We’ve been carrying hand sanitizers in our pockets for quite some time. The pandemic forced us to develop healthy habits of sanitizing and cleaning our hands. As a result, we’ve become accustomed to using hand sanitizers whenever we feel our hands are dirty. While hand sanitizers are effective at killing germs and keeping you safe, you should be cautious about using them around pets, particularly reptiles such as snakes.
If you ask me, “Is hand sanitizer safe for snakes?” I will tell you that it is generally safe for your snakes, but you should exercise caution when using it. Excess to anything can cause serious harm, and hand sanitizers are no exception. Continue reading to learn more about the effects of hand sanitizers on pets, proper usage levels and practices, and hand sanitizer myths.
Are Hand Sanitizers Safe For Snakes?
After a long day, we tend to disinfect ourselves or at the very least our hands with soap, handwash, or hand sanitizers before nearing our pets. If you’re not already doing it, I suggest doing it every day before approaching your pets.
Your pets don’t want to be infected by the germs you’ve been carrying around with you. As a pet owner, you should make every effort to ensure that your pets are kept in a healthy and safe environment.
When it comes to disinfecting, soap and handwashing solutions are not a thing to be concerned about because we use them almost every day, even before sanitizers became popular. Sanitizers, on the other hand, are different because they contain alcoholic ingredients like ethanol or ethyl alcohol, propylene glycol, and others.
As a result, some pet owners, just like you, are wary of using hand sanitizers before handling their snakes. However, there is no need to be concerned because your snakes are unaffected by your sanitizers when used in moderation.
When pets in general smell or taste hand sanitizers, they don’t seem to enjoy them; rather, they appear to dislike them because of the way they smell and taste. Snakes are no exception, as they strongly dislike sanitizers just like other pets.
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When you bring your sanitized hands near them, they may notice the smell and avoid touching your hands. This does not, however, imply that your hand sanitizer will harm them. Even after a small taste of your sanitizer, they will remain completely healthy, but if the amounts are excessive, the sanitizers may become poisonous and affect your snakes.
When you get close to your snakes and caress them with your hands, make sure you’re not using too much sanitizer and that they don’t smell bad. In other words, you can’t tell your snakes that you’re sanitizing your hands before and after handling them. Even around pets, using sanitizers is a good idea. If you’re worried about your pets getting sick, completely dry your hands after using hand sanitizer and keep your pets from licking them.
Should snake owners avoid using hand sanitizers?
Your snakes will strongly say no to this question, despite the fact that the smell of your sanitizer may irritate them. Since the popularity of hand sanitizers grew and everyone began using them, some false information began to circulate. One of the worst is that hand sanitizers, which are used to keep your hands clean, will kill your pets if they taste the sanitized portion. As a pet owner, you may be concerned about this. You do not, however, need to be concerned.
It is natural for pets to get into our hands and lick them. They do it to get constant attention. The smell of hand sanitizers may deter them from approaching you, but some may still lick your hands or faces when you approach them. As a result of this act of love, a rumor spread that your pets might be harmed if they taste sanitizers from your hands. However, the rumor is not entirely true.
Ethanol or ethyl alcohol, as well as propylene glycol, is used in hand sanitizers. Your snakes will not be harmed by these alcoholic chemicals because they are not irritated by the smell or affected by the taste. The chemical at the heart of this rumor is ethylene glycol, which is toxic to both pets and humans.
Some people believed that hand sanitizers contained ethylene glycol and began to avoid using them before handling pets. However, hand sanitizers do not contain ethylene glycol, and every hand sanitizer available is safe for both you and your snakes.
Now that you know that hand sanitizers are safe for your pets, you should not forget to exercise caution when using them. Even though sanitizers are not harmful, you should not allow your pets to consume them in excess.
If your pets taste sanitizers more than the allowed limit, they will become poisonous because too much of anything is bad. A small amount of spray will suffice to clean your hands and will also be good for your pets.
As a pet owner, you must take every precaution to keep your pet safe and healthy. However, you do not have to stop using hand sanitizers in their presence. Before and after handling your snakes, use a small amount and let them dry. Keep sanitizers out of reach of your pets so that their environment smells and looks good.
Keeping Your Snakes In A Clean And Safe Environment
Hand sanitizers have no effect on the health of your snake, but it is critical to keep their environment clean and healthy to keep them from becoming ill. Snakes, like other pets, require a healthy living environment.
Bacteria such as salmonella coat their bodies, and because they urinate and poop, their surroundings can quickly become infested with germs and bacteria. Your snakes will become stressed and sick if they live in an unsanitary and smelly environment. As a result, they must be cleaned regularly to avoid soaking in a filthy environment.
Every now and then, wash the vivarium and the contents inside. When your snakes are covered in dirt or are tired, give them a relaxing soaking bath. Your snakes will be happy if the environment is kept clean, and as a pet owner, you can rest assured that they will be healthy too.
Conclusion
It’s perfectly reasonable to be concerned about your snakes becoming infected by common household items such as hand sanitizers. Rather than believing the myths and becoming overly concerned, you can seek the advice of experts and have your doubts addressed.
Keeping your snakes healthy and happy begins with providing a safe and healthy environment for them. And, when you handle your snakes, your sanitized hands will not affect them; in fact, they will be perfectly safe in your hands.
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