Can they catch our colds?

[Miykael81]

I am curious. Here I am miserable with a really bad cold or the flu or something. I wondered, can reptiles pick up our illnesses?

If I was sick, should I avoid handling/feeding a leopard gecko?(certainly I would wash my hands before either)

As I prep for my first Leo I thought I should ask.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dog Shrink]

There are very few diseases that can be spred from human to animal or animal to human. One main reason is their body temp is so different than ours a lot of diseases couldn't survive that change alone.

 

[JordanAng420]

They can't catch the common human influenza virus, but since your immune system is compromised right now, YOU are more succeptible to catching HIS parasites or anything zoonotic (can be passed from human-animal or animal-human) if you're not careful about washing your hands.

 

[Miykael81]

Ahh that's something I hadn't thought of. This community continues to make me glad I joined. Everyone seems to have a genuine desire to help.

The more I read here, the less I worry about this jump from amphibians back to reptiles.

Thanks again both of you.