Do I need to get rid of my pets?

I am just getting into the 8th month of my pregnancy and my husband and I are in the process of getting our apartment baby-ready. I've hired someone to steam clean all the carpets and I've been scrubbing everything within an inch of its life, but I have a growing concern over our pets. I have had a fully grown adult male green iguana for over 4 years now, and my husband has a hatchling iguana. We've built an enormous glass and wood enclosure for them, complete with palm trees, water misters and areas to climb. Obviously they wouldn't be near the baby and we wouldn't think of handling them while the baby is around, but I still just wonder if its better to just give them to someone else... The baby comes first and if there's any risk at all I won't take the chance, heartbreaking as it would be to part with them. Anyone have some advice? My research hasn't given me a clear answer at all.

Do I need to get rid of my pets?-Myspace pets www.myspace.com

I don't see why you would have to give them up. It sounds like you have a great environment for them, and your little one will be amazed with them. As for cleaning and scrubbing your apartment ... a house that is too clean can cause trouble down the road. Your little one needs to come into contact with all sort of "bad" things in order to build up immunities. Children that develop allergies usually do so because they have no contact with dust and allergens. Congrats on your baby and, please, don't give up on the other members of your family. My children were raised with numerous pets and they are all healthy and happy.

Do I need to get rid of my pets?

-(Myspace.com)

OMG there are so many things to consider when having a child... I fear you may regret getting rid of your pets. Like you said no one is going to handle them without washing hands so what could the problem be... You do want your child to be wise about pets and you know when they grow a bit they will visit pets when you are not there.. I would say keep your pets and show your child everything you know about life.. This is a good thing to have your child not fear pets...

Do I need to get rid of my pets?

-(Myspace code myspace.com)

I really don't think you need to.

I understand the concern for your baby's health, but babies don't need a totally sterile environment. As the poster before me said, it's good for babies to come into contact with a bit of dirt and allergens. As long as you don't handle the pet and then your baby without hand-washing, I'm sure everything will be fine. My mom recently had twins and was worried about our cat, but everything has been perfectly fine. He wanders all over the house, and the twins haven't had any problems. Your pets are living in an enclosure, I'm assuming, so I really wouldn't worry about it.

EDIT: I've thought about it a little more and really.. what you're looking for is peace of mind here. There is always a small risk, and if you're not willing to have that in your head you should give the iguana a new home. Maybe someone you know will take him until the baby is older?

Congratulations on your new addition!
Don't get rid of your pets unless you think you will not be adequatly able to care for them for some reason. I never gave up my indoor cat when I was pregnant with my son even with all the talk with toxoplasmosis. Kids love animals and I think it would be a shame to get rid of your pets just because you're expanding your family. Congrats on the baby.
The only pet I really know that isn't good to have around during pregnancy and infancy is cats. But it's not that it's the actual cat that is a problem, its the litter box and waste of the cat that a pregnant women or infant shouldn't be around. I would try and google or research "Iguanas and infants/babies" or something along those lines. But I really have never heard of those pets being an issue. Good luck.
As I first began to read your question, I was preparing myself to answer "no, you're just going a little overboard as a first-time parent". I changed my mind when I read that you have iguanas. I love iguanas. I used to live in Venezuela and we had 5 living in our yard. However....

I'll just answer with a story from San Diego (where I grew up) that has always stuck with me.

A young couple with their first baby also had an iguana that they loved. They, too, were careful parents. The iguana had, unbeknownst to the parents, brushed against a pacifier or baby bottle when it got out of it's enclosure. The baby got salmonella from the contaminated item and died suddenly. The baby had only been sick for 2 days. I can't imagine how distraught the young parents must have been. They lost their baby over such an unavoidable accident and an animal that meant NOTHING to them in comparison to their baby.

That is reason enough for me to wait until we get a pet like that. I am all for animals - we have a small "zoo" here. I LOVE them but any animals that commonly carry salmonella are not allowed until the children are older. That includes turtles.

I know what it is like to loose a child. We lost our daughter by no fault of our own. That has been hard enough to deal with. I can't imagine trying to cope with her loss if it had been caused by something we did or could have prevented.

Note: Not that this question was about a cat but for anyone reading this and wondering....your vet can easily test your cat to see if it carries toxaplasmosis or not. It is a simple fecal test. So, no more worries or wondering (and no more excuses for getting out of cleaning the litter box - darn.) Just an fyi for all you expecting or future parents out there.
Baby or Iguana????????? Hard choice. I think the baby caomes first honestly. No second thoughts....