Ball Python Sickness

[TheSnakeEye]

Since people are always stressing to quarantine new snakes, I thought it would be a good idea to post up some symptoms to look for when quarantining and also what illnesses to look for. All I can think off the top of my head is mites and RI's.

It is recommended to quarantine for at least 3 months. So what is it exactly that could pop up within those 3 months?

[jjmitchell]

I usually quarantine balls for 30 days unless i am suspicious or there are problems... I do qt boas for a month and then qt them another month with a baby bp in the tub with them.

[TheSnakeEye]

I usually quarantine balls for 30 days unless i am suspicious or there are problems... I do qt boas for a month and then qt them another month with a baby bp in the tub with them.

Why would you do that?

[heathers*bps]

Well, there's also internal parasites. QT for 90 days gives you a chance to make sure their feces looks normal, and anything looking alarming can be checked by a vet.
And of course you have mites and RI's as well.

[heathers*bps]

I usually quarantine balls for 30 days unless i am suspicious or there are problems... I do qt boas for a month and then qt them another month with a baby bp in the tub with them.

I am also interested in why this is done. I have never heard of it before.

[loonunit]

People are worried about Inclusion Body Diseased (IBD), or whatever it is that the many of the IBD cases have turned out to be instead. It can take several months to show, and it has killed entire collections. That what the longer QT periods are about. You should search the threads on IBD for symptoms and more info.

I always do at least a month or two, because many snakes shipped to me have had internal parasites, specifically flagellated protozoa. The stress from shipping, especially in colder weather, can bring on a bad case in an animal that originally had only a very low level of the parasite, so the breeder never knew about it. Symptoms there are loss of appetite, hiding for weeks at a time without coming out even in the evenings, sometimes runny stools. Plenty of healthy animals act like that, so you need a fecal smear to know for sure. I've had to treat 3 animals for it, two of them piebalds.

[L.West]

Since snakes are kept in separate tubs - is internal parasites something that could/would infect the others who have no immediate contact with the infected snake - just wondering.

[TheSnakeEye]

People are worried about Inclusion Body Diseased (IBD), or whatever it is that the many of the IBD cases have turned out to be instead. It can take several months to show, and it has killed entire collections. That what the longer QT periods are about. You should search the threads on IBD for symptoms and more info.

I always do at least a month or two, because many snakes shipped to me have had internal parasites, specifically flagellated protozoa. The stress from shipping, especially in colder weather, can bring on a bad case in an animal that originally had only a very low level of the parasite, so the breeder never knew about it. Symptoms there are loss of appetite, hiding for weeks at a time without coming out even in the evenings, sometimes runny stools. Plenty of healthy animals act like that, so you need a fecal smear to know for sure. I've had to treat 3 animals for it, two of them piebalds.

Yea I know about IBD, I forgot to mention it. I posted this thread as an informational thread, so people could list things to look for when quaranting snakes and what to be worried about. So keep the sickness coming.

[Homegrownscales]

Since snakes are kept in separate tubs - is internal parasites something that could/would infect the others who have no immediate contact with the infected snake - just wondering.

Yes though YOU would be the transfer. You could qt in a whole other room but if you are using the same utensils, cleaning napkin, handling feces and not disinfecting, you can transfer to other animals. I accidentally did it one year with my group of tokays. I was stupidly using the same towel during weigh ins and everyone ended up with pinworms. That taught me a giant lesson quickly.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[Vypyrz]

Why would you do that?

I am also interested in why this is done. I have never heard of it before.

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