Agh internal parasites

Well, it all started (I think) about six weeks ago when my male surinam red tail regurgitated his rat. I thought maybe the rat was too big and decided to not feed for two weeks then offer him a small rat. He ate fine four times, but didn't eat this week. Then he pooped, and it didn't look quite normal. It was a fairly normal pile, but it had a puddle around it so it was a bit runny. So.. this is a sign of parasites (great)

Last night was the kicker, my female suri and male granite anaconda (all three snakes came from the same person) both pooped, and I saw stringy white worm like things. Wonderful! So I took the poops to the vet for exams ($35 a pop.. geez) and they are positive for tapeworms, and Ophelia has roundworms too.

So now I am worried that maybe more of my babies have these awful parasites! The three boas have been quarantined from the rest of my collection since they are fairly new additions. Unfortunately they are in the same room (the only really warm room in the house) but are as far from the other cages as I can get them and I've always handled the other snakes first and washed my hands very thoroughly after handling any of these boas.

My quesions are.. where could they get these parasites and how can I prevent any spread?

Getting fecals on all 25 snakes would run me over $800.. should I just keep close watch on their stools and if I see nothing odd, assume they are ok? Or should I select a few random snakes from the established collection to have tested?

I have an appointment for march 2 (soonest I could get..) to have them wormed. The vet said we have to do a stomach tube to worm them. I wonder how much it will cost.. the receptionist didn't know.

Any knowledge/advice is appreciated. I haven't dealt with this problem before.

When your quarantine is in the same room (and even in a different room) there is always the possibility of spreading something. Mites can travel long distances (hitchhike) and I would assume (maybe someone can back me up on this) that some internal parasites could do the same . I would keep an eye on all of them and use the strictest cleaning regimen and care possible. It seems like it might be overkill to spend that kind of money to treat everyone not even knowing if they are infected.

I am very paranoid and (I think) strict about the cleaning. If the snake touches anything, (or I touch anything after touching the snake) that thing is automatically 'dirty' and is in quarantine too. I have separate tools, spray bottles, stacks of newspaper for substrate.. separate everything. I wish I had a second room suitable for them to be in.

The $800 isn't even for treating.. only for testing. I really am not looking forward to the worming bill. It's been a tough month.. our family has been tight and my savings has been nearly cleaned out so we can just get groceries. :rolleyes:

Real sorry to hear about the situation. Personally, I would have all of them tested just to have peace of mind. Maybe the vet might offer you a discount for bulk testing?

Yeah that's possible. I'll have to talk to him when I go for the appointment and see what he thinks. Everyone else has normal poo and good appetite.. and are growing normally. No skinny snakes in my collection.

Gaaah, sorry to hear that April. =P /big hug

In my eyes, if one has it, they all have it, and should all be treated accordingly. Treat ALL for BOTH roundworms and tapeworms. There's also no need to stomach tube them. Treat with Cestiject(sp?) and some pyrantel pamoate(strongid) and they should be good to go. Cestiject is an injection and pyrantel can easily be put into the back of the animals throat to be swallowed. No biggie. Any generic Praziquantel will get rid of those tapeworms and you can find strongid at the feed store.

Just some friendly(trying to help you save those arms and legs) advice :)

What would be the reasoning to treat what could be healthy snakes with medication if they show no signs? No regurges, no visible worms in feces. I'd be interested to hear what a vet thinks.

It's just done as a precautionary treatment. Even if they aren't showing "signs" in particular, they could still be infected, especially if a fecal hasn't been done yet.

Dewormer will NOT hurt an animal, especially pyrantel(it's even given to people EVERYWHERE to get rid of pinworms). Ivermectin, on the other hand, if overdosed isn't a fun thing to deal with. Praziquantel is very safe too and can be found OTC now.

If you can get the meds at a cheaper rate and you can get them easier by yourself, why not? It's for the protection of your collection. Tapeworms can lead to regurgitation as we've already seen, wasting(massive weight loss), anorexia, and ultimately death. It takes longer for the bigger snakes to show signs as there is more bulk to them. The smaller snakes waste away quickly. Also, if a roundworm infestation is big enough, the animal can even start regurgitating the actual worms because they are backing up into the stomach and esophagus from the intestines. Not a fun thing either. Roundworms also have a migratory phase in which they can go through organs such as the lungs and liver, causing alot of damage along the way.

That is why I said, if one or two have it, regardless of the quarantine procedures, then treat them all. It's not going to hurt the animals at all, and if they do happen to come into contact with infected feces or equipment, then they will be protected(at least for a little while).

please don't panic. internal parasities can easy go off for youe snakes without vet.
you can buy 1 botlle of 1 Liter panacur for internal parasites and 1 botle of 200mg flagyl oral for protozoans .
you can give the drug oral. i did this 1 month later after i purched my first ball python and i succesful give the drugs without any problem after 1 week my bp start eating like crazy. (2 month anorexia)
i have 17 snakes with respiratory diseasce (don't ask why) and i succesfull give the right treatment and now all eating.
buy this drugs and tell me to tell you the right treatment.
its not haard. beleive me

DONT PANIC.

vets want your money
am sugesting you to buy reptile medicine and surgey by duglas mader. i just receive today and kill my mind. 129 dollaras from amazon.