Can my gecko give salmonella to my birds? How to keep them safe?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Reptiles carry Salmonella so I would make sure that you thoroughly clean the area on a regular basis to prevent Precious from getting Salmonella. Salmonella is in the GI tract of reptiles so it is passed along in their feces. If possible, I would develop a separate play zone for your iguana to play on from where Precious plays and spends time. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

There is a high risk of salmonellosis with all reptile species, however this risk can be minimised by careful hygiene techniques. If you ensure to wash your hands after contacting the beardie or its habitat this will help greatly. Try and avoid washing any of the tank contents near food preparation areas also.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. While I would recommend your mother consult with her doctor about their recommendations for her, I see no reason why they couldn't be in the house. However, be aware that Salmonella bacteria is part of the natural skin flora of many reptiles, so I would take that into consideration and limit her contact with the pets. But, again, her doctor would be the best person to offer her guidelines. Hope this helps.

Hello Brenda. You do not have to worry about passing your influenza to your gecko, as it only affects mammals (and of the mammals, mostly humans, and ferrets, in rare cases other mammals and birds) but it will not affect reptiles. So all is well.

Thanks for your question about Nugget. For the human health part of your question, the biggest disease that we worry about passing from reptiles to humans is Salmonella. There are other bacteria that they can also carry, but they don’t seem to cause as many problems for humans as Salmonella does. I would recommend washing your hands thoroughly after handing Nugget or cleaning the enclosure to help with this, and to clean the area where you dump the water (ie if you use the sink). For issues relating to a dirty enclosure for Nugget, there are many health problems that can occur with poor husbandry. They can get very sick from exposure to the high levels of bacteria present in their poop, and may stop eating, growing, etc. Often these infections take a long time to treat, and some reptiles don’t recover. I hope that answers your questions, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for reaching out about Blep. Using a aquarium as a terrarium should work well. Hamsters don't have anything that could be transmitted to a gecko, just clean out well. For geckos, husbandry is paramount, providing the correct temperature zone, UVB radiation exposure, humidity and diet will provide the best results. Good luck.

Reptiles do harbour a lot of bacteria such as salmonella. If you feel unwell it could be unrelated but best to visit your Dr to be safe. In future I would avoid kissing her and make sure you wash your hands after handling her or her habitat. I would advise against sleeping with r as you could accidentally roll onto her.