Should I quarantine

[Nismo89]

I was wondering since I already have an iguana if I should quarantine my BRB when I get him/her? I will be getting the snake from a reptile shop/breeder near me. Also if I do need to quarantine how would I go about that?

[SnakeyJay]

Yeah id quarentine it if possible... put it in a seperate room and disinfect hands after being in there. Also dont mix any hides etc between the two.

[NennaMeerkat]

Same question different species: Got 2 leopard geckos...might be getting a 3rd. All eventually living in a nice large tank. Do I need to quarantine the 3rd leopard that I might get for a couple of weeks? Even if all three are from the same breeder (but the 3rd gotten at a different time than the other two).

[SnakeyJay]

Same question different species: Got 2 leopard geckos...might be getting a 3rd. All eventually living in a nice large tank. Do I need to quarantine the 3rd leopard that I might get for a couple of weeks? Even if all three are from the same breeder (but the 3rd gotten at a different time than the other two).

Yes i'd still quarentine it.. its just not worth the risk of getting your other two ill. Although its from the same breeder theres always a chance if u dont quarentine you may pass something on

[NennaMeerkat]

Okay cool thanks. Thankfully I have (or will have) an extra "critter carrier" that will make do for a temporary home for a couple of weeks. As well as neutral hide and such. Just gotta hope this 105+ degrees heat keeps up so I don't have to remotely worry about heating.

[Nismo89]

Yeah id quarentine it if possible... put it in a seperate room and disinfect hands after being in there. Also dont mix any hides etc between the two.

I don't have a second room unfortunately right now. Currently looking for a house. I won't be mixing and I always disinfect after touching any reptile anyways even if I'm just opening the cage to mist.

[Lankyrob]

Keep them as fara apart as you possibly can in that case and be SUPER ocd about cleaning your hands etc between working on either enclosure.

Always deal with the existing animal first, then the new one and then change clothes and shower etc. You should do this for at LEAST 3 months if not 6 or 9 months.

[Aaron_S]

The simple answer is ALWAYS quarantine.

[Jay]

Aaron s has a great thread all about proper quarantine, you should read it it's a sticky. A lot of people skip it without and problems, the same as everyone speeds once in a while but don't get caught. One day you won't be so lucky and you can kiss your collection goodbye. Small time inpatient breeders often risk it to, just for the thrill of breeding.

[Will0W783]

The simple answer is ALWAYS quarantine.

I couldn't agree more. You cannot assume, even if an animal is from a big-name breeder with a great reputation, that it is clean. I have gotten animals at expos from some really great guys, and some had mites when I got them home to examine more carefully.

I handle any new snake addition as follows:
(1) prophylactically treat for mites. For this I use the Nix method. Each animal is given a 10-15 minute soak in warm water, then the water is examined for evidence of mites. Regardless of what is found in the water, at least one treatment of Nix follows. Any evidence of mites following Nix treatment results in following up with two more treatments.

(2) Quarantine in simple, clean cage. I use white butcher paper as substrate for quarantine specimens. It's quick and easy to change, all fecal and urine matter can be clearly seen and samples taken easily, and any dead mites or dander is easily spotted against the white paper.

(3) Animals that pass through the Nix treatment with no mites seen on arrival and no health problems (RI, fecal, parasites, etc) are quarantined for 3 months. Any wild-caught animals or animals that have health problems crop up (mites, RI, parasites in fecal sample) are quarantined for 6 months after curing whatever problem they came with.

(4) Quarantine animals are dealt with last in the day, and all clothing is immediately removed and washed in hot water.

It took a few mistakes and too-short of quarantines for me to finalize my current procedures, but doing things extra carefully never fails.

It's just not worth a risk to your other animals to not quarantine.

[Snakesitter]

Kemerly, that is an excellent routine. A few other small suggestions to people asking about quarantine:

Just as hands can transmit disease, so can tools. If you use feeding tongs, disinfect between general populace and new arrivals. The same goes for any other shared tools. Something as simple as wiping a new arrival's cage door with a paper tool you then use to wipe another animal's door *could* transmit a problem.

Considering signage: for example, I put laminated "quarantine" signs on all new arrivals until they have completed their penance. That way, if I'm away for a day and a friend or family member helps out, they know to be careful, too.

Better to be super careful than super sorry!!!

[shaunyboy]

i quarantine ALL new arrivals in a seperate room for 3 to 4 months

i also spray the quarantine tanks with provent a mite 24 hours before arrival of new snakes,as a preventative measure

i do NOT go near my collection on days i have been working with my quarantines

you never know what may be wrong with a new snake so imo its best to play it safe

cheers shaun

[Will0W783]

Yes, snakesitter...I forgot to mention the tools issue. I have a big bucket of 10% bleach solution I use to sterilize tools. When I have snakes in quarantine, I keep a separate set of 16" hemostats up in that room and feed them last, using that set. I also wipe the hemostats down with a towel soaked in the 10% bleach solution, and then rinse them in plain water between each quarantine subject.

[Snakesitter]

Great practices, everyone. I too use the Provent pre-spray,just started that this year in fact. I just wish I had more than one room for my collection, so that I could further improve my procedures....

[Nismo89]

Why wouldn't you quarantine?
I've never owned more then one reptile at a time so never needed to really quarantine. I more so posted this to get info on how to quarantine I figured that I should and I will be after the advice I have gotten.