The quarantine process

[mikedahitman87]

So far I have two snakes in a rack with room for two more. I was thinking about getting two more in the next couple months. This QT subject has me worried. I think because of my living situation the best I can do is set up two small tubs, inside a left over RBI cage and put it in my walk-in closet.(with my clothes) My current snakes are in my bedroom.

I can take the extra precautions of using disposable gloves, separate feeding tongs, and washing my hands, but that's it. Will this be okay?

[Mochelem]

So far I have two snakes in a rack with room for two more. I was thinking about getting two more in the next couple months. This QT subject has me worried. I think because of my living situation the best I can do is set up two small tubs, inside a left over RBI cage and put it in my walk-in closet.(with my clothes) My current snakes are in my bedroom.

I can take the extra precautions of using disposable gloves, separate feeding tongs, and washing my hands, but that's it. Will this be okay?

You can only do what you can do... Having them separate is better than exposing them to your other snakes..

[jhall1468]

Another thing I'd like out of this thread is the threats we're looking out for which could take 90 days to start showing. I realize I'm doing a semi-QT process, but dont really know why

Mouth rot, septicemia, respiratory infections (RI), ticks and mites are major concerns. Amebiasis and Trichomoniasis are two VERY common parasites in snakes, although, this is typically only a concern with wild caught snakes. Blister disease if the person selling the animal had poor conditions. Inclusion body disease (IBD) is a HUGE concern with some species of boids.

There's more, but those are the most common.

[frankykeno]

Another thing to think about is why people choose not to do even the most basic of quarantine. The ones I can think of offhand are...

- they don't understand what quarantine actually is
- they think it's too complicated
- they think it requires a professional atmosphere
- they don't understand how disease transmission in snakes occurs
- they think it will cost them a lot of money or time
- they are rushing to get in more snakes/flip snakes and skip this step due to time or space constraints
- they just could care less

Hopefully this thread will help those that aren't quarantining all that well to understand why it's important, that it really doesn't cost you much in time or money and the benefits to a good QT routine make it well worth the effort.

[frankykeno]

Thanks to the wonderful contributions from our membership, this thread is now stickied. However, please keep adding in your own QT procedures or the encouragement to do a proper quarantine process with incoming snakes. This is a vital step in good snakekeeping that more newcomers need to be aware of.

[atp151415]

LMAO!!!

Show them your room

show show show!, lol i wanna see

[madmax1]

lets see your room, I'M curious, now

[hoax]

I so wanna see this room. I envision thermometers galore. Like a rack of temp-guns waiting use like battle rifles, thermostats for your thermostats......

Well maybe im getting a bit carried away here but from what i could see in the picks you have yourself a niffty little snake/music room with your cage on the sub there.

great thread I would not have thought to do half of these things. I really appreciate all the time energy and effort alot of the people on here put into helping noobs like myself.

Thanx for all the help

[blackcrystal22]

I'm working on developing quarantine procedures, but it's very difficult for me right now.
My established 'collection' isn't very established yet. I'm getting a new rack system put into my room in about a week and getting 5+ new snakes in the next two weeks. (Trust me.. after Tinley I won't be getting any snakes until at least the school year is up).


So here's what I'm going to do my best at for my new collection.
When I get my rack system put in I'm going to put my 4 new Bailey balls into it. They will be under minimal quarantine, and my other snakes in my closet. (Except for my female corn snake and boa which are a wall away.)
My snow corn I'm getting from SJS will be under a quarantine tub in a separate room (I'm not sure which room yet).

That's the best I can do for right now. I will keep the B&B balls under quarantine for 60 days along with any other animals I get at Tinley, and then move my female corn, male corn, and original ball into the rack system.

As well as washing hands, keeping refused prey separate, changing clothing, ext.

Here's my problem.
My room/closet are the only two places I can use for snakes that even slightly accommodate temperatures. I have an old house, and my brothers room (only other carpeted room) is off limits, and the rest is hardwood and extremely drafty. It can get as low as 60 degrees occasionally in the hardwood areas.

Soo, what do you guys think? It wouldn't be that big of a deal, except you keep telling me to use the thermostat probe directly on the flexwatt (which makes sense) but I can't change fluctuations by 10F when I'm asleep.. so what should I do?

:]

[reptile3]

Very good info, since I am getting a new bp, I need to do the quarantine process. It's not as hard as I thought it would be!!

Thanks for all the info everyone added!!!