Housing Ball Pythons Together

[infernalis]

On this note, I would like to point out, It's always wise to wash your hands with hot soapy water before handling the next snake.

However unlikely it may seem, if one snake has a bacterial or viral infection, that you can pass it from snake to snake by handling them, even one at a time, unless you wash your hands between handling.

It will also pass mites, so even if you handle a snake in a pet store or at another person's house, you can transmit the disease with your hands unless proper hygiene is exercised.

[infernalis]

I would also like to point out (so I don't seem like a hypocrite) that my communally housed garter snakes are put together as babies, many shipped to me from the breeder in the same deli cup.

Garter snakes (Thamnophis) are a "communal" species of snake that den in large masses, they are about the only species that can be kept in multiples per cage without problems.

Even then, they must be very similar in size.

Thamnophis Elegans Vagrans (Wandering Garter snakes) have been known to be cannibalistic, so there is even an exception there. No one I know of who works with wandering garters keeps them in groups.

[edens]

Originally Posted by Will0W783

I know it's too late in this case, but for future reference. Too many people don't understand proper quarantine procedures and so many unnecessary deaths and illnesses could be avoided if only new animals and sick animals were isolated.

sheesh believe me i am going to be checking all of this out before i start to get any more! is it only other snakes that can make them sick? can snakes sick or otherwise make other animals sick? my mom has a dog, and sometimes he comes over....

[Lankyrob]

As far as i am aware mamals and snake ilnesses are different and not transmitable apart from the reptiles passing salmonella to us if we practice bad hygiene.

We have hamsters, guinea pigs, cats, dog, snakes and lizards all in the room with me right this minute and dont expect any of them to afct the others in any way.

[infernalis]

True rob, but if you have a snake virus on your hands from animal number one, and then handle animal number two, you just cross contaminated your snakes.

Mites have been known to find their way home from pet stores by riding on a human host long enough to get transmitted.

It's just prudent to keep your hands clean when working with your critters.

Certain reptiles have an intolerance to salt, so if you eat a sack of crisps (salty chips) and then immediately pick up a pinkie to feed say a baby snake, you can possibly transmit enough salt to the food to make the snake sick.

when using dish-washing soap to clean bowls and such, rinse as much as you can and make sure no detergent remains.

[Lankyrob]

Yeah, the question was more cross contamination between snakes and mammals which issnt possible tho?

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Yeah, the question was more cross contamination between snakes and mammals which issnt possible tho?

Not really Rob. Reptiles are cold blooded with a completely different physiology.

Most all mammalian virus infections require warm blooded hosts.

I often forget I handled a snake and then wind up eating something like a sandwich without thinking about it.

Still it's not the best idea, but I'll wager almost all of us have at some point.

If you have clean cages and practice hygiene, I doubt you would ever get sick from properly cared for snakes.