The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes Covid-19. This virus causes illness in humans. Therefore, no, bearded dragons cannot get covid-9. Initially, people believed that covid-19 originated in a snake (many-branded krait (Bungarus multicinctus) or Chinese cobra (Naja atra)).
However, this is very unlikely. Bearded dragons are reptiles, and it is highly unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 will be discovered in reptiles or amphibians.
Caring for captive bearded dragons
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), no evidence has been found to support bearded dragons or any other reptile-related pets becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 (covid-19).
Additionally, there is no evidence that supports bearded dragons can spread covid-19 to humans. However, if someone with covid-19 touches this adorable reptile and you hold them immediately, there is a little chance that you may get the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is responsible for Covid-19.
Currently, the AVMA recommends that you practice the normal hand-washing routine before and after interacting with your bearded friend.
However, you need to avoid contact with your bearded dragon or any other pets in your home. It is advisable that you arrange for another person to care for your bearded friend should you have the covid-19 virus or any symptoms related to the virus.
Disinfectants
When disinfecting your bearded friend’s enclosure, you should remember that most of their housing has limited ventilation.
Therefore, you need to wait a bit before returning them to the enclosure.
The same goes when you decide to disinfect their enclosures using bleach, alcohol, quaternary ammonia compounds, or any other cleaning agents.
Feeding
You should disinfect items you use to feed your bearded friend, such as feeding bowls and tongs. Also clean other surfaces in the enclosure with disinfectants and then rinse thoroughly afterwards.
Keep your beaded friends separately or not to contact them should you have any signs and symptoms related to covid-19.
Introducing new bearded dragons
Suppose you have one beardie, introducing another one in the enclosure. In that case, especially if you want them to reproduce, you need to quarantine the newly brought member for a minimum of 60 days in a separate enclosure or room and do standard clinical and laboratory health cleaning before bringing them together.
Under no circumstances should you let them share the same feeding tongs or bowls. Additionally, you are advised to deal with our initial bearded friend, especially during feeding and cleaning, before dealing with the new quarantined bearded friend.
You should also be alert and take immediate action should your bearded friend have respiratory disease outbreaks. This is to prevent any possibility of a mutated covid-19 variant that may affect your bearded friend since research is still ongoing at the time of writing.
The near-most research has found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for covid-19 may be from pangolin, a mammal and warm-blooded.
Since research is still ongoing, we don’t know whether your bearded friend can get or transmit covid-19. It is better to take precautions than to deal with the real problem.
As of the time of writing, there has been no sufficient evidence of the situation of bearded dragons getting covid-19. Be it is advisable to take precaution.
My name is Brad and I am the main editor of BeardieZilla.com.
The only goal of this site is quite simply to be able to help you. To help you by the means of my experiment, of the relation which I maintain with my bearded dragon as well as some of my knowledge about beardies.
I hope that you will find answers to some of your most pressing questions here.
Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the blog!
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