precautions when someone in the house has a cold?

[ChinnyMom]

hey all,

my daughter came down with a cold yesterday. i know that she is to stay away from Rhino while sick (and she's sure not happy about that, lol). Rhino is kept in my bedroom, which is tucked to one side of my apartment, through a hallway, so no worries on cold germs 'floating on the air', so to speak.

what do i need to do to ensure the cold germs are not passed to Rhino via me? i understand washing my hands well before going near him is an absolute must, but should i be changing clothes or even having a quick shower before tending to his cage/doing playtime at night after my kiddo goes to bed?

i definitely don't want my fuzzy baby getting sick like my two legged baby. and if i get sick, i'm considering a hazmat suit for myself, lol, because there is nobody else to tend to Rhino around here. but my immune system is pretty strong, and it's rare i get sick when my kiddo does. i'll knock on wood just in case! (raps knuckles against noggin, lol)

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

I have 4 kiddos and someone is always getting sick, plus I get sick easily from treatment so stay away from germs as much as possible. Just washing your hands before handling him, and having anyone sick stay away should be fine. I don't think you need to worry about clothes changes. The only time I'd do this, and this is my paranoid nature, is if I was visiting someone else's barn, and I didn't know they or the health of their animals.

 

[ChinnyMom]

thanks Christine! i know the cold virus needs to be moist to stay viable, and i'm not a fan of being sneezed or coughed on, even by my kiddo, lol, i'm just a tad paranoid about Rhino getting sick.

 

[caiti]

I don't think there's a good/any chance that Rhino would be able to catch your daughters cold anyways.

 

[ChinnyMom]

caiti, doesn't a cold in humans cause a risk for URI in chins though? that's my concern. first 'illing' in the house since Rhino came home, and i'm being a paranoid fuzz-mom, lol!

 

[caiti]

Assuming it's a virus, it would have to be one that can be pathogenic in multiple species. These do exist, don't get me wrong (swine/bird flu), but I think there are more species specific viruses than there aren't. Obviously, since you don't know if the virus your kiddo has is species specific or maybe just is specific for some microbiological characteristic in both humans and rodents, you'd be on the safe side to use precautions.

I was just pointing out that if you decide not to don a hazmat suit, he'll probably still be ok.

Don't know how specific bacteria are, I'd think less. So there you might have a better chance of passing it on, but I was under the impression most if not all colds are viruses.

 

[ChinnyMom]

from what i've read on here, it is a good idea to stay away from your chins if possible when you are sick with a cold. i know some viruses are species specific (humans can't get parvo from dogs, etc), but the cautions wouldn't be mentioned without some reasoning behind them, eh?

and the hazmat suit (partially joking, lol!) is for if i get sick, since there are no other 'chin able' adults here to give me a hand with cage cleaning, etc.

 

[ticklechin]

If you are sick, stay as much away from the chin and wash those hands. As a chin owner who had a chin die a slow horrid death from a "human" disease and there was not one thing I could do to save her, its better safe than very VERY sorry.

 

[ChinnyMom]

i'm not sick Dawn, my kiddo is, with a minor cold (mostly just a stuffed up nose at this point), and i'm keeping her far away from Rhino until she has been symptom free for at least half a week. or will keep her away from him longer than that if it's advised by y'all.

i'm washing my hands with antibacterial soap before going in to see/play/clean the cage, which is at night after my kiddo goes to bed. usually i change into my pajamas after playtime with Rhino, but last night i changed beforehand just to play it safe (i know, i'm paranoid, lol!).

 

[starleomach]

when I am sick I go to maintenance only, wash hands thoroughly, feed water and get out.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

Agreed, I will never know if I helped cause the pneumonia that killed three of my kits last year or if I caught it from them as I was sick at the time. It was heartbreaking.

 

[xcdnchinx]

i dont find you are being paranoid, i think you are being a good mom to your fur-butt! I do have to admit the hazmat suit would be hilarious!! haha.

As long as you are washing your hands before touching Rhino i think you will keep your kiddos germs away.

 

[ChinnyMom]

funniest thing about the hazmat suit is that my sig other could easily bring one home from work, hahaha!

i've been keeping a close eye on Rhino this past little while, and he is showing no symptoms of a URI at all. if anything, he's more energetic during playtime! lol.