Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone had any experience with this? I'm not too woried about my dragons/uro's getting along with a bird - if they don't I can easily keep them seperated. They will however need to share some of the same space. My reptiles usually spend an hour or two out of the cage and occupy common areas that would be shared by a bird. The couch would be one such area. How risky is this for the bird (i.e. catching Salmonella)?

"How risky is this for the bird (i.e. catching Salmonella)?"

Check out the link below...
ALL animals can carry salmonella, so birds could hypothetically give it to reptiles. Cats can give you 14 types of diseases, including the plague! If you are really concerned about the transmission of this disease, a simple test at the vets can let you know if they are shedding the bacterium.
click here for the link

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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

If my animals are healthy and don't have contact with other animals, how would could they catch Sal. or other diseases?
Food, airborn, people?

I'm wondering if all my animals get a clean bill of health, if that would make the risks low.

thanks

A bigger concern would be for the safety of the reptiles. Birds are often known to be rather violnt toward reptiles. I have a ball python who is covered in nasty scars from a bird her previous owner kept. I have also seen several lizards who are missing toes or even limbs, from bird attacks. If the birds could be caged when the herps are out, and vice versa, that would probably be your best bet.
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GratefulFred

Keep in mind that birds are natural predators of reptiles in the wild.

Though somewhat domesticated, I wouldn't gamble on them being "friends". Not at the expense of the animal.