Quarantine questions

[bamf64]

For xmas, I am getting a baby Pacman frog, and possibly a female leopard gecko as a freind for my other female leo. I just have a few qs about QT.

-Since the leos will be living together in the same 20L tank, should i QT the new female in a 10 gal for a month or so, then move her into the 20L with the other leo? Or should i just place her in their right when she gets home(after i make sure they get along)?

-Should i QT the baby Pacman too? For how long?

-I was also wondering, how far away from the reptile room does the new animal have to be safe? Could i just put them in my brothers room like 30-40ft away?

[Mike Schultz]

Quarantine all new arrivals to your personal collection!

A different room is about the best that can be hoped for in most situations, although if you have the resources then good QT would be to keep new arrivals in a separate building from your established collection.

I QT in an old rack in the basement of my house, and then my breeders and babies I'm raising are upstairs in a spare room.

[bamf64]

Quarantine all new arrivals to your personal collection!

A different room is about the best that can be hoped for in most situations, although if you have the resources then good QT would be to keep new arrivals in a separate building from your established collection.

I QT in an old rack in the basement of my house, and then my breeders and babies I'm raising are upstairs in a spare room.

So i should QT the new herps for a month before putting them in the herp room?

[j_h_smith]

Yes, in a different room away from your collection. Watch the new pets everyday for signs of illness.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

[coldblooded]

I quarantine for 90 days. Do not share any utensils between animals (tongs, etc) and make sure you wash your hands and keep the QT animals off your clothes if you're going to be handling your other animals. I always suggest cleaning/handling/etc your previous animals first then moving to your QT animals to prevent contamination.

Also, be prepared for the leos to possibly not get along. Females can cohabitate but not always - they can be territorial and aggressive like males (I have several females that CANNOT be housed with any others.) Make sure your animals are of similar size/weights before introducing them and verify the sex of each. (Two males will fight and try to kill one another). If you notice bullying (this includes injuries, hogging food, hogging hides, etc) then you will have to keep them separate.

Good luck.