Quarantine practices

[Susann]

I don't want to derail an existing thread further, so I'm starting a new one but will quote from the thread that started it ("Already Anticipating: Breeding").

As you guys know, I recently picked up two new additions: Vera and Amelia. Upon discussion with experienced breeders, they all said that Vera will definitely be ready by this September for breeding. Of course, I won't breed her until she has fully recovered from her issues, though. She is recovering VERY quickly. Only had her for a week, and she is already walking without limping, eye crust almost completely gone, as well as most of the shed on her feet being gone. She has one toe that I'm not sure about, so I am going to take her to the vet and see what they think I should do.

Hmm... Quarantine?

I QT the sickly or when I buy from the sketchy. Amelia is a very healthy skink and shows no signs of mites. I do have Vaseline at the top of her and Vera's cage, just in case. I waited a bit before I let them interact. Vera has not been introduced to any, and won't be for a while. I sanitize my hands before and after holding her due to her being sickly. I know the risk, and I know the risk of getting mites from a pet store product, too.

As a moderator I am always trying to look out for the best interest of animals owned by new owners and owners who haven't done their research. Since you posted a picture of an animal that you state you just received a week ago together with one of your previous skinks, for the safety of other skinks I feel the need to remind people of quarantining. I didn't state my opinions on the matter because I don't want to derail this thread either.

What I wanted to add to that though is this:
In my opinion, the need to quarantine new additions shouldn't just be limited to sickly animals or sketchy sellers. Also, quarantine isn't solely for the prevention of spreading mites. And, as others can tell you (I have no experience myself), Vaseline can be utterly ineffective at stopping mites from migrating from one place to another.

My personal quarantine practice is this: every new reptile that comes into my house goes into a separate part of my house, away from my existing reptiles, and stays there for at least 6 weeks, but sometimes up to 12. Some of my reasons for my practice:
Reptiles (like other animals as well, but let's stick with reptiles) can be carriers of harmful parasites, bacteria, and viruses, without being sickly. And carrier reptiles can come from little old, harmless housewives with very clean practices who aren't one bit sketchy. ( See what I did there? ) You can't always tell from looking at the condition of a reptile what it is, or isn't, a carrier of, just like you can't tell by looking at a person if their reptiles are carriers of something.

Dakota, when you sent me Virginia to care for last fall I quarantined her. It has nothing to do with my opinion of you or your keeping practices, nor did I think she was sick in any way. I did it to protect HER as much as to protect the rest of my collection. One of mine could've been sick but not showing symptoms yet, and the last thing I'd want is for Virginia to have gotten sick!

I do it to protect the new reptile coming in, but more than anything I do everything I can to protect the collection of reptiles I've put much time, effort, and care into; my responsibility for my highly valued animals (and I'm so not talking about monetary value!) means I do not take unnecessary risks.

I look at quarantine the same way I do seat belts: statistics may say that I do not need to wear it because my likelihood of getting in an accident is minuscule. Every time I get out of my car unharmed means that the seat belt during my trip was absolutely useless, totally unnecessary. But IF I should ever get in a situation where wearing it would be useful, it is much too late to put it on once it becomes clear that I need it. Therefore I put it on every time, just to be safer, just in case.
Most of the time quarantine is utterly unnecessary. But IF I should ever notice that it's needed, it'll be too late to quarantine at that point. So I do it every time, just to be safer, just in case.
But that's just me. I'm not saying everyone has to do it this way, but honestly, when I was new to reptiles, I hadn't even thought of the possible need to quarantine new animals, and therefore, when pictures are posted of brand new animals meeting or interacting with previously owned animals, I feel the need to point out that it's not always a wise practice...

I'd like to hear what your practices are on quarantine and your thoughts behind it.

[alichamp]

Thanks for starting this thread Susann, I have been wondering more about quarantine myself - reasons for and practical setups - as it does not seem to be included on the care sheet or FAQs (perhaps an update is warranted?).

A few of questions I have for members.

1) Susann mentions the quarantined animal should be kept in a separate area. With many homes now open plan spreading over lounge, dining and family rooms, I wonder if we can't find space in another room, how far away is far enough?

2) Are there any specifics about enclosure setup while in quarantine? For example I have heard people say they would keep on newspaper or paper towel for that period, fewer decorations, etc etc.

3) Would you use any precautionary treatments during quarantine (such as mite spray etc). The reason I ask is that I had my blotchie for almost 2 months before I saw any symptoms of mites. I am tempted to treat for mites as a precaution with a new reptile.

[Richard.C]

haveto agree,i know a lot of aussie keepers whom got animals from well respected names in the industry and didn't quarantine ended up with terrible losses

reptiles do a stella job of hiding illness till its very advanced

quarantine is a preventative measure to protect existing animals from issues from new animals being added to your collection

so its even a risk adding healthy appearing animals

Dakota aren't you housing them all in a greenhouse of some description?

you will most likely beok but never under estimate even the healthiest of animals harbouring something

another thing as susann has alluded to is all your animals were spread out in other peoples collections and have slowly been working there way back, not saying it will or has,but that opens up other avenues of infestations


alichamp,i find it wise to treat new comers for mites even if u see none,i personally even go as far as treating any I sell for mites first as well

[Susann]

1) if we can't find space in another room, how far away is far enough?

As far as possible. I know that's not helpful, but I don't know anything about distance "necessary" if they are in the same room. I would say, take the precautions you can; if the tanks are in the same room, place them as far apart as you can. You may want to handle your newcomer as little as possible until quarantine is done, and you may want to restrict the areas that the newcomer comes in contact with outside of the tank, and make sure the necessary areas are sanitizable. To protect the newcomer, if it's an area you may need to put him on, then make sure if your previously owned skink is in contact with it you wipe it down after.
To many these precautions seem ridiculous, but I'd rather do some work to be safe rather than sorry.
Do what you can. A little is better than none.

2) Are there any specifics about enclosure setup while in quarantine? For example I have heard people say they would keep on newspaper or paper towel for that period, fewer decorations, etc etc.

For the first few weeks at least I do paper towels, and minimal accessories in the tank --just so I can keep an eye on poop and clearly see anything else that may come out of, or off of, the skink. After a few weeks if all is clear and good, I usually add whatever will be in the temporary tank until quarantine is over.

3) Would you use any precautionary treatments during quarantine (such as mite spray etc). The reason I ask is that I had my blotchie for almost 2 months before I saw any symptoms of mites. I am tempted to treat for mites as a precaution with a new reptile.

I haven't done precautionary treatments, but if they're topical, I don't see great harm in taking that step.

[Bluish]

I've seen a couple of impressive collections devastated by animals being introduced without proper quarantine.
My most problematic skink was one bought from a "housewife" that had been keeping it incorrectly for a few years. When i first acquired it she appeared outwardly healthy and active, but somewhat thin. It soon became apparent that she had a nasty G.I. infection, protozoan and bacterial. that has taken nearly 18 months to correct. I hate to think what may have happened if it had spread to the rest of my collection.
I.M.E. the large parasites such as ticks, mites, and parasitic worms are generally the easiest to treat.
The biggest problems come with the microscopic bugs that can often remain below the radar until the animal is stressed. No one here seems to mention protazoa but they are possibly the most widespread source of problematic infection in reptiles.

[Susann]

The biggest problems come with the microscopic bugs that can often remain below the radar until the animal is stressed. No one here seems to mention protazoa but they are possibly the most widespread source of problematic infection in reptiles.

Absolutely. I agree 100% and this is why I get a bit distressed at the lax attitude so many here have about quarantine. And why I try to always bring it up when someone here posts about "introductions" that seem to have happened in very close proximity to acquiring the animal.
To me, it's just not worth the risk.

[splashy07]

Thank you Susann, for the best read I've had on here o far. I've seen what appeared to be normal, healthy reptiles succumb to a protozoan overload possibly brought on by the stress of transition. Reptiles do not like change, and it's not like delivering a bag of groceries from one place to another. The stress of transport could bring on maladies previously hidden even in a long term captive. New ones go in plastic bins sparsely furnished in another room, and this should be gospel.

[Teacup]

I remember reading about collections destroyed by IBD (inclusion body disease) even when people quarantined in separate rooms. Ideally, we'd all have a separate building to quarantine new additions but, practically, most of us only have the space and finances to set aside a room or two.

I keep all new animals in our back bedroom and wash all their items in a separate bathroom. I diligently wash my hands whenever I enter/exit that room. I also spray down the sink with disinfectant afterward. I am super paranoid about quarantine procedures and have kept some animals isolated for 4-5 months. If I handle a new addition, those clothes go in the laundry before I go near anyone else. It's time consuming but better that than any of the critters getting sick.

[timisimaginary]

lots of good points in this thread.

one addition that i don't think i've seen mentioned, it is generally a good idea to feed, clean, and perform maintenance on the main collection BEFORE doing so for any quarantined animals, to minimize risks of transmitting anything picked up during these tasks into the collection. while it's possible that something could be transmitted from the collection to the quarantined animal, it's not as likely. also, you'd only be infecting one additional animal that way, whereas the other way you're possible infecting multiple animals.

and of course, wash and sanitize hands and change clothes if possible once done working with either the main collection or the quarantine.

also, never recycle food. if you feed insects, and you find leftover uneaten insects in a cage, don't give them to another animals. insects can eat poop, walk through poop, and carry all kinds of nasty stuff with them to the next cage. don't return them to your insect colony either, if you have one, since they can spread the same infections there. just dispose of them.

don't share cage furnishings between animals, especially between main collection and quarantined animals, without first fully cleaning and sanitizing them.

[Jsterner666]

Hi!
I currently own a healthy BTS and I’m adopting a new one tomorrow.

He’s being rehomed from a person who says hes totally healthy, but I of course plan on quarantining him upstairs in paper towel substrate, my current skink will be downstairs.

My question is - I understand the purpose of quarantine in that it helps you to be able to see if somethings wrong with the new skink - but as some of you have stated, not every possible sickness is visible or has symptoms that I’m trained enough to notice. Is the purpose of quarantine that the sickness leaves the skinks system in that time or is the only real answer to finding if something is wrong to go to a vet to get them fully tested? I understand the general purpose of quarantine, I’m just confused as to the specific things to look for to be sure the quarantine can end or that the pet is actually 100% healthy.

I love my skink so I want to make sure I completely eliminate any risk.