You and your Leo's health

[tomcatguy74]

I have been wanting to ask this question on this forum for a while but just did not have the time to do so until now.
I have been doing a lot of research about my Leo and it's environments and health and activities.
I have read that a lot of Leopard geckos or any gecko has the tendency to carry a lot of diseases or bad bacteria. And because of this we are forced to wash our hands before and after we handle our geckos.
I let my gecko walk all over me, on my arms, shoulders, and on my hands. After I am done handling her I often feel like I should take a complete shower because I am afraid of getting sick because of anything she might be carrying. I don't give her kisses on her head and I keep her away from my face.

So here's my question.

If you take good care of your gecko and keep them happy and healthy and the cage clean then how dangerous is it to not wash your hands after you handle them?


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[Doggey75]

Unless your gecko was born in the wild I don't think it is a problem at all. I have one gecko and two snakes I rarely wash my hands after touching them and I've never gotten sick this whole year .

 

[GexPex]

Pfft...I KISS my geckos/snake without problem. You have a higher chance of getting salmonella from the food you eat.

 

[stager]

I've been keeping reptiles for more than 20 years never got sick never washed my hands after handling. But then again I've dropped food on the floor and eaten it without incident also. Keep your enclosures clean and there is nothing to worry about.

 

[lisa127]

Another who has been keeping reptiles for almost 20 years and never gotten sick!

That being said, it's always good to wash your hands often. Including after working with your herps.

 

[Akari_32]

I usually do not wash my hands after handling my Leo's. However, my Uromastyx is a nasty, dirty little boy, and his sand doesn't help the yucky feeling. So I wash my hands after doing anything with him. If he weren't on sand, and my hands didn't get phisically dirty after being in his tank, I probably wouldn't, though.