CHICAGO (AP) -- A new report says young children should not keep
hedgehogs as pets -- or hamsters, baby chicks, lizards and turtles,
for that matter -- because of risk of disease.

According to the nation's leading pediatricians' group, exotic
pets can carry dangerous and sometimes potentially deadly germs.
And the report says such pets may be more prone than cats and dogs
to bite, scratch or claw -- putting children younger than 5
particularly at risk.

Young children are vulnerable because of developing immune
systems plus they often put their hands in their mouths.

That means families with children younger than 5 should avoid
owning "nontraditional" pets.

The report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says kids
that young should avoid contact with these animals in petting zoos
or other public places.

The report appears in the October edition of Pediatrics.