Coccidia

Thanks, Twolunger. I appreciate your sharing that. I never thought of a supplier buying from others, either.

As to getting regular fecals, I realize each person’s sitiation is different, as is the size of their collection; but it’s something I won’t stop doing. I have a limited income, and I make caring for my animals a budgetary priority.

I’m in no position to raise my own, and now with the need for a variety of prey for Shadow, I absolutely have to rely on suppliers. I don’t know how some people feed road kill that they “freeze for a few months to kill the parasites”. Coccidia, and crypto for that matter, are not killed by freezing prey.

I dealt with coccidiosis when I raised chameleons and Bearded Dragons. My vet said bleach won't kill the coccidia, so she recommended using ammonia to clean all the cages. Some people use hydrogen peroxide with good results. Mice Direct found salmonella in their rodent colony some years back, and they replaced all the mice I had in the freezer. They told me they were irradiating their mice after the outbreak. I don't know if they still do that, but if so, will that kill the coccidia too? I know some people were afraid to feed irradiated mice to their snakes.

I don’t know if irradiation will kill the oocysts. I can’t remember reading anything on irradiation one way or another in relation to coccidia.