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Old 07-10-2002, 11:55 AM   #8
Gregg
Re: Gregg a self proclaimed intelligent man....

Quote:
Originally posted by abell82
like yourself should have been able to figure it out. My point(s) is/are: Yes, you are playing Russian Roulette with your snakes, and maybe you should think about quarantining new accuistions!As for being informed how much do you really know about crypto?Because it does not seem that you know all that much about it.For instance are you aware that it will not show up in a normal fecal exam?Did you know that the test for it is not all that accurate in live animals to begin with?Were you aware that it can be transmitted by you to other hosts even after washing your hands and using good husbandry techniques?Were you aware that there are two kinds of crypto (mammal and reptile)?Also how do you propose to mate one snake to another without risking infection?As you have pointed out crypto can take up to two years(or more)to kill a snake, without a quarantine....but hey, I was just offering advice you will inevitably do as you please anyway.GoodLuck!

Yes, I am aware of all of this and more; and yes, I do quarantine my new snakes. I just don't quarantine the way you and others obviously do.

Go back and read your statement above, very carefully. If I were to listen to your advice, it would be better not to have any snakes at all. Based on what you have told me so far, a 90 day quarantine in another room or building is not going to protect me, or my snakes, from cryptosporidia bacteria. So, tell me again why I should keep a new snake in a different room?

The steps I take in bringing home a new snake are the same regardless of whether I put the snake into its own separate tank, or into another room; and I'm willing to bet they are the same for you too. Now, let me repeat again what I do next, but this time, in a different order: 1) I do not handle the snake until a safe time period has elapsed. During this time, I keep the snake under observation for any outward signs of problems, cryptospodia bacteria being only one of a host of possible problems--cryptosporidium does have simptoms, you know. 2) When I do handle the snake it is to a) put it into its tank the first time, b) before and after the trip to the vet for a check up, and c)before and after the tank clean-out process. The new snake always gets its tank cleaned, water bowl filled, food, and defication removed last.

"Am I playing Russian Roulete" was a rhetorical question, and yes, "[i] will inevitably do as [i] please anyway."

Listen, there are a lot of serious problems out there. Keeping reptiles (or chickens, or rabbits, or dogs, or cats, or on and on) create additional problems, OR, increase the risk of us contracting these problems. That's one of the reasons why PETA, USHS, and other groups want to eliminate the keeping of animals "...for our entertainment." We do have to be careful and responsible with keeping pets. Where we draw the line between being careful and down right silly about it is a personal thing, I guess.

Have a good day.