General Care Discussion :: If I have a cold, acn I give my turtles RI?

[cooleststan]

right now I have a cold, will I givei my turtles RI if I am in too much clseo contact with them? should I just drop the pellets in instead of hand feeding them?

[DavidY]

I doubt any virus that's attacking you could infect a turtle without a couple of mutations but just to be safe you should wash your hands before feeding them or working around them. You should also probably keep your contact with them to a minimum until you're better. I would just drop the pellets in their and skip the hand feeding for a few days.

[Safdar]

I always wondered that
since i was sick this past week
I dropped the food though
Cuz i didnt want to get me hands wet

[industrial_girl_2000]

I would just wash your hands with soap before handling anything (food, water) for your turtle, at least until you get better. Technically, a cold virus from a warm-blooded animal should be different than RI which attacks your cold-blooded turtle, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[Tenodera]

lol when I read this title I had to laugh.


I have very high doubts that colds can be transmitted from human to reptile...


Then again, I'm not a vet.

[Safdar]

I dont think we can because were warm blooded
and their cold blooded

[marisa]

I ouldn't worry about your turtle catching a cold from you. It's good as a matter of course to wash your hands before feeding or handling your turtle (and afterwards as well).

[cooleststan]

lol thanks, I got another quetion though, can a DOG catch a cold form me?
my girlfreind is giving me her dog to take care of for a few days, can the dog catch a cold?
lol

[industrial_girl_2000]

lol thanks, I got another quetion though, can a DOG catch a cold form me?
my girlfreind is giving me her dog to take care of for a few days, can the dog catch a cold?
lol

The chances are higher, but I am not a vet. I would still take care to wash my hands when being in contact with the dog & keep the dog from licking my face.

[Caelestis]

No, you cannot give your turtle the virus. Most viruses are host specific and RARELY ever mutate to jump hosts. Do not worry about your turtle catching a cold. Worry more about salmonella.