Quarantine Practices

[CDN-Cresties]

Hi, how do you guys quarantine your new herps from your collection :D
Thanks

-Steve-

[Lisa]

often keep them in a seperate room

[CDN-Cresties]

Can i get some more detailed info :D
Thanks

-Steve-

[Andy_G]

There isn't really too much more to it. Keep them in a separate room from your collection, keep them on newspaper/newsprint/paper towel, use different equipment with them or bleach the same equipment after you have it around them, don't bring it into the same room as the others even while handling them and keep them quarantined for 60-90 days.

[ohh_kristina]

I'm keeping my rescued BP in another room (my bathroom), so that she and my other snakes will not be around each other at all. She is on newspaper and will get a fecal exam on Monday (tomorrow), and then a few weeks after that, if she hasn't shown any signs of illness or anything..I'll move her into my bedroom with the rest of my herps.

[Lisa]

Use antibactirial cleanser on your hands before and after handling them and if your clothes become contaminated (basicly touch the animal) change them.

[CDN-Cresties]

OK, i got 1 more question. Lets say that you buy one snake from a breeder and another snake from a different breeder, wouldn't you have to keep them in two seperate rooms?
Thanks

-Steve-

[Sean_.E.]

It's a good plan to do so!

[Linds]

Due to space constraints, I don't currently have the luxury of being able to quarantine anything in a seperate room. I'm covered with most issues, but if something airborne gets in to my collection I'm screwed :( Should have access to another room by next year though. What I do is treat any newcomers (snakes) for mites. In between animals, I use 99% isopropyl alcohol on my hands (up to my elbows) followed by a good scrub with some antibacterial dishsoap. All the animals have their own set of sponges and other equipment. I keep this practice up regardless of the length of time I have had the animals. In a sense my animals are all in permanent quarantine, just in case ;) Once I have access to another room for quarantine, the animals will stay in there for 3-6 months (and in some instances longer), depending on history and species.

[tai_pan1]

If it's airborne, keeping them in a seperate room probably isn't going to help anyway. Once the central air/heat goes on, your running the same air through all of the rooms.

[reverendsterlin]

90 days in a seperate room, always the last animal worked with, no cross use of equipment between rooms, clean hands

[CDN-Cresties]

Ok this is going to be a very dumb question but what are some of the things that we are trying to prevent? What kind of diseases?
Thanks

-Steve-

[Invictus]

I myself prefer to buy animals that don't have mites, don't have communicable diseases, and don't need to be treated like a science experiment. But, maybe that's just me... we haven't quarantined any of our animals as of yet, because they usually come to us in good health, and already treated for potential mites and so on. If I got a snake from a source I didn't trust it might be a different story.

[Katt]

Invictus, you are saying that now, but wait until you get your first mite infestation.

No matter who the source, ALWAYS QUARANTINE.

I can not stress enough.

We have had mites from at least three different people (trust worthy folk too). The worst part is believing you don't have any, and then someone else finding out that you have them.

Now, we quarantine everything, use Provent a Mite, and ask that if anyone buys something from us, to quarantine and treat the snake like it has mites, just in case.

With live animals, you can never be too careful.

The worst thing I think that has happened was when Vanan and I bought some Gonyosoma. Quarantined them for a month, then put them in our normal collection. Well, guess what. Red tails rats got sick, died, taiwan got sick and died, baird's rat got sick and died, and two adult corns went down too. INCREDIBLY STUPID on my part. Especially b/c those Gonyo's were WC's.

Now, I like to quarantine for three months regardless if the snake is a boid or a colubrid. I never ever want to see my snakes get sick like that again, because of my stupidity.

[Linds]

Originally posted by Invictus
I myself prefer to buy animals that don't have mites, don't have communicable diseases, and don't need to be treated like a science experiment. But, maybe that's just me... we haven't quarantined any of our animals as of yet, because they usually come to us in good health

How can you be sure of this? The snake may not have any visible mites, all it may need is one to be hidden under a scale, or an egg that survived treatment prior to your purchase. How do you know the animal doesn't have a communicable disease? Some diseases may take weeks, months, some even years before they show any symptoms at all. Purchasing animals that appear outwardly healthy from reputable sources are only the first precaution one can take, but is by no means any form of safeguard for a collection or guarantee of a healthy animal. Even last year, one of the most reputable boa guys down in the states sold a boa that had IBD... the animal had not been his hands long enough for the animal to display symptoms, somewhere down the line to him the animal came in to contact with the infection. Boas can carry this disease for many years and it is highly contagious. If quarantine were only for sick animals displaying symptoms....what's with all these countries qurantining any new arrivals? For instance horses with all their vet certifcates showing they tested negative for spefific diseases and so forth still must be quarantined for I believe it is 6 weeks when entering many countries.