Parasites are extremely common and are often an overlooked problem in captive breeding and general pet reptile collections.
It is fair to say that most reptiles brought into captivity in the United States are either farm-raised or wild caught.
Wild-caught imported animals often bear a heavy parasite burden in their natural environment while showing no signs of disease.
The stresses of captivity can cause this same animal to develop clinical disease ranging from poor reproductive performance to death.
Captivity in general causes a certain degree of stress from the mere fact that the animal has lost its ability to vary its environment and food.
The reptile now relies solely on its keeper to provide:
- A varied diet
- Water
- Environmental security
- Temperature
- Light
- Humidity
When reptiles do not have their basic needs provided, their ability to fight infection is suppressed, just as humans are with certain viruses.
Reptiles get bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections more easily in captive environments.
The purpose of this article is to discuss quarantining, disinfecting, and parasites in the captive environment in various types of reptiles.
The New Reptile Quarantine
Quarantining is the act of isolating as a precaution against diseases that are contagious.
Whether or not the new reptile is captively bred or wild caught, it should be quarantined for at least 30 days or it should have three negative fecal examinations before entering a collection.
A clinically sick animal should be kept separated regardless of its parasite status.
Wild-caught reptiles may have parasites shed in their feces for months.
A positive fecal examination for internal parasites or physical examination for external parasites necessitates that appropriate action be taken by the reptilian veterinarian and the owner to rid the animal of the parasite or parasites.
The reptile needs to be dewormed with the proper medication, also called an anthelmintic.
The owner needs to clean, meaning remove organic waste such as feces, and disinfect, meaning destroy harmful organisms such as parasites, bacteria, viruses, or fungi, the quarantine caging on a daily basis.
These quarantining procedures should be repeated for at least 30 days, and the animal should have three negative fecal examinations.
Several pitfalls can occur in the quarantine process that allow parasites to enter the “clean collection.”
Some herpetoculturists and pet owners will try to save money and use a “dewormer” that they buy from a pet store.
Some reptile owners do not have the fecal material checked by a veterinarian.
These dewormers may only rid the reptile of one type of parasite when others may be present.
Parasites enter collections this way and may result in the death of a particular animal or decreased production from the entire collection.
Another common mistake that herpetoculturists make involves trying to put the newly purchased reptile in with a potential mate in order to have quick breeding success.
This may work, but it may also backfire. This break in quarantine can be compared to Russian roulette.
Other problems that may introduce parasites into a clean collection include using the same cleansing sponges, scrubbers, buckets, or handling utensils for quarantine cages and the rest of the reptile cages.
These utensils may include:
- Snake hooks
- Tongs
- Gloves
- Water bowls
- Food bowls
When cleaning cages, the quarantine cages should be cleaned last.
Strict hygiene should be practiced by serious reptile breeders.
It is a good idea to wear rubber gloves and change them between each cage during cleaning, particularly with quarantined animals.
This is done in human medicine and should be practiced by veterinarians and serious reptile breeders as well.
At the very minimum, wash your hands between handling animals under quarantine.
Disinfection for Quarantine and the Rest of the Collection
Cleaning means removing organic debris that is obvious to the eye.
This debris may include:
- Feces
- Uric acid
- Blood
- Dead or old food items
- Various secretions
Disinfection means that the area is cleaned of organic debris and is relatively free of harmful organisms such as parasites, bacteria, fungi, or viruses.
Cages must be cleaned before they are disinfected.
Many disinfectants, such as bleach, are deactivated by organic debris.
With a quarantined animal, the cage should be cleaned daily to prevent reinfection through contaminated fecal material.
Strict hygiene should be practiced between quarantine cages and the rest of the collection.
The level of cleaning and disinfecting that needs to be done in a clean collection depends on the type of reptile owned and the amount of cage space per animal.
In other words, if the reptile can avoid the fecal material, such as a small reptile in a large cage, or if the fecal material is not watery, then the reptile is less likely to ingest the material and the cage may not need to be cleaned immediately.
Snakes will obviously need their tanks cleaned every time they defecate due to the liquid content in their urine and their bodies’ constant contact with the surface of the tank.
