What did I miss about QT?

[MrLang]

I'm trying my best to keep things as separate and 'quarantined' as I can with my new Pewter and doing the appropriate research in the process. I read the entire qt process thread and understand the reasons for everything except for the length of time people keep snakes QT'd for.

-A mite in the right temp. and with a host present will hatch in a day and be visible within a few days. They reach breeding size in ~30 days according to this mite life cycle I read.

-IBD normally onsets and makes itself known within 2 weeks but CAN lay dormant for... the snakes entire life?

-Respiratory Infections, again, usually onset and would be visible within a few days. I would speculate based on general knowledge of pathogens that it wouldn't likely lay dormant for more than 30 days.

-Sometimes a constipated snake can wait a while to poop.


So many people list having a QT setup for AT LEAST 90 days. I'm confused as to why? If a snake is on paper towels and not showing any signs of mites in any phase of their life cycle, it isn't showing IBD, it isn't showing an RI, and it poops and eats perfectly fine...

Why is it advised to extend that process 3 fold to 90 days? Is this literally just for the added security since some of you have a million snakes worth a million bucks? Did I miss something about any of the before mentioned reasons why we QT? I'm not challenging the accepted system, I'm just curious what the reasons are.

[coolballsdave]

Good thread! I'm curious to see how this one unfolds.

[Annarose15]

I think most people just go with what makes them most comfortable. I QT for 6 weeks in a different room, assuming everything appears normal with the new snake. If it was a rescue, I would do a full 90 days of healthiness before considering him/her problem-free. QT isn't just about what the animal brings in with it. I have had one BP get a mild RI weeks after I brought her into QT - too long for it to have been the "fault" of the breeder I got her from, but none of my collection was sick. Long story short, I believe the stress of moving left her open to a mild RI, which I treated with no issue. Keeping her in QT for longer than the couple of weeks allowed me to get her settled in and fully healthy, even though neither she or my collection were the direct source of her illness (she stayed in QT an additional 30 days after all symptoms cleared).

Just to be clear - If the snake has any issues, mites, etc., the clock restarts AFTER they are back to full health.

[Daybreaker]

I do the standard 3 months, though some people even QT for 6 months to over a year. Some illnesses can take awhile to show signs, and sometimes you don't catch mites right away (easier to spot them on paper towels, much harder with aspen or other substrate) so it's best to just monitor for that amount of time to see if anything questionable turns up IMO. Just better to be safe than sorry.

[Anatopism]

Obviously everybody will have different opinions on how long is adequate for QT, the longer you go the safer you are. IBD can lay dormant in a boa for years, but is typically fatal for python species, and my understanding is that if a python has been exposed, you will see symptoms within 3 months. Just because a disease or illness may lay dormant for a snake's entire life does not mean it is useless to QT, as you are giving yourself and your other snakes an opportunity to notice symptoms and avoid disaster.

Keep in mind too, that external parasites are not the only thing to look out for, and you will not always notice a single or even a small handful of mites until you do allow for the full and typical life stages. Some people treat for mites even if they don't see them, as a preventative.

There are also things like pinworms where if you do not allow enough time to observe several feedings, poops, and overall health of an animal, you might miss entirely. A new snake may be infected with pinworms, and you may QT for two weeks, but unless you do a fecal sample, you may not notice a gradual weight loss in the animal until they have been introduced to the rest of your collection.

You might notice an RI right away, but the above paragraph also applies. A lot of snakes develop symptoms very slowly, and its smart to allow for adequate observation time, so your other animals are safe.

Again... same paragraph applies... but cryptosporidium is notoriously difficult to notice/diagnose, but it can be disastrous to a reptile and your collection. Allowing for enough time to observe the overall well-being of a snake is a safeguard against crisis.

A QT period is never a guarantee, but is a necessity.