Possibly a stupid question but can bunnies catch human colds?

I was just wondering if it's possible to pass on a human infection to a bunny? My whole family seems to be coming down with quite a severe cold/possibly a bout of flu. I've had a cold for the past few days so worried it's a sign of things to come :roll:

Just wondering if I need to be careful with my sneezing and what not around them. Don't want to pass anything onto them :wave:

Don't know, being quite a new bunny mummy, but I don't think it's a stupid question - if it is I have to admit it has crossed my mind. :wave:

It is possible, when a virus mutates it can develop the ability to "species jump" into a new host. Sometimes, in doing so it affects the new host in worse ways than it might do in its natural host population, hence why swine flu, bird flu etc can cause pandemics- humans don't have the resistance that the natural host does. That said, I've not heard of any cases of a rabbit getting ill from a human cold but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen (and probably wouldn't be easily diagnosed as such anyway). I do recall reading a few years of a man dying of "rabbit flu" which he apparently caught from his buns.

I don't beilieve rabbits are as susceptible to human borne illnesses as some animals, like primates who, because they are more closely related to us are much more likely to catch colds from us (a local reptile shop had a marmoset who got ill with a cold and so they stopped keeping her in the shop).

Also, I think rabbits are one of the safer pets you can get to be honest as there are several things you can get from dogs and cats (parasites as well as illnesses), birds and reptiles (e.g. salmonella).

Kittykat23uk said:

It is possible, when a virus mutates it can develop the ability to "species jump" into a new host. Sometimes, in doing so it affects the new host in worse ways than it might do in its natural host population, hence why swine flu, bird flu etc can cause pandemics- humans don't have the resistance that the natural host does. That said, I've not heard of any cases of a rabbit getting ill from a human cold but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen (and probably wouldn't be easily diagnosed as such anyway). I do recall reading a few years of a man dying of "rabbit flu" which he apparently caught from his buns.

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Thankyou for that I'll just try and not go near them if I do get really ill!

Rabbits cannot catch the human cold virus but Guinea Pigs can

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html

Rabbits can catch the Human Papilloma Virus (Cold sore virus) So if you get cold sores dont kiss your Bunny when you have one

I was going to post they can't last night but didn't want to incase my vet had told me wrong

I think hamsters can catch colds.

Teddy's_mummy said:

I think hamsters can catch colds.

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Yes, hamsters & guinea pigs can catch our colds (virus) but bunnies don't.

Bunnies can catch our bacterial illnesses sometimes causing infection in the upper nose, = snuffles. This is serious in buns & can also be caused by a bacterium we don't get - pasteurella.