bearded dragons and new borns

Question
I was wondering if you could help me. i've heard bad things about bearded dragons and newborns. is it true that it is dangerous to have a newborn around a bearded dragon because of diseases or anything at all?

Answer
Hi Amber,
What a great question!!!
Salmonella is a greater risk for infants and for people that have compromised immune systems...
Most, if not all reptiles can carry salmonella...so there is a risk to owners of reptiles..BUT... that risk is when we forget about the hand washing that everyone needs to do after handling their reptiles.  The best way to think about it, even though it might sound odd is to treat handling our reptiles as we do a piece of raw chicken that we are handling....meaning...hand washing, cleaning of the surfaces..etc  I wouldn't allow the bearded dragon to touch the baby or allow the dragon to have free access to an area that the baby will lay or crawl on.  Salmonella is spread through the feces of an infected animal, human or reptile.  Be sure to wash your hands well after doing anything near your dragon..and also if you hold your dragon, be sure to change and wash up well before handling your baby.  A good article on all of this can be found at
http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/salmonellosis.htm
 and also
http://www.anapsid.org/salmsymptoms.html

Since your dragon is in a cage most likely, you and other family members practicing proper hand washing and surface cleaning, you can keep you and your baby risks low...Do take extra precautions..they are needed to ensure the safety of everyone. Basically...you have to avoid direct or indirect contact with the dragon and your baby.  What this means is:
Direct contact: the baby actually touching the dragon...
Indirect contact:  you holding, cleaning,etc the dragon then holding the baby without proper hand washing and changing clothes...and also, as I mentioned before..allowing the dragon to crawl around the house where the baby (or humans) would also be sitting, etc.
The CDC actually recommends not having a reptile in a house with an infant, elderly or immune compromised person, which has caused countless reptiles to need new homes, or worse..be neglected in their home.  I assure you that there are many, many people keeping lizards as pets and also raising children with no problems.  Its all in how we practice the hand washings, disinfecting and handling of the critters...
Also, as you most likely know...the risk of salmonella is almost everywhere... buying fresh produce at the super market...and not washing it or not washing your hands after handling it..and also the normal "wash your hands after going to the bathroom" that we have had embedded into our heads since childhood..Some little things that people tend to forget about are foods that we peel before eating...such as carrots, squashes, potatoes..etc.  Its vital to wash these foods prior to eating and yes..even watermelon and other melons need to be washed prior to cutting it.As you can see, there are many, many ways to contact salmonella!
Hope this helps.