Do I have to wash my hands everytime I hold my lizard?

[brittani299]

Ok I hope this isn't the weirdest question but how often should I wash my hands after touching my lizard. I mean I wash my hands religiously after touching her everyday. But am I washing them too much. Everytime I touch her I wash them even if I only touch her for 5 seconds. And I sanitize my phone too if like I touch her and then my phone. Do I really need to do this or not? I am just making sure because all the hand washing is making my hands dry out.

 

[Doublet74]

YES!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely every time. Dont care if you think you have the cleanest lizard in the world. WASH YOUR HANDS EVERYTIME!!!!!!! Lizards can carry diseases you dont want to get. If your hands are drying out get some lotion for them.

 

[brittani299]

That is what i thought. I don't mind washing and lotioning just making sure I wasn't over doing it.

 

[BeardieMommy3991]

.... I'm not advising you NOT to wash your hands every time..... but I am one of the guiltyest about handling him and not washing my hands, and I have never caught a single thing. I will do hand sanitizer after handling crickets, but I'm not really concerned about catching anything from my dragon.

His poops look non-parasitic, and he gets a bath every other day, after he poops (which is every other day).

You are not likely to get salmonella from your dragon- that is a way overused stigma. It's transferred through fecal matter, so it would be wise not to touch your eyes and mouth after handling him. Keep your tank clean and clean up poop soon after they happen, to reduce it getting on him. You can get diseases from everywhere, and I'm not sure why people think reptiles carry more than other animals.

As I said, if you want to err on the safe side, it would be much more time-wise and easier to keep a bottle of hand sanitizer nearby, and just use that instead of washing your hands. Washing them in the sink every time is overdoing it in my opinion. Wash your hands after cleaning up poo though.

 

[JenFid]

Agree with beardiemommy ^

 

[kcarello]

I am right there with BeardieMommy!! I have two dragons and I am more concerned with spreading something between the two than I am with catching something myself from them. Neither one of them poo in they're viv's, they both go outside,,,good little babies!!! Still, the worry that one will be sick and me not know it is far more concerning to me than anything I could catch from them. So I try to wash my hands between handling them, but I don't worry about myself. I give them both kisses and don't think twice about it.

 

[TheWerewolf]

Agree with BeardieMommy and kcarello. I think you have a higher chance of getting salmonella from undercooked chicken than your bearded dragon. Just saying.

 

[Doublet74]

For those of you who are apparently disagreeing with me. I dont see why you wouldn't wash your hands or use hand Sanitizer (which is mostly alcohol and worse for your skin than soap) every time. All Im saying is that its an insurance policy for yourself and the people you come into contact with on daily basis. I personally always wash my hands. Now whether that is just a lifestyle decsion. I will continue to do it. It gives me piece of mind. JMO

 

[battlenation]

For those of you who are apparently disagreeing with me. I dont see why you wouldn't wash your hands or use hand Sanitizer (which is mostly alcohol and worse for your skin than soap) every time. All Im saying is that its an insurance policy for yourself and the people you come into contact with on daily basis. I personally always wash my hands. Now whether that is just a lifestyle decsion. I will continue to do it. It gives me piece of mind. JMO

I agree with you and everything you said. I feed handle and clean up poop and most of the time rinse hands under water for a few second to remove things you can see. The bacteria that everyone has mention and I agree with you for the peace of mind. You can be smart like you or lazy like myself. Everything is covered in bacteria door handles carts at the store does everyone wash there hands after touching these items and am sure e coli is living on public items like that. So nothing avoids it just go with it as I do myself. There are facts that washing with soap is good but washing with as warm water as your hands can handle is better. Then the finish result is how clean the washcloth rag whatever you use. Am just saying this people most of the time don't know this at all or pay attention to these mistakes that can be made and you just wasted your time washing your hands. That's the reason I don't bother honestly to much BS.

 

[bunnyrut]

I am right there with BeardieMommy!! I have two dragons and I am more concerned with spreading something between the two than I am with catching something myself from them. Neither one of them poo in they're viv's, they both go outside,,,good little babies!!! Still, the worry that one will be sick and me not know it is far more concerning to me than anything I could catch from them. So I try to wash my hands between handling them, but I don't worry about myself. I give them both kisses and don't think twice about it.

it has become such a habit that it doesn't even faze me anymore.

but i am a freak who washes my hands after touching EVERYTHING. touched the dragons? wash mah hands. touched the broom? wash mah hands. opened the door? wash mah hands.

you get the point.

i also make sure i wash my hands when i come home BEFORE i handle my beardies. i have no idea what i touched outside and i don't want to expose them to whatever it is.

and i am not a fan of hand sanitizer, it only works once. it kills 99.9% of germs. the 0.1% that survive have now become immune to the sanitizer, and they grow and reproduce with that immunity.

 

[kcarello]

I'm not saying that you shouldn't wash your hands. Believe me,,I do wash my hands, just not neccesarily immediatly after I touch a dragon. I wash after using the restroom, before touching any food, whether I have touched a dragon or not..I wash my hands all freakin day..I just don't do it just because I touched a dragon. Everyone has they're own way of doing things,,,doesn't make anyone right or wrong, it is just how the world is.

 

[battlenation]

I am right there with BeardieMommy!! I have two dragons and I am more concerned with spreading something between the two than I am with catching something myself from them. Neither one of them poo in they're viv's, they both go outside,,,good little babies!!! Still, the worry that one will be sick and me not know it is far more concerning to me than anything I could catch from them. So I try to wash my hands between handling them, but I don't worry about myself. I give them both kisses and don't think twice about it.

it has become such a habit that it doesn't even faze me anymore.

but i am a freak who washes my hands after touching EVERYTHING. touched the dragons? wash mah hands. touched the broom? wash mah hands. opened the door? wash mah hands.

you get the point.

i also make sure i wash my hands when i come home BEFORE i handle my beardies. i have no idea what i touched outside and i don't want to expose them to whatever it is.

and i am not a fan of hand sanitizer, it only works once. it kills 99.9% of germs. the 0.1% that survive have now become immune to the sanitizer, and they grow and reproduce with that immunity.

Very good I never thought of that. what the silky could catch from me other then being the other way around. Learn something I handle a lot of engine parts and hands are black most of the time after a nice shower look decent. Happy I read this lol I don't even wash my hands after I use washroom.

 

[TheWerewolf]

I am not an avid (I think that's the right word) hand washer. But I do sometimes wash my hands before touching and/or holding my lizard. I always wash after preparing food. Especially meat. I just don't wash after holding my lizard much. I did wash after holding my turtle. And that is just what I do. I know MY immune system is strong. But others may not be. I'm just saying that I have owned previous reptiles, didn't wash my hands afterwards (except the turtle) and am OK. But others may not be. So I think it depends on the person.

 

[brittani299]

Ok so this is pretty much a personal decision then. I see what some of you are saying. I have got sic from meat before. And I do agree that you probably have a higher chance of getting sick from chicken, hamburger, exc. I think that I personally will just wash my hands every time. I just feel better after I handle her if I wash my hands. My fience though doesn't wash his hands after handling her and he hasn't gotten sick. He does have a pretty good immune system though.

 

[Lauram63110]

I am a pretty faithful hand washer after handling
Big Bertha. Before having Beardies, I was a nail biter, but I have
Pretty much quit. Despite washing my hands, I just remind myself
That I probably have "lizard fingers" and don't do it
Any more. One more benefit of having a Beardie!