How often do you deworm your snakes?

**Pareeeee** · 11-20-12, 10:07 AM

I was thinking...we de-worm cats and dogs on an annual basis...should this be done with snakes? If so, how often and what medication?

Just something that I've been wondering.

**Aaron_S** · 11-20-12, 10:09 AM

Never. I don't buy wild caught.

Gungirl · 11-20-12, 10:10 AM

As long as you don't buy wild caught snakes or feed wild caught prey I see no reason to ever de-worm a "pet" snake.

Terranaut · 11-20-12, 10:15 AM

Me 3. Never !!

SpOoKy · 11-20-12, 10:18 AM

Never, come to think of it I have only de-wormed my dogs twice in their whole life.

**Pareeeee** · 11-20-12, 10:18 AM

Great thanks, good to know. Just one of those things I hadn't really heard anyone talk about much.

jarich · 11-20-12, 12:57 PM

Just to bring in an interesting tidbit of information, with monitors it was found that captive animals actually have a higher incident of parasites than wild caught. While I have no idea how this would translate to snakes, it seems quite possible that the same could be true for captive versus wild snakes.

I do not recommend deworming or any other medication that is not absolutely necessary though.

**Aaron_S** · 11-20-12, 01:30 PM

That's some insight for discussion Jarich.

So where you read this did it state what kind of parasites? The same as wild ones or a different species?

Interesting for sure.

jarich · 11-20-12, 01:49 PM

They were nematodes mostly. Is there a difference between wild parasites and other kinds? Honestly, I hadnt considered the possibility of a 'domestic' type of parasite. Thats interesting. It seems like this would be because in an enclosed environment, you would have increased reintroduction of the parasites, or at least that was what the article was getting at.

iBaman · 11-20-12, 01:54 PM

never, and i don't de-worm my furry animals unless they need it.

Will0W783 · 11-20-12, 02:25 PM

I keep several species of exotic pit vipers that are rarely CBB. I used to prophylactically deworm any wild-caught specimen, but vipers are delicate so I only deworm if it seems likely to be needed. Any specimens that have not been in captivity for years and have records of prior fecal tests, will be tested. I have a great vet who lets me bring in fecal samples for testing for a nominal fee. He won't actually allow hots in the office, but he will supply with instructions and any medication I don't already stock on hand.

**Aaron_S** · 11-20-12, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jarich

They were nematodes mostly. Is there a difference between wild parasites and other kinds? Honestly, I hadnt considered the possibility of a 'domestic' type of parasite. Thats interesting. It seems like this would be because in an enclosed environment, you would have increased reintroduction of the parasites, or at least that was what the article was getting at.

Hmm, interesting. So it's kind of stating that once it's there there's a greater risk of it occuring in other specimens as well as again. I suppose this speaks to quarantine practices.

I don't know about wild/domestic parasites. Just random thoughts. It could happen though that something that doesn't exist in the wild can exist in captivity. Well my take on it.

Gregg M · 11-20-12, 07:26 PM

From keeping many wid caught reptiles, I have learned that proper husbandry and reduction of stress levels is the best "dewormer" there is. I have had numerous wild caught gaboons, rhinos, puff adders, and Atheris that were loaded with internal parasites. The thing is, deworming these species often results in the animal dieing. The members of the species Bitis retain fecal matter. When they are given deworming meds, it kills the parasite. What happens is, the parasite is not digested and ends up rotting in the intestinal tract. We all know what happens to reptiles when there is undigested matter in their intestines.

Anyway, I have had these animals come in with large parasite loads. Once settled in and feeling secure, their own immune systems help to reduce the number of parasites. In a few months the snakes were tested and had no parasite infection worth treating.

A side note.
CBB reptiles are not void of parasites. There are numerous sources where they can get parasites from water to prey items. Pinworm is VERY common in CBB collections. It is unavoidable and usually not detected or in numbers that would cause a problem.

CBB snakes are likely to get parasites in any collection. They can come from nu

reptileexperts · 11-20-12, 08:01 PM

No one has added this so here we go: Another reason that we routinely have to deworm our fuzzy friends is the fact that most spend a considerable amount of time outside. On top of this, they tend to greet one another with a sniff down south, and then a nice tailwag to boot. Because MOST parasites are transfered via an Oral-fecal method, this causes high rates of parasite transfers in outdoor animals, especially dogs (Note: This is the primary mode of trasportation for Heart Worms). Snakes commonly have worms in the wild as part of their native gut flora. These are parasites that live in the snake and seem to have a slightly symbiotic relationship where it is benifical for the worm and the host (snake). In captivity, certain worms can become present in snakes, but they are not as prepared for them as they would be in the wild, and generally encounter different strains. These need to be tested for and dealt with accordingly. MOST people who deal with importing wild caught pythons will deworm upon arrival before even subjectin them to a fecal smear test or the likes. This is very common practice because of the high amounts of parasites that come in with these animals, and the fact that people do not want to risk transfer between collection animals. Hope this brings additional insight to the matter!

Cheers

StudentoReptile · 11-20-12, 08:20 PM

Ditto on the last two posts!

To answer the question, I'll paraphrase with Gregg's point and say that I "deworm" my reptiles every day with proper care and husbandry.

As far as having administering a particular pharmaceutical treatment for eliminating internal parasites, I haven't done that in years.