Quarantine Question

If I have a rack I shouldn't put a new purchase in the same rack with the others? I know it's a dumb question, but any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks!

Definitely not. Ideally, any new additions should be put into completely different enclosures in a different room for 60-90 days. Good luck :)

The big problem of Q in a rack is somethings like mites travel and walk about it is possible to spread exoparasites by proximity and also air born nastys as well.

Ideally, isolation is needed as much space as you can muster. I keep the Q tub in the same room but use a tray under it filled with diatomaceous earth to kill any exoparasites that escape the tub. I also use totally separate tools ect and do not ever touch anything from isolation to the rest of the collection.

Testing is not a bad idea I always do a fecal test and have started having IBD test as well just in case.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Testing is not a bad idea I always do a fecal test and have started having IBD test as well just in case.

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Just curious, I thought IBD testing could only be done after death? Or only with a biopsy?

Dr. Jacobsen has been doing a IBD blood test. I actually had a RVT send it for me as it need to be packed and shipped carefully. It was 100$ plus shipping unfortunately it is not 100% accurate but it is a start.

http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/college/de...dyDisease.html

Oh wow, thanks for that info, I had no idea :) I appreciate it...

As the previous posters have said, proper quarantine means keeping any new additions isolated from your collection to avoid spreading disease and/or parasites. Ideally this would be in a different room or different area of your house, but if that's not possible, as far away from the rack as you can in the room. There are some other steps you should take, such as not using the same feeding tongs, always wash hands between handling, always handle your existing collection before handling the QT snakes, etc...

It is too bad it is complex to get the sample and it is a fair bit of blood so I don't know if I'd want to do a small hatchling one mL doesn't sound like much but it is very close to a gram.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

The big problem of Q in a rack is somethings like mites travel and walk about it is possible to spread exoparasites by proximity and also air born nastys as well.

Ideally, isolation is needed as much space as you can muster. I keep the Q tub in the same room but use a tray under it filled with diatomaceous earth to kill any exoparasites that escape the tub. I also use totally separate tools ect and do not ever touch anything from isolation to the rest of the collection.

Testing is not a bad idea I always do a fecal test and have started having IBD test as well just in case.

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I wish I had the resources to do all that testing, but unfortunatley I don't. I wouldn't know where to begin. Is there a kit or something I can buy or is it just a visit to the vet?

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Originally Posted by Inknsteel

As the previous posters have said, proper quarantine means keeping any new additions isolated from your collection to avoid spreading disease and/or parasites. Ideally this would be in a different room or different area of your house, but if that's not possible, as far away from the rack as you can in the room. There are some other steps you should take, such as not using the same feeding tongs, always wash hands between handling, always handle your existing collection before handling the QT snakes, etc...

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This may sound dumb, but do you think using a hand sanitizer between handling is just as good as washing in a sink with an anti-bac soap?

Washing hands with anti-bacterial soap is probably a lot more effective, but using hand sanitizer is better than nothing. I know that most vendors I've talked to at reptile shows keep a bottle of hand sanitizer on their table and ask customers to use it before handling their stock...

To me it is a sequence issue. If you have a healthy collection I'd do anything with the addition last, and in that case a waterless sanitize is likely enough, the other way around personally I do a good hand wash.

I get the testing it isn't cheap. The fecal isn't super expensive and likely more valuable as a test. IBD testing is new and the value of it is somewhat debatable.

Generally you want to put your new additions in an entirely different room than your collection.