Periodical Precautionary Deworming For Snakes?

[Aedryan Methyus]

I just started researching this, so this may be a dumb question. But, do you guys recommend any sort of periodical precautionary deworming for captive snakes? So far, i've found that the popular consensus seems to be, no... But, at the same time, worms seem to be the most common form of parasite found in captive snakes, so why wouldn't precautionary deworming be just as good of an idea for snakes as it is for dogs and cats?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I would have to go with no.

Proper quarantine, no cross contamination, healthy source of feeder and initial test (if you want to go that route) should/will do......at least it has for me in the past 12 years.

[Tila]

Because de-worming medicine is essentially poison. The idea is to kill the parasite but not the host. Considering healthy animals can carry a decent parasite load, I think it would be worse to poison your animal by giving it dewormer without the parasite to absorb the bulk of it and then be passed. Too high a parasite load such as tapeworm in mammals can cause things like anemia which can lead to a downward spiral, but I think most animals carry some sort of parasite load since there are so many and take it in stride when otherwise healthy.

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[Kcl]

Anything meant to kill parasites tends to be harsh on the system since parasites are much closer to vertebrates than bacteria or viruses. As such, I wouldn't expect it to be preferable to ever use it unnecessarily.

[SDA]

Medication for parasites is harsh on the system even for a healthy animal. I would not bother unless your snake is showing symptoms of a heavy parasite load. Most snakes even with parasites live asymptomatic unless their conditions change where the load can grow out of control. Using these medication outside of an infestation can actually cause more harm than good.

The only exception to this is those that sell farm or wild caught snakes who use a dose to try and prevent infestation. I don't condone this either but its the widely used practice.

Just like you don't give antibiotics unless a bacterial infection, don't give anti parasitic medication unless you have a snake that is compromised by a heavy parasite load.

Also, precautionary deworming is not standard practice for dogs and cats so any vet that does that is not doing their job.

[Sauzo]

It is normal for anything to have a certain amount of bacteria/parasites. They are kept in check by the immune system. If the immune systems gets compromised, then the germs run wild. And most medicine for reptiles is harsh and they arent something you want to just throw at them. So bottom line is no. If there is no problem, then dont create one.

If you are concerned about worms or stuff, get a fecal done. It is not invasive and will let you know if there is something running wild that needs treatment.

[cchardwick]

A lot of people use diatom powder mixed in the food for deworming animals, not sure if it would work on snakes. But I would think it's the safest option. Best to check with a vet first.

[Momokahn]

Diatomaceous earth/diatom powder is used to kill insects and parasites by lacerating the exoskeleton thus causing death by dehydration. The warning label on the product stating Do Not Breath In is on there for a reason. To lacerate from an animals esophagus to it's vent even at a microscopic level sounds like potential health issues to me.