Can my ball catch my chest infection?

[Valka]

So my young ball python needs a soak because of a bad shed, I need to get this done soon because I haven't fed him whilst he's in shed, which means he hasn't had a feed in 2 weeks. But I currently have a pretty bad chest infection which I think might be bacterial, is it safe to handle him? Obviously if I just had a regular viral cold or flu I wouldn't be worried, since snakes can't catch human viruses, but since there's a chance that it could be bacterial I'm being careful and asking here. Thanks

[DVirginiana]

It's always a good idea to thoroughly wash your hands before and after handling any reptile or amphibian. If you're worried about transmitting something, the face-masks you can get at most stores for cleaning and stuff are pretty cheap and good to have around for a number of purposes. I've never heard of someone giving their snake an infection, but I don't want to be the one to tell you 'go ahead' and have been wrong about it.

As for the shed, have you tried a humid hide/shed box yet? You can put wet sphagnum moss, or wet paper towels if you don't have any moss, in a snug-fitting hide or tupperware box with an entrance hole in it. The snake will often be able to get the shed off on their own with one of those.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

No respiratory issue and several other ailments are species specific.

[WarriorPrincess90]

You should be fine. Susceptibility to pathogens differs between species, just like the treatments do. While you might be able to pass on a zoonotic disease such as salmonella, you don't need to worry about that with a cold or the flu.