Quarantine

What is a good quarantine procedure for ball pythons? I'm assuming there are no air born diseases, so can keep them in the same room right? Please help

Don't really know what the "rule" of thumb is, but I keep all of my quarantine animals in a seperate room for 45 days. If a new animal comes in prior to the 45 days, they go in with the previously quarantined animals and the 45 days starts over.

Handle all of your established collection first... feeding, cleaning, handling, etc.. then wash/disinfect and then handle your quarantine animals.

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Originally Posted by ddbjdealer

Don't really know what the "rule" of thumb is, but I keep all of my quarantine animals in a seperate room for 45 days. If a new animal comes in prior to the 45 days, they go in with the previously quarantined animals and the 45 days starts over.

Handle all of your established collection first... feeding, cleaning, handling, etc.. then wash/disinfect and then handle your quarantine animals.

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Ditto that, but sometimes (depending on the source of the animals) I go longer.

Also, we recently started using latex gloves per individual animal in the quarantine room.

-adam

So I have to house them in a separate room?

It's better to house them in a different room if you can, but if not, keep the new ones as far away as possible from established animals.

I quarantine for 90 days usually.. sometimes less for colubrids than boids.

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Originally Posted by Cubby23

So I have to house them in a separate room?

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You don't "have to", but it's best. You can only do as much as you can do.

I quarantine in a seperate LOCATION ... 20 miles away from my breeding facility ... but I'm so over the top paranoid that I'm just not right anyway. :P

-adam

well i may have to settle w/ the other side of a large room. But I might get like a finished shed,

yeah u never know when those BPs i'll start spitting on u and trying to infect all the other ones LOL

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Originally Posted by alexrls

yeah u never know when those BPs i'll start spitting on u and trying to infect all the other ones LOL

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Actually, that does happen. Pneumoniain ball pythons is not a pretty sight! ;)

-adam

is that different than RI?

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Originally Posted by alexrls

is that different than RI?

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Yes and no. Same idea, just more serious.

-adam

I'm still quarantining my Albino ball... he's like the bubble boy the way I protect him, lol. I can only imagine what I'll be like when that first Pied comes home.
I know this isn't quarantining, I'm just trying to be funny. Look at the tap-dancing monkey!

honestly, question here:

if you are quarantining a snake which is going to live alone... then keeping it in the same room isn't quarantining it... is it???

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

honestly, question here:

if you are quarantining a snake which is going to live alone... then keeping it in the same room isn't quarantining it... is it???

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What does the snake living alone have to do with anything?

If you don't have the extra space, you can quarantine in the same room with a solid protocol that prevents transference from the quarantine snake or snakes to the main collection. It's not ideal, but if it's the only option, it can be made to work.

-adam

Quarantining should be done in a separate building, or as far away from the existing collection as possible. Different air space is preferred.

When I get my boa, Ruari, in the next few months, he will be quarantined at my school for 3 months. It's a great place because my teacher, the vet, lives on the premises :) Gotta love it.

It's very important that a completely separate air space is used. You never know what can be floating in the air, on your clothes, etc. It's not really quarantining if it's not done in a different building.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Quarantining should be done in a separate building, or as far away from the existing collection as possible. Different air space is preferred.

When I get my boa, Ruari, in the next few months, he will be quarantined at my school for 3 months. It's a great place because my teacher, the vet, lives on the premises :) Gotta love it.

It's very important that a completely separate air space is used. You never know what can be floating in the air, on your clothes, etc. It's not really quarantining if it's not done in a different building.

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I agree totally, but not everyone has that luxury. Some people have a hard enough time find space for snakes in one building, let alone two.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

What does the snake living alone have to do with anything?

If you don't have the extra space, you can quarantine in the same room with a solid protocol that prevents transference from the quarantine snake or snakes to the main collection. It's not ideal, but if it's the only option, it can be made to work.

-adam

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well i know that quarantining mice before you add them to the mouse group, ratties are the same... keeping them seperated while you make sure they are healthy.

what i meant here adam is... if your ball python is going to living in it's own enclosure (as it should) then how is it considered quarantining if they are in the same room?

sorry but i'm not understanding...

so, if you just wear gloves and handle the new quarantined snake last every time you go into the 'snake area' - then that's a sufficient quarantine?

(i think i'm getting it, but perhaps someone can confirm for me) cause really... i'm quite sure i'll be adding to my addiction sooner or later...

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

well i know that quarantining mice before you add them to the mouse group, ratties are the same... keeping them seperated while you make sure they are healthy.

what i meant here adam is... if your ball python is going to living in it's own enclosure (as it should) then how is it considered quarantining if they are in the same room?

sorry but i'm not understanding...

so, if you just wear gloves and handle the new quarantined snake last every time you go into the 'snake area' - then that's a sufficient quarantine?

(i think i'm getting it, but perhaps someone can confirm for me) cause really... i'm quite sure i'll be adding to my addiction sooner or later...

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Well, ideally, everyone would have a separate building or at a minimum, a separate room to quarantine new arrivals in. Unfortunately, that may not be a practical solution for your average keeper that wants a new snake. So instead of throwing your hands up in the air and saying screw it, I won't get a new snake or I won't quarantine, you can be responsible and do the best that you can given your situation. I feel at least some type of procedure for minimizing cross contamination between new arrivals and an established collection is still technically quarantine, but maybe just not in the strictest sense of the word.

Setting new arrivals up in their own separate rack, cleaning new arrivals last or on a different day, using gloves when handling new arrivals, having duplicate sets of husbandry tools for new arrivals, etc, are all good practices that for the most part will be highly effective in protecting your existing animals when bringing new animals into your collection. Is it ideal? No. But it’s certainly better than just throwing them in the same rack with animals that you’ve had for years and doing nothing.

The other important thing to consider is your source. Buying animals from a reputable breeder with a proven track record, while not totally infallible, helps. Shoot, I have a totally separate facility for quarantining my animals 20 miles away from my shop and I still won't buy stuff off of tables at show because I'm terrified of contaminating my quarantined animals.

-adam

thanks adam :)

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

.....I still won't buy stuff off of tables at show because I'm terrified of contaminating my quarantined animals.

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LMAO....I could really see you with all these different levels of quarantine.

FOF....<Adam talking to a ball python> "I guess you have been here a month with no problems, now you can move up to quarantine containment area 4"

....I keep my new arrivals (getting two more wednesday BTW) in a different level of the rack with a 1 level buffer) and have a strict handling/cleaning practice......ha ha....I know my brother is going to feel lucky when my collection gets big enough that I must have a seperate quarantine facility.....cause anything new will be staying at his place ;)

...and how do you keep quarantined animals from effecting one another....I have gotten/will be getting three new bps within a weeks time from two sources? The pastel guy from Sean.....and two normal females from Ben Seigel. Not having alot of room is horrible for quarantine purposes....good thing the snakes are coming from good sources....I would be freaking out bringing in something WC or from a breeder with problems....actually that will never happen until I get a seperate place to quarantine

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

LMAO....I could really see you with all these different levels of quarantine.

FOF....<Adam talking to a ball python> "I guess you have been here a month with no problems, now you can move up to quarantine containment area 4"

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Oh, you have no idea how bad it gets! ... LOL

-adam