Quarantine

[OsirisRa32]

About to get a new snake from a highly reputable breeder....I am aiming for 75 day quarantine...in the same room but I have bought a negative air pressure "glove" box like you see in science labs and medical shows.

Lots and lots and lots of things are airborne....some of which can only survive outside of the body for mere seconds (HIV)...other nasties can survive for hours, and days like influenza, and many bacteria (some even years and decades...nasty little endospore forming bacteria)

And if you absolutely cannot keep them in separate rooms at least follow the order of new snakes last for anything you do. The further apart they are the better...and make sure w/e tools/equipment you use for quarantine stays for quarantine.

For me personally anything going into the negative pressure box aint ever coming out with the exception of the new animal once quarantine is completed. Once QT is complete the entire box and everything in it is getting sterilized.

[Pennstater6]

Thanks for the replies. I don't have a choice but to quarantine in the same room. I have researched and found some ways to decrease cross contamination in the same room. Any other suggestions?

[Old Sloppy]

Lots and lots and lots of things are airborne....some of which can only survive outside of the body for mere seconds (HIV)...

I agree with you completely....
I just want to add that I saw a medical show, they stated they had a petri dish ( spelling? ) sitting on a window shelf for 2 weeks and the HIV was still active........


Harry

[Ridinandreptiles]

not to threadjack, does anyone take stool samples in to be checked for disease? I usually do a 3 month standard quarantine but want to know if anyone goes extreme.

[Pennstater6]

I agree with you completely....
I just want to add that I saw a medical show, they stated they had a petri dish ( spelling? ) sitting on a window shelf for 2 weeks and the HIV was still active........


Harry

I know it is somewhat different in captive snakes but I don't freak out over germs. Sure I take precautions to not get sick but I have a immune system to take care of things. I'm sure even if HIV can stay in the environment for more than a couple of seconds that it would be in such a weakened state that a normal persons immune system could kill it. Same thing with snakes I can take all the precautions in the world but at some point the snakes immune system has to take over I can't sterilize everything.

[OsirisRa32]

I agree with you completely....
I just want to add that I saw a medical show, they stated they had a petri dish ( spelling? ) sitting on a window shelf for 2 weeks and the HIV was still active........


Harry

Yes that is certainly possible although highly unlikely. It also depends very much on what the HIV viral particles/cells were cultured with/placed on inside the petri dish.

Typically though you only see bacteria or fungus being cultured on something like a petri dish (at least in my experiences)...Viruses are usually cultured directly in live animals or eggs, or a nutrient broth of some sort typically in a test tube.

[OsirisRa32]

I know it is somewhat different in captive snakes but I don't freak out over germs. Sure I take precautions to not get sick but I have a immune system to take care of things. I'm sure even if HIV can stay in the environment for more than a couple of seconds that it would be in such a weakened state that a normal persons immune system could kill it. Same thing with snakes I can take all the precautions in the world but at some point the snakes immune system has to take over I can't sterilize everything.

Surprisingly HIV is an incredibly easily killed virus. Speaking directly to methods/modes of infection...its also a relatively hard virus to be infected by.

[Pennstater6]

Surprisingly HIV is an incredibly easily killed virus. Speaking directly to methods/modes of infection...its also a relatively hard virus to be infected by.

I was speaking about illness in general but it is interesting that such a devastating disease is easily kill when not in an infected person.

[satomi325]

not to threadjack, does anyone take stool samples in to be checked for disease? I usually do a 3 month standard quarantine but want to know if anyone goes extreme.

For parasites. I check mine mostly for parasites rather than disease. Most disease screening is through blood work.

Many of us do a once a year fecal on the entire collection. And some people do it for all of their new additions.
It's good to check, especially since a lot of people don't know what's in their feeders.
I breed my own, so all of my rats are dewormed once a year.

[Ridinandreptiles]

Satomi, how much do decals cost? Also I have never de-wormed my rodents, is that tue same process as deworming a dog?