Quote Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion View Post
Then there's the fact that so LITTLE is known of these viruses. It's unknown whether a recovered snake could harbor the virus in its body, and there are several different families of viruses causing similar symptoms out there.

Step 1) If a snake dies of an RI, get a necropsy done--by an EXPERIENCED reptile vet. Have it shipped if you have to. You want to know what caused that death, not have a guess. Some of the viral illnesses can only be diagnosed postmortem, and only by someone who knows what to look for.

Step 2) If you have a snake come down with a viral RI, inform the person you got it from, immediately. Some of these illnesses can incubate for up to 10 months, and that person may have had the animal in their own hands for less time than that--your notification could alert them to a viral RI problem and allow them to isolate any animals that may have had contact with the infected one. It will also allow them to contact anyone they've sold an animal that may have been infected to. (We know some people are not ethical enough to do this, but some are).

Step 3) Isolate sick animals, and isolate animals that may have been exposed. Clean with bleach and disinfectants made to kill things like Newcastle's Disease in poultry. The risk of chemical exposure is less than the risk from the virus--rinse well, but use the strong stuff.

Step 4) Sell nothing that may even remotely have been exposed, until your collection is virus-free for 1 year. Never sell recovered animals, and keep them isolated--it is unknown whether they may be asymptomatic carriers. There has been no verified incidence of that, but it's not worth the risk.

We see these stories coming through over and over again...quarantine new animals for 1 year, not for 3 months, not for 6 months...for the maximum recorded incubation time for these viral RIs. These diseases couldn't proliferate the way they are if people used proper quarantine procedures.
Excellent suggestions.