Almost all of these rules can also apply to other pets, not just exotics. Reptiles and insects however are more likely to be carrying diseases than other animals so special care should be taken with exotics.

1. Teach children to respect their pets. - This goes for not only exotic pets, but all pets in general. Pets are less likely to scratch or bite a child if the child treats the pet with the utmost respect.
2. Do not leave children unsupervised with pets. – Despite what you might think, accidents can and will happen. It is better to be around your child when they are handling a pet than leave them alone. As children do not have a fully developed sense of how they should treat people, pets and other things, leaving your child alone with a pet may lead to unforeseen circumstances.
3. Make sure you keep your pet healthy. - A healthy pet means that there is less chance of it passing on an illness or disease to a child or another person or pet. If there are any health concerns you should seek a vet or doctor immediately.
4. Do not allow your child to kiss their pet. – Pets are prone to carrying diseases. As a child’s immune system is still developing, allowing your child to kiss their pet may end up with bacteria or viruses entering your child through the mouth or nose.
5. Teach kids to wash their hands after handling their pets. – As stated above, pets can carry diseases and these diseases can be passed on through the child interacting with the pet, so making sure that the child washes their hands afterwards is very important. The same goes for handling the pet equipment, the child should Wash their hands afterwards.
6. Teach children not to put their hands in their mouths after handling pets. - Again, as stated above, pets can carry diseases. The bacteria present on the pet can be passed on to the childs hands and then into the childs mouth, causing illness.
7. Do not allow pets near the food preparation or eating areas. – Pets can leave behind bacteria on any surfaces that they come into contact with. Allowing them around where you prepare or eat food can lead to food becoming contaminated and then leading to illness.
8. Do not allow children to bring wild animals home to keep as pets. - Wild animals are more likely to be carrying diseases than those in captivity. It is also impossible to know, without extensive testing, what diseases or viruses the animal is carrying. Ticks can be another big problem with keeping wild animals and ticks spread diseases straight to the blood stream.
9. Do not allow children near animal feces. - All animal feces is teeming with bacteria, all feces should be cleaned up by an adult and disposed of properly.
10. Keep your pets cage clean and tidy. - Again, this is a job that should be carried out by an adult. The substrate, or lining, can be infested with bacteria so regular cleaning should be part of the keeping of the pet schedule.