CowBoyWay
Cocked & Unlocked member
"Parasitic Diseases...
Snakes can be hosts to a large number of parasites, representing a bewildering variety of organisms that can cause many problems.
A large number of one-celled organisms (protozoa) can cause serious diseases of the digestive, respiratory, reproductive and vascular blood and bloodstream) systems of snakes.
Flukes cause illness in the respiratory and urinary systems.
Tapeworms parasitize the digestive system.
Roundworms and related parasites inhabit the digestive tract, but their juvenile stages can cause disease to other organs (especially the lungs) during the course of their migrations.
Large numbers of mites and ticks parasitize the skin and scales of snakes, and create disease by feeding on the host's blood.
Signs of parasitism depend on the parasite and body tissue involved.
External parasites are usually easy to diagnose, though immature stages of mites may lie dormant under scales or just inside the eye cavity.
Visual inspection of the skin and scales, with or without a magnifying lens, is usually all that is necessary.
Internal parasite problems require examination of various specimens, most often blood, feces, urinary tract products, and washings from the windpipe and lungs. Special laboratory procedures are necessary to process these specimens. Microscopic examination is usually necessary.
Most parasites of pet snakes and snakes kept in zoological collections are carried with them into captivity. These snakes were either parasitized before being collected in the wild or became parasitized while being held in the generally crowded wholesale and retail channels.
Pet snakes living singly in homes are very unlikely to develop parasite problems in these relatively isolated environments.
Exceptions to this generalization include pet snakes exposed to parasitized snakes and their excretions, or to the specific organisms (called "vectors") necessary for parasites to complete their life cycles. In most cases, the vector must bite the uninfected snake for the snake to become parasitized.
It is also possible for a captive snake to become parasitized by eating certain prey species that harbor the larval stage of a given parasite.
Newly acquired snakes should be thoroughly examined and evaluated by a veterinarian for external and internal parasites as soon as possible after acquisition.
All detected parasitism's should be treated, if possible.
No snake should be introduced into a collection until it has been examined by a veterinarian and until it has been quarantined for a minimum of 8 weeks* and remains healthy during this period."
http://www.vetcity.com/Infocenter/SnakeIllness4.html
http://vetcity.com/Infocenter/Snakes.html
*(12 Weeks would be better imho.)
Snakes can be hosts to a large number of parasites, representing a bewildering variety of organisms that can cause many problems.
A large number of one-celled organisms (protozoa) can cause serious diseases of the digestive, respiratory, reproductive and vascular blood and bloodstream) systems of snakes.
Flukes cause illness in the respiratory and urinary systems.
Tapeworms parasitize the digestive system.
Roundworms and related parasites inhabit the digestive tract, but their juvenile stages can cause disease to other organs (especially the lungs) during the course of their migrations.
Large numbers of mites and ticks parasitize the skin and scales of snakes, and create disease by feeding on the host's blood.
Signs of parasitism depend on the parasite and body tissue involved.
External parasites are usually easy to diagnose, though immature stages of mites may lie dormant under scales or just inside the eye cavity.
Visual inspection of the skin and scales, with or without a magnifying lens, is usually all that is necessary.
Internal parasite problems require examination of various specimens, most often blood, feces, urinary tract products, and washings from the windpipe and lungs. Special laboratory procedures are necessary to process these specimens. Microscopic examination is usually necessary.
Most parasites of pet snakes and snakes kept in zoological collections are carried with them into captivity. These snakes were either parasitized before being collected in the wild or became parasitized while being held in the generally crowded wholesale and retail channels.
Pet snakes living singly in homes are very unlikely to develop parasite problems in these relatively isolated environments.
Exceptions to this generalization include pet snakes exposed to parasitized snakes and their excretions, or to the specific organisms (called "vectors") necessary for parasites to complete their life cycles. In most cases, the vector must bite the uninfected snake for the snake to become parasitized.
It is also possible for a captive snake to become parasitized by eating certain prey species that harbor the larval stage of a given parasite.
Newly acquired snakes should be thoroughly examined and evaluated by a veterinarian for external and internal parasites as soon as possible after acquisition.
All detected parasitism's should be treated, if possible.
No snake should be introduced into a collection until it has been examined by a veterinarian and until it has been quarantined for a minimum of 8 weeks* and remains healthy during this period."
http://www.vetcity.com/Infocenter/SnakeIllness4.html
http://vetcity.com/Infocenter/Snakes.html
*(12 Weeks would be better imho.)