|
For individuals with allergic hypersensitivities, proper management is key. There are three separate husbandry related aspects that you must consider when maintaining reptiles and amphibians in an environment with an individual who is hypersensitive. First you should consider where the animals are kept in your home, then who will be maintaining them, how will you maintain them and what protocol will you employ to minimize your exposure to harmful antigens.
To accomplished this, all of the reptiles and amphibians in your household should be confined to a designated room/working area that is equipped with a single door that has been modified with weather stripping to prevent the communication of air flow between the designated working area and your home environment. All heating and air conditioning vents should be tightly sealed with plastic to create an air lock, so that the room air will not communicate with the air present in your home environment. The floors should be covered with tile or hardwood flooring and carpet should never be used.
Carpet will readily trap and retain particulate matter, which cannot be effectively cleaned this increasing antigenic transit/exposure . This room should be equipped with multiple windows for the purpose of ventilation. These windows should remain closed at all times and should only be opened to ventilate the room when all of the animal enclosures have been closed/covered to prevent the movement of dust and other particulate matter due to air flow. The designated working area should be ventilated to the outdoor environment daily. The designated herp area should also be equipped with a separate utility sink and power outlets so any items that require cleaning can be cleaned within the confines the designated area.
It is very critical that you employ the following rule as part of your hypoallergenic protocol and that rule is “whatever goes into your designated working area, stays in your designated working area permanently with only one exception. The exception being waste disposal.” If for any reason you need to remove an item from your designated working area, the item must first be double bagged in two separate plastic waste bags and securely tied so its contents will not leak. The bag should be directly transported outside immediately to the appropriate trash receptical. Never keep waste materials in your home (even if they have been bagged appropriately). For select individuals with severe allergy symptoms, it may be necessary to erect a separate facility apart from your home to ensure that communal airflow/antigenic contamination does not occur.
|