Can my guinea pig catch human herpes (HSV-1) from me or my family?

Toby should be safe from your cold, as most viruses are species-specific and don't cross from one to the other. That being said, be careful to wash your hands before and after you handle him for both of your protection.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This will depend on which type of infection but generally not. Usually animals get infected from the environment and not directly from other pets especially when it is a different species but again, this depends on the type of infection. Good luck!

Thanks for reaching out about your pets. Different species of animals commonly carry bacteria that can be harmful to other species, but most commonly transmitted by bites or claws. It is not recommended that predator and prey species co-habitate. Just be careful. Good luck.

Ringworm is highly contagious and you can get it from animals, but I've personally never heard of ringworm leading to a massive infection. Keep in mind, though, that I'm not a human doctor so I can't comment on this. It's certainly possible your dad got the ringworm from them, but I can't say whether or not that lead to the infection. Only a human doctor can answer that. Best of luck.

Ringworm is highly contagious to Guinea Pigs and seems to be able to spread easily with minimal contact, but strict hygiene is effective for preventing transmission. Considering that Sebastian did not have direct contact with the ringworm lesion, and you recently washed your hands, the risk of spreading this to him is very low. For more information about preventing the spread of ringworm, I recommend click on the link below. https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/ringworm.html I hope that helps and all is well with you and Sebastian.

Thanks for reaching out about Dempsey. There are few diseases that are transmittable from guinea pigs, but ringworm is a possibility. Your nieces oncologist should be consulted for this decision. Good luck.

Poor Betty this looks sore! I would say this is due to an infection of some sort. It could be bacterial even coming up from the resp tract but the flouroquinilone should have helped. Otherwise it may be a parasite or fungus such as ringworm. I would get a skin scrape checked and have a hair brushing sent off for ringworm. I know you have tried antifungal cream, sometimes canestan works but at times they need stringer treatment from the vet. You could also try an antiparasite treatment such as xeno.