Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was really sick this weekend. I had bad stomach cramps, headaches, a fever and was going to the bathroom every 15 minutes or so. It lasted for almost three days, The hospital is running tests on stool samples to try and identify the bacteria. I do have leopard geckos,when I handle them I always sanitize, wash my hands after (just in case,I also have a 3 month old son). My question is does anyone know of any cases of leos infecting humans with salmonella ? Anyone with info please respond

are you licking your geckos? Just kidding. If you have been keeping your hands clean, are you keeping geckos "stuff" away from other areas of your home (like the kitchen). I personally have never experienced (or heard of anyone I know) getting salmonella from a leopard gecko. I have had herps for over 9 years. To be perfectly honest, you have a much better chance of getting a food borne illness (including salmonella) than something from your pet. By the way, you can get salmonella from a variety of sources; including dogs, cats, and of course poultry. I also think they have tests for salmonella at the vets for your geckos. I get those same symptoms whem I eat in the crapeteria at work.

Salmonella is out of the question for what you had, a simple Gastroenteritis is more likely... Wash your hand and dont let your gecko play in your food and you will be ok
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Mizar 21
1.0 Collared lizard (Ganymede)
1.0 Leopard Gecko (Gethsemani)
1.0 Nerodia Fasciata (Serpentard)
1.2 Cats

From what I've heard, leos aren't commonly carriers of salmonella. However, it's also difficult to determine who really are the carriers since salmonella can be dormant, which means inconsistent and inaccurate test results. I've never heard of a leo-linked salmonella case though, which says a lot, considering that leos get handled quite a lot for a reptile.
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5.6 leopard geckos

chickabowwow