Foreign bacteria/parasites

smy_749 · 03-23-13, 09:36 PM

OK so ...sorry for the large amount of threads I've been making, trying only to do it if I think of an unrelated topic.

Heres the question: I assumed that taking stuff from outside needed to be sterilized, but I was informed that its not neccessary and the monitors immune system is able to handle it, and they are wild animals, nobody sterilizes the logs in the wild etc. which I get. My question is, isn't it possible that they don't have the capability to fight off bacteria which is foreign to them (i.e from New England, USA, not Africa or Australia or w.e) and even in their own natural environment, isn't there stuff that can cause death/harm such as ticks/serious infection or even a toxic species of insect that they ingest that we DONT want to recreate in captivity? I don't mean all bactera and parasites, but the possibility of a few..

Pirarucu · 03-23-13, 09:51 PM

In theory, yes. In all reality, the chance you would give it something like that is negligible. If they were that susceptible to disease, they would have died out a long time ago.

smy_749 · 03-23-13, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

In theory, yes. In all reality, the chance you would give it something like that is negligible. If they were that susceptible to disease, they would have died out a long time ago.

Well if they were that susceptible to disease in their natural habitat they would have died out a long time ago, which I agree with. Thats why I asked about disease from countries which they are not adapted to. Wasn't there a fungal infection or something taking hold of monitors in north america recently? I think I heard about it on one of those videos on faunaclassifieds (I know they obviously aren't that susceptible to foreign disease either because people have been taking stuff from outside and having great success, but in theory like you said, its possible)

Pirarucu · 03-24-13, 10:28 AM

Didn't hear about that. Regardless, if bacteria or whatever could pose a risk to them, so what? You wouldn't want to do anything differently. It's just another reason to expose them to it, to build up their immune systems. Keeping them in a completely sterilized environment and meeting their requirements would be utterly impossible. If they had been living in a somewhat sterilized environment and then were exposed to something nasty, it would be much easier for the organism to do damage..
Just look at humans, and this new fear of ever coming into contact with icky germs. Who gets sick more, the kids who grew up playing in mudholes, or the kids who grew up without being exposed to anything?

smy_749 · 03-24-13, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

Didn't hear about that. Regardless, if bacteria or whatever could pose a risk to them, so what? You wouldn't want to do anything differently. It's just another reason to expose them to it, to build up their immune systems. Keeping them in a completely sterilized environment and meeting their requirements would be utterly impossible. If they had been living in a somewhat sterilized environment and then were exposed to something nasty, it would be much easier for the organism to do damage..
Just look at humans, and this new fear of ever coming into contact with icky germs. Who gets sick more, the kids who grew up playing in mudholes, or the kids who grew up without being exposed to anything?

I agree with you 100%, was just curious lol. I try to never take medicine or worry about germs, and honestly...I never get sick. I've been training my immune system to be the ultimate fighter for a long time now, its a bad year if I get a cold haha

infernalis · 03-27-13, 02:15 PM

My lizards are kept on soil that I dug up in my yard, I cut the branches from a tree in my yard, I feed night crawlers I catch in my yard, etc.

I have never sterilized anything, and they have never been sick.

Some varanids dine on rotting carcass and other rancid things and no harm comes of it.

I do think it would be reckless to feed wild prey that is known to be "high risk" of worms or other multi cell parasites. But baking dirt, boiling rocks and autoclaving logs is way overkill.

Chu'Wuti · 03-27-13, 05:15 PM

Hopefully you don't treat your yard with pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizer, as any of those could be quite toxic.

infernalis · 03-27-13, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chu'Wuti

Hopefully you don't treat your yard with pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizer, as any of those could be quite toxic.

I would be criminally insane to treat my "yard" with anything.

Habitat Gallery

Yes, that's where I live. so no I don't use pesticides or fertilizers.