how to quarantine if I can't have separate rooms?

[Droxalope_94]

I just got a new BP yesterday morning from a shelter that was rescued from the edge of a garden and was obviously a pet before that. shes a little thin but ate a live mouse on her first day in my home, clear eyes, clear and healthy pink mouth, no visible mites or skin lesions or anything, and healthy looking behavior. no head wobble. no wheezing or popping or gurgling when she breathes.

i was so excited that i forgot about the quarantine process and cross contamination, and used Lucie's (my only other BP i've had for a year now, who seems to be perfectly healthy, also a rescue from an abusive owner) feeding tongs, paper towels (finished the roll so it wont touch anyone anymore) and her feed box for transport.

i have not touched my other BP, Lucie, yet once i realized, and have used hand sanitizer after every single time i touch anything revolving the new BP.

my problem is, even though this new snake is in her own tub, I dont have the ability to put this newcomer in a separate room. i live in a loft with roommates who are scared of snakes. im limited to my tiny room, which doesn't even have a closet. right now the only place i have this newcomer is right below where Lucie is, a foot away or so, its the only plausible place i can put it in this room. I literally have nowhere else to put this snake!

what should I do? I'm going to wash the tongs and feed bucket in the sink with bleach today (was gonna do it anyways) and later today ill be getting paper towels and washing my hands before tending to Lucie, who needs her bedding changed.

both snakes appear perfectly healthy, but I know IBD is a crazy disease, and mites (which I dont see on either snake. Lucie was kept outdoors in a tank below the house with grass planted in it, and she never got mites!)

my apologies for not being in the best situation for these BP's I wish I could be in my own house but seeing as how I pay 1k a month just for a loft and live in key west, I can't do anything to fix my current situation, room wise.

I plan on buying a vivarium electronics rack for my snakes, it should get here in about 2 or 3 months and will be getting another BP in a few months from a hobbyist in miami.

[pretends2bnormal]

Not much you can do on your housing situation, of course.

I'd just do as much as you can to keep it separate and treat the area and surfaces between them thoroughly with a mite preventative (i.e. Provent A Mite) and both enclosures according to instructions on the package. If they are present, they can easily have spread already.

Not sure there's much you can do about airborne ones in such tight spaces except hope or possibly bring the newcomer to a vet and see if they can send bloodwork for a test of the more common types and just rule them out that way. Pretty sure I've seen a way to test for IBD mentioned before and there are probably others. If it comes back negative, you'd be in the clear for that one at least.

For the future newcomer, you may be able to request sending those same tests off before you get that one and eliminate those diseases before it comes home and focus more on possible mites. You'll need to explain carefully so as not to offend, but not having a way to QT thoroughly should be enough if it is done at your expense.

Or if you can find a friend/family member who can keep an eye in the husbandry parameters & you drop by to feed/water for the QT period in a separate house (and away from any reptiles they may have), there isn't much else that would help you here that I can think of.

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[Craiga 01453]

I have to be completely honest here. I would not add any new snakes until your living situation changes. Without proper quarantine you're putting your other snake at risk. Simply not worth it. And if all goes well this time, next time you'll be putting BOTH at risk.

I have a friend who QTd two new animals in the same room and, unfortunately, one had mites... Long story short... Both animals sadly passed away.

Simply not worth the risk in my eyes. And not fair to the established animal(s).

[pretends2bnormal]

I have to be completely honest here. I would not add any new snakes until your living situation changes. Without proper quarantine you're putting your other snake at risk. Simply not worth it. And if all goes well this time, next time you'll be putting BOTH at risk.

I have a friend who QTd two new animals in the same room and, unfortunately, one had mites... Long story short... Both animals sadly passed away.

Simply not worth the risk in my eyes. And not fair to the established animal(s).

Agreed. I approached from a "too little, too late" thought, particularly for the one already there, but avoiding it entirely on the 3rd until QT is possible is definitely the ideal way unless you find an "off-site" QT location where there are not other reptiles (i.e. friends/family) at risk. Boarding somewhere like a pet shop won't work since there are often other reptiles and new disease vectors in and out all the time.

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[Craiga 01453]

Oh, also, if you're using a separate feeding tube, I would ditch that feeding technique.

Separate feeding tubs are old-school and proven counter productive.

Using a separate feeding tub:
A) increases the likelihood of the snake refusing the meal. Moving the snake = stressing the snake. Stress = refusals.

B) increases the chance of the snake regurging it's meal due to the stress of the animal being moved after eating.

C) drastically increases your odds of being bitten. Snakes remain in feed mode for up to 24 hours or more. Moving a snake in feed mode could get you tagged, and a food strike not a defensive strike.

[Droxalope_94]

I've never had a problem with feeding in separate tubs, never been bitten by my snakes, and Lucie seems to know when its feeding time BECAUSE I put her in the feed tub. she must be able to smell the scent differences and has associated it with food. luckily Lucie is a pig and has only refused a rat that wasnt warm enough, i warmed it up right after and then she took it. she even ate on her first day in her new home after a car ride and everything.

this lil newcomer seems to be hungry enough, she took her live mouse on the same day i adopted her, after i drove her home, and then offered it to her before even putting her in her new home.
Apparently my snakes dont get as stressed as everyone elses? none of my snakes ever went off feed, even in colder months (which in key west is like, 65 degrees F)
ive never had to cast away a rat or mouse that wasnt wanted. lucky me lol

[Droxalope_94]

if the breeder im getting the 3rd one from were to quarantine him at his house in miami for 60 days in a separate room, would that be sufficient? There's no one on this island who would let me just keep their snake in their house. And since I work at a facility with a 12.5ft long burmese, theres no way ill ever take my snakes near them.

[Craiga 01453]

if the breeder im getting the 3rd one from were to quarantine him at his house in miami for 60 days in a separate room, would that be sufficient? There's no one on this island who would let me just keep their snake in their house. And since I work at a facility with a 12.5ft long burmese, theres no way ill ever take my snakes near them.

I wouldn't.

And as for the feeding tub, you're basing your experience off of a very small sample size with one animal.
The advice of ditching the feeding tub comes from experienced keepers over years with thousands upon thousands of animals.

[pretends2bnormal]

I agree with Craig. It isn't really QT if it's still with the breeder. IMO off site only works if you have a friend or family member who has no exposure to reptiles or any in the house since that is essentially a clean zone where no diseases or parasites would have been present (or would not remain present due to months without a reptile host). The breeder has previously not followed QT to keep any part of his house or facilities clean enough from his other animals to serve for QT.

Essentially, his whole house would have been exposed to anything he might have in his collection anyway due to him going home or around his house without fully decontaminating himself first. Some diseases can survive a few months without a host and could easily be present when now being occupied for "QT".

Unless you're willing to risk the death of your original snake, the current new one, AND this third one, that's not a workable plan. And honestly, if you're okay casually risking their deaths or spreading diseases like that, then that would make me think of you as an irresponsible pet owner.

Also, yes... 1 snake may do fine for years with a feeding box, but you're talking about new snakes who can have very different temperaments. A snake offered live, especially having possibly not eaten in a while due to being loose, is highly likely to eat regardless of where it is, but this likely won't repeat indefinitely, especially when transitioning to F/T.
A feeding tub has known risks and 0 benefits, so why do it? Maybe you'll never experience the risks, but without benefit there's no reason TO do it that way even if it were risk-free. It takes effort to do, has no benefits, and can have major risks... sounds like a no-brainer to NOT do to me.

When I initially read the post, I thought the box referred to was the kind used to transport a live feeder home from the store to he fed off, not to put the snake into to eat.

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[WhompingWillow]

While I own a home, it unfortunately does not have a million extra rooms for my collection of snakes (I wish!). I've had to deal with mites a couple of times, unfortunately, and now pre-treat all animals/enclosures for mites, which has helped tremendously.

So given the realistic constraints of space when housing multiple animals, just remember to follow common sense practices: Pre-treat enclosures/animals. Wash hands/change clothes between handling or handle on separate days. Don't share decor/supplies.