care of wild collected snakes

akane · 07-24-17, 10:43 PM

Someone who does snake removal and relocation might "gift" me some young bulls. Keeping more than 12 native bulls or selling them and their progeny is illegal in their state but specifically says it is legal to dispose of up to 4 a year or their offspring by gifting if they cannot be released again from a variety of strict reasons that do not actually impact captive health, such as proximity to non-native species while being held.

I saw varying info on treating, not treating, with what, etc... of wild native snakes that appear healthy. A few articles said both external or internal anthelmintics are too dangerous to use without a good enough need instead of just keeping a very clean enclosure and a few individuals in past discussions said it's so commonly done and safe they treat everything. What precautions would you take with a wild caught North American native species? These will definitely be quarantined to their own room.

**Aaron_S** · 07-25-17, 10:41 AM

I'd treat them for mites/external parasites as soon as I received them.

After that I'd keep them on paper towel and check their feces for internal parasites.

Doug 351 · 07-25-17, 03:43 PM

I'm sorry...N.America is a pretty large place!!!

Parasites are more common in some places, and during certain times of year.

pet_snake_78 · 07-25-17, 07:40 PM

Anytime I receive wild caught species, my first priority is letting them settle in, rehydrate, begin feeding, etc. I recommend doing this before worrying about parasites for 3-8 weeks depending on how quickly it adjusts. Many wild caught snakes are easiest to start on a safe live food like a fuzzy rat just to get them feeling comfortable eating in captivity. Despite what all the books say, I like to get them eating sooner rather than later. Once they've settled in, then I take a stool sample and have it tested for parasites. If it's negative, I have a second stool sample done a few weeks later. Not all parasites will show in every stool sample. Most WC snakes are just fine as long as you get them while they are still in good shape and don't mess with them too much when they are settling in. Bare in mind there is a nasty fungal infection spreading in wild north american snakes, so consider the area your snakes come from carefully and quarantine them for a long time. Personally, I try to avoid wild caught NA snakes or even snakes from dealers who tend to hold them whenever possible.

akane · 07-26-17, 07:27 PM

Colorado mountain bulls. 2 are eating f/t fuzzies and otherwise it will depend on timing of getting them here what he has.

I know fungus has taken over a lot of the southeast and east coast. I don't know how it's spread with warm weather since I haven't pursued plans for potentially wc snake species from that area and no longer have wc eastern anoles. I was looking at some wc New York lizards of the naturalized italian wall lizard population (legally collected with permits to sell by an individual). That may or may not be this year.

jjhill001 · 07-26-17, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akane

Someone who does snake removal and relocation might "gift" me some young bulls. Keeping more than 12 native bulls or selling them and their progeny is illegal in their state but specifically says it is legal to dispose of up to 4 a year or their offspring by gifting if they cannot be released again from a variety of strict reasons that do not actually impact captive health, such as proximity to non-native species while being held.

I saw varying info on treating, not treating, with what, etc... of wild native snakes that appear healthy. A few articles said both external or internal anthelmintics are too dangerous to use without a good enough need instead of just keeping a very clean enclosure and a few individuals in past discussions said it's so commonly done and safe they treat everything. What precautions would you take with a wild caught North American native species? These will definitely be quarantined to their own room.

It's not like the old days where wild caught animals were held for weeks on end in horrible conditions and show up on death's door. If the animals are recently captured and in good shape I honestly don't see you having many issues as long as you take the proper precautions with them.

Security is the primary concern for a wild caught snake so if they aren't in tubs make sure they have more hides/visual barriers. If you get them eating and drinking you'll be good to go. I would monitor their weights and potentially get them dewormed but other than that, pick off any ticks you see and check for mites that may have been acquired from being in captivity.

**Aaron_S** · 07-27-17, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjhill001

It's not like the old days where wild caught animals were held for weeks on end in horrible conditions and show up on death's door. If the animals are recently captured and in good shape I honestly don't see you having many issues as long as you take the proper precautions with them.

Security is the primary concern for a wild caught snake so if they aren't in tubs make sure they have more hides/visual barriers. If you get them eating and drinking you'll be good to go. I would monitor their weights and potentially get them dewormed but other than that, pick off any ticks you see and check for mites that may have been acquired from being in captivity.

Security. A great point that is probably overlooked often when establishing new animals.

akane · 07-27-17, 06:48 PM

My bins and tanks are packed with areas of hiding, climbing, basking.... I tend to stick to stone flooring tile in my quarantine bins because I can just lay out proper sized hides and platforms (I have 4" squares, 6" long strips, 8" long strips, 12" squares) quickly and they overall clean well. The slate is slightly porous but more natural looking, I think the texture is easier for them to move on, and very cheap if I want to just replace the tiles instead. The polished marble can probably be 100% disinfected but it's more expensive and less natural looking if I put it to other uses so I tend not to have much on hand.

Except I had to show all my snakes were legal and healthy to animal control and ended up rebuilding half my enclosures in order to find them all at that exact moment. The young corn snake was the worst. At least the rosy boa prefers to smash between hides and glass instead and being over 6' of thick bull Nicon is kind of hard to lose. The problem is getting him out when he has decided right now he's laying claim to this cave, log, area of storage bins holding collected rocks when he's wandering the room.... and is not in the mood to be removed right now. Amusing when he freaks my husband out doing that while loose but not so fun to go get him.