter her claims about your dragons with claims about her and what she may have in her homes. We all have things in our homes that could potentially be dangerous to a child (a bath tub, a car, etc.).
Good luck to you!

 

[doudare]

I am curious to know how long salmonella survives under UV lights?
Are there actually facts saying that BD's has salmonella?
I agree with the others. Get as much information as you can from Vets, Breeders and Herp Keepers. And go armed with a clean bill of health on your bearded dragon from your Vet.

 

[vickson420]

I am curious to know how long salmonella survives under UV lights?
Are there actually facts saying that BD's has salmonella?
I agree with the others. Get as much information as you can from Vets, Breeders and Herp Keepers. And go armed with a clean bill of health on your bearded dragon from your Vet.

Yes they carry salmonella in their fecal matter and their oral fluids.All of this is internal of course so as I said previously chances of contracting it in this manner are very slim and with proper hygeine the odds are one in a million.

 

[midnight_962002]

I would also give a reminder that having pets in a childs life can be benefical in teaching them responsibility, respect, and love. But, getting a vet to write a statement or even appear on your behalf would be very benefical also.

On a side note....my 18 month old nephew is starting to handle the subadult dragons, under extreme supervision, and has never had a problem. I won't let him handle the adults because they are so much bigger than his hands. :shock:

Ernie