Reptiles Making Me Sick?

Is there a possibility that reptiles will make you sick? Like get a lot of colds and flus? Lately, I've been a very sick person. I've been sick over 6 times in 2009, and I think I'm getting the flu. My mom thinks it could be the reptiles. So, I wonder if there is a possibility that snakes can make you more able to become ill.

Are you washing your hands after you hold your snakes? If not that could be why

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Originally Posted by DShaw

Are you washing your hands after you hold your snakes? If not that could be why

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You bet I do.

Colds/flus cannot be transmitted from your reptiles but there are other zoonoses that could be.

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Originally Posted by coldblooded

Colds/flus cannot be transmitted from your reptiles but there are other zoonoses that could be.

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Yeah, I knew it can't be the reptiles. I mainly have my mom's side of the genes and on her side they have strong immune systems so I'm not sure why I've been sick 5 times in a 3 month time period. I don't eat that healthy (come on, I'm a kid:D:cool:) but I do wash my hands. I'm guessing I'm getting sick from the kids at school, there are a lot of germs on the desks and stuff. That's why I put on a lot of hand sanitizer at school:D:rolleyes:

Species Specific. Reptilian diseases/bacterial can not harm mammalian animals or humans and vise verse.

While it's not impossible that your reptiles may be causing you problems it is very unlikely. If you really think there is a chance, go to the doctor and get some blood work done.

We all have our stories but I have been keeping reptiles for a lot of years and have never had any illness that was attributed to them. The salmonella topic always comes up but is more media-hype than anything. Good hand-washing is always the best bet, of course. In my time I have been bit, scratched, gouged, pooped on, pee'd on, bled on and had every fluid you can think of get into open wounds, my mouth and in my eyes. The live animal business is nasty from time-to-time. ;)

Here is an interesting link: http://www.exoticpetvet.net/reptile/zoonoses.html
You may also want to check out Dave and Tracy Barker's Ball Python book. I seem to recall that it had a section on zoonosis as well.

The best way for you to catch a cold or get the flu from your reptile is to have a sick (and human) friend over to your house, let them sneeze into their hands, handle your reptile, immediately hand it to you and then you stick your fingers in your mouth.

I doubt very seriously it has anything to do with the reptiles and think colin is probably right. However, every season there are new bugs floating around. I have spend the better part of a month now, trying to recover from H1N1. It literally kicked my rear end into the dirt. Since I'm an R.N. I get hit with all sorts of bugs and after 21 years of it, my immune system usually functions pretty well, and knocks most things out. This however, was BIG, BAD and extremely UGLY

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Originally Posted by singingtothewheat

I doubt very seriously it has anything to do with the reptiles and think colin is probably right. However, every season there are new bugs floating around. I have spend the better part of a month now, trying to recover from H1N1. It literally kicked my rear end into the dirt. Since I'm an R.N. I get hit with all sorts of bugs and after 21 years of it, my immune system usually functions pretty well, and knocks most things out. This however, was BIG, BAD and extremely UGLY

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I think since I don't eat as well as I should is making my immune system lower which is making me get all of these colds and flus. I was just curious if the reptiles could be a possibility. I don't think they have anything to do with me becoming sick if I have good hygene.

Thanks for your awesome post Colin, it was helpful.

It couldn't be the herps. This has been a very strange year for sickness and weather. I work in a place where I come in contact with truck drivers. I have alot of regular drivers in that have been telling me all year how they or people they know keep getting sick. I myself have been sick about three times as often in 09 as compared to any other year. I already had the flu. 2 sinus infections. 1 bronchial infection and what i believe was a mild case of walking pneumonia. My lungs hurt and i had a hard time breathing for about 3 weeks. I have never in my life gotten sick more than once or twice a year and I had not had the flu for many years. My son has also gotten sick a few times. The first 4 years of his life he may have been sick twice but now he gets over it for a week or two and He's sick again. I don't know whats going on but its not my animals. Every single one of my friends were sick on christmas day too. Its not just you. Its every where.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

You bet I do.

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Try putting hand sanitizer because washing your hands sometimes just doesn't do the job... & if you do use some then you have a weak immune system... I have a weak immune system... even though I didn't had my snakes, I usually get sick at least 10 times a year... doctor said it's normal... Heck as I'm typing I'm coughing! :rage:

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Yeah, I knew it can't be the reptiles. I mainly have my mom's side of the genes and on her side they have strong immune systems so I'm not sure why I've been sick 5 times in a 3 month time period. I don't eat that healthy (come on, I'm a kid:D:cool:) but I do wash my hands. I'm guessing I'm getting sick from the kids at school, there are a lot of germs on the desks and stuff. That's why I put on a lot of hand sanitizer at school:D:rolleyes:

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Hand sanitizer can make you sick. It makes you sterile; therefore, your body produces fewer antibodies to fight off germs. Stop using the sanitizer, and I bet you will stop getting sick.

Tiff...you go to school and there are so many bugs right now going around. I see it at school all the time and in December we had half of the class out in some of my classes. They teach us not to sneeze in our hands to actually sneeze of cough into you arm. Not sure if your school has taught that. I would suggest carrying around some hand sanatizer and using it allot at school. I would also suggest totally cleaning down your house with some type of sanatizer. Could be viruses lingering around your house as well. I think while I am at school everytime I touch a kid or something someone else has I use hand sanatizer. Sounds paranoid but let me tell you....I have only been sick once this year so far (knock on wood) and that was a sinus infection. We also always spray down the desks when the kids leave the room and everyday the kids themselves wipe down their desks. Now for you it is a little harder that way because you don't have a designated desk. Which....then again...there is more bugs.

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Originally Posted by ColinWeaver

In my time I have been bit, scratched, gouged, pooped on, pee'd on, bled on and had every fluid you can think of get into open wounds, my mouth and in my eyes.

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:weirdface Not sure if I want to know what you got in your mouth... :puke2:

Your Mom won't want to hear this. But form another mom I would say it is the school not the reptiles.

The only common zoonosis reptiles carry is salmonella bacteria, and of course not all of them carry it. Salmonella causes vomiting and diarrhea primarily.

There's nothing reptiles carry that could cause cold or flu symptoms. I agree entirely that it's the school. School systems penalize kids for taking too many sick days--this is, in my opinion, a practice which should definitely be stopped. It encourages parents to send their children to school after loading them up on cold meds to suppress their symptoms. These walking germ factories (who really would rather not be there anyhow) then spread viruses to every surface they touch--door knobs, walls, lockers, desks, pens, everything--and everyone who touches the surface after them continues the spread.

Hand sanitizer may help, but it's far from perfect. Frequent handwashing is better, but when the knobs on the sink are contaminated too, it's not going to do the trick either.

I think the cavalier attitude toward these miserable illnesses is a shame--simply making sick kids stay home until they no longer show symptoms would help curtail this problem at least a bit. As it is now, the only thing they'll send kids home for is running a fever or vomiting. In the internet era, it's not exactly difficult to ensure that sick children can keep up on their classwork.

I've actually seen parents complain about their kids being home sick, because they had to take time off work to watch them. They would rather send their kids off to infect hundreds of others than miss a couple of days of work. I've never understood the attitude most people seem to have toward the flu and common colds.

It doesn't get any better once you're out of school. Businesses behave the same way, and people go to work sick and infect their fellow employees.

I agree and parents don't keep their kids home when they are sick. I had a child tell me the other day that she vomited prior to coming to school that day. OYE!!

Eat dirt for breakfast, it will keep your immune system on it's guard.

I think it's funny that people who take more precautions from getting sick, usually get sick more often. Let your body do it's thing, it's amazing and capable.

Oh, schools are the ONE place you probably should take as many precautions as possible. The level of contagion there is WAY over the top. That's why people get sick so often--it overwhelms their immune system, even if they have a really tough one.

So, don't use disinfectants on every surface in your home, or worry about a little dirt, but schools and workplaces--you may need a bit of extra help there.

Are you allergic to rats? I am. Very fun allergy to have when I work for a reptile breeder and feed out thousands of rodents weekly :P

Working on a university campus in winter makes me sick!