quarantine questions;

Alright, so, I plan on going to the reptile show in hopes of purchasing another ball, most likely a spider if available. [I'm excited. =D] I know that I've got to quarantine any new reptile I bring home, but I'm not exactly sure how to do this..? I've only got one room for snakes; is it safe to keep their tubs in the same room? I know that washing my hands between handling and touching the enclosure/items in the enclosure is a must. Oh, and I'm aware that there should be no contact between the two. Other than that, I'm not sure what else I can do..or what else I should do. Are there any other things that need to be done?
I dunno if it matters but I got my first ball a few weeks ago and she eats like a champ. According to what I've read, my husbandry is good. She's very content when handled and seems to be doing just fine. I don't think that there'd be any problem with me getting another so soon [they're addicting] but I guess it couldn't hurt to ask for opinions.

Ideal conditions involve the QT snake in a completely different room. Some situations may not allow for that. If so, you'll just have to be extra careful and watch for any changes in your collection.

I would suggest a general vet checkup with a fecal done to see if it's carrying any parasites. Also, check for mites. Those lil buggers will spread EVERYWHERE.

Glad you posted this Druce. I was also curious because I am looking to get a new morph soon. And it will be a Spider.

Though if I were you I would look into the problems of wobbles! I have been.

its ok to quarantine in the same room or vet check up when you get it... But yuo want to do everything with that snake last... and of coarse disinfect or was ur hands...

Spiders are great i just picked mine up last week... as for now she seems to be wobble free I think a slight head tilt...

To be quite honest, if you have the snakes in the same room, you are not quarantining. As long as they are sharing a direct air supply there is no quarantine.

Is there any way you can leave the snake in another bedroom for a few weeks?

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

To be quite honest, if you have the snakes in the same room, you are not quarantining. As long as they are sharing a direct air supply there is no quarantine.

Is there any way you can leave the snake in another bedroom for a few weeks?

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Not exactly, but I can attempt to.. If keeping the two in the same room even if I'm cautious will have negative effects, I simply won't purchase another until circumstances change. I'm just making an assumption here, but I assume putting them on opposites of the room wouldn't help any, if at all?

That was new to me but then again your house all shares air supply I didnt know that you were fighting airborne jerms...

its always best to quarantine new additions in separate rooms but if your situation doesnt allow it then what else can you do. purchasing a CB animal from a reputable breeder and immediately treating all new additions with PAM will help lots if you can only quarantine in the same room. like you suggested, always work with the new guy last and remember to always disinfect.

also, every spider will have some degree of wobble and you may not know the extent of it until after it is brought home and living with you for a bit of time.

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Originally Posted by bigballs

its always best to quarantine new additions in separate rooms but if your situation doesnt allow it then what else can you do. purchasing a CB animal from a reputable breeder and immediately treating all new additions with PAM will help lots if you can only quarantine in the same room. like you suggested, always work with the new guy last and remember to always disinfect.

also, every spider will have some degree of wobble and you may not know the extent of it until after it is brought home and living with you for a bit of time.

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I agree, purchasing from a reputable breeder is key. You are much less likely to get a sick snake from a reputable breeder. I have never, and probably never will purchase from a reptile show, becasue I am worried about bringing mites home with me, or getting a sick snake. I like to buy from breeders online because I can check out their reptuation before I decide to purchase.

a quarentine is basically putting your new snake in another but in your case you can just put them as far as you can from each other... also keep its cage simple like newspaper as bedding a water bowl a hiding place and a heat source... while in quarantine you should look closely for mites and abnormal poop...

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Originally Posted by aff19802

its ok to quarantine in the same room

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Actually it’s not, quarantining in the same room is exactly the same as no quarantine.

Quarantine needs to be done in another room , and you should always work with your establish animals first and the new addition last.

Vet checkup while recommended do not mean quarantine should be bypassed or cut short as some issues can appear later on even if a clean bill of health was originally given by a vet.

Here is a good thread on quarantine procedures http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ght=quarantine

So pretty much a quarantine is just ti make sure that one snake doesn't lead to a hurt of another?

That seems a little silly to me. Even if you put both snakes in two completely different rooms air supply is still shared throughout the house. Plus you can carry parasites and germs in clothing or even flesh. Of course you could go out of your way and change cloths before entering each room of the snakes. But that just might run up your appliance bill. Even then the air could carry whatever you are trying to fend off. And air sealing a room doesn't sound like a easiest thing. >.> I understand the idea behind quarantine. It is a good one. But it is an noneffective one.

Sorry of I sound mean!

Quarantine is to protect your current snakes from anything the new snake could possibly have. You are suposoto use 2 different rooms, as it would be a lot harder for certain stuff to travel that far, and likely to die en route. As far as carrying germs on clothes or flesh, that's why you wash your hands after dealing with them, and the chances of it being airborn are likely to none.

For example mites, if you keep them in the same room, good chance they will get transferred, if you keep them in seperate rooms, that chance goes way way way down. Unless you don't wash your hands and stuff aswell as take the necessary precautions to preventing.

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Originally Posted by Neal

Quarantine is to protect your current snakes from anything the new snake could possibly have. You are suposoto use 2 different rooms, as it would be a lot harder for certain stuff to travel that far, and likely to die en route. As far as carrying germs on clothes or flesh, that's why you wash your hands after dealing with them, and the chances of it being airborn are likely to none.

For example mites, if you keep them in the same room, good chance they will get transferred, if you keep them in seperate rooms, that chance goes way way way down. Unless you don't wash your hands and stuff aswell as take the necessary precautions to preventing.

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I see. As for the mites thing. I know that you can usually see them is the snake. I have never had to deal with them but have seem pictures before.

My question is: are mites always visible? If so is it okay to quarantine a snake in the same room as another if it is the only way anf you see no mites on new snake?

My 500r is my room next to my snakes. If I get another it need to be near the 500r or it will get too hot for the snake I get.

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Originally Posted by Joe Cope

I see. As for the mites thing. I know that you can usually see them is the snake. I have never had to deal with them but have seem pictures before.

My question is: are mites always visible? If so is it okay to quarantine a snake in the same room as another if it is the only way anf you see no mites on new snake?

My 500r is my room next to my snakes. If I get another it need to be near the 500r or it will get too hot for the snake I get.

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With your situation it may be different. I'm sure you can see mites most of the time, but then i'm sure sometimes people may miss them, or not notice them until it's too late. I would always rather be safe then sorry, mites are annoying to get rid of. You have a situation where you really can't put them in a different room.

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Originally Posted by Neal

With your situation it may be different. I'm sure you can see mites most of the time, but then i'm sure sometimes people may miss them, or not notice them until it's too late. I would always rather be safe then sorry, mites are annoying to get rid of. You have a situation where you really can't put them in a different room.

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I suppose I could get another 500r. But after three weeks it will be useless and won't be used for another couple years. When I do get a spider. Which will be will a few months or so. (Already have his new home ready. Not I just need a UTH and a hide or two. I will drastically search him for mites. If he has some I will have to move him to another room until it is treated. But if he is mite free I'm gonna have to put him in my room. :\

It's either his warm side is 100 degrees F or his warmside is 90 - 92 degrees F but I risk infecting my other two snakes. I'm in a predicament.

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Plus you can carry parasites and germs in clothing or even flesh. Of course you could go out of your way and change cloths before entering each room of the snakes.

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Which is why you work with your established collection first and new addition second, and once you worked with your new addition you do not go back to your established collection.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Which is why you work with your established collection first and new addition second, and once you worked with your new addition you do not go back to your established collection.

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MY established collection happens to be in my room =\

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Originally Posted by Joe Cope

MY established collection happens to be in my room =\

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So clean/feed/handle your established collection then go and do the same for your new addition BUT do not go clean/feed/handle your established collection until you've washed and changed clothes.

When quarantining, you will need to put the snake in a different room than your collection. If this is not done, the snake you may get could possibly have mites, RI, IBD, mouth rot, scale rot, and so on. Though, this would be unlikely if you get it from a professional breeder, but there are always chances. Mites (or any external or even internal parasites) can spread quickly throughout a collection so it is best to keep the snake in a different room. IBD was said to be caused by a retro virus that mites carry. So, sometimes mites will carry this virus and spread it to your collection. IBD is only effected by pythons and boas. IBD and RI can definitely both spread quickly through a collection, so this is why properly quarantining your incoming pets is best to do just in case. Even though you think your snake may not even carry anything, there are still possible chances of the spread of disease and parasites (internal and/or external).

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Which is why you work with your established collection first and new addition second, and once you worked with your new addition you do not go back to your established collection.

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Definitely agree with Deborah. Always when you have your newest collection you always do things for them last such as handling, feeding, cleaning (especially), and so on. Just so any animals in the new collection cannot spread anything to your established collection.

Well, an extra 500r would be a great investment. At this rate (getting a third snake) you will probably be getting more (just like potato chips!). It will be used at some point and a 500r can only take two heating devices.

Maybe you could get a nice thermostat like a johnsons or ranco and then use the 500r for quarantine? That might work out better. :)

Quarantine may seem silly, but tell that to people who didn't use it and lost 90% of their collection due to a lethal virus. It really isn't worth the risk. You may just have two snakes right now but I know it would be heartbreaking for you to loose all three, rather than just one. It is just a precaution, but a very important one.

earlier this year i picked up a spider ball at an expo. very nice snake. i was not expecting to pick one up but it happened. normally i quarantine my new balls but this time i didn't have the luxury. i was redoing the only rooms in my home that i can keep my snakes in. thus i was not expecting to buy at that time. this forced me to keep them in the same room.
i carefully monitored my snakes every day. i always keep them all on paper towel as well so i figured hopefully i will catch anything right away and fix the problem. the spider ball i bought looked healthy but was a very problematic feeder. i thought it was just that. maybe one month later i found mites. not on the spider but on one of my other snakes. within one day i was able to see it had already spread to at least 5 or 6 others. ( once they are noticeable, expect there to be hundreds more that you cannot see.)considering i only had ten at the time. that's pretty bad. in retro spec i guess its good that i only had ten because i now had to treat ten snakes, their bins, my rack, their water dishes , hides, etc. etc.... not just once but you are supposed to do a follow up as well. this takes time as well as adds unnecessary stress to them..
thank god it was only mites. if it was an air born disease i would be crying over the vet bills or worse yet the possible loss of one of my beloved snakes. and still i am worried that the spider doesnt have any thing internal that the mites may have tranfered from him to the others through their bites.
never again will i leave it up to chance. be careful and best of luck with whatever you decide.