getting a wild caught "clean"

[andrea]

we have a national forest here in louisiana that has tons of king snakes and corn snakes. kisatchi national forest (like the kisatchi corn snake) we were planning to go there looking for snakes in the spring and i was wondering what would need to be done to any we caught before bringing them around the other snakes. i know they need to be kept quarrentined, and treated for mites. but there are internal things as well, parasites, arent there? what else would need to be done in order to keep my other snakes safe in case we find something we want to bring home. i know it is early to ask but this is end of jan. and spring here comes early hehehe. good humidity and temps in mid march.

[Lisa]

you would want to keep them in a seperate room, also you could treat them with medication for parasites, you may want to also bring them to a vet.

[Lizzy001]

YEAH....i also would think it would be best for a vet to see them, for parasites, infections or any other stuff like thatt.

[andrea]

we have a good vet here that everyone says is good with snakes. i know that he wasnt years ago cuz he couldnt do much for us with a ball python we rescued. today i know several things that would have helped us, including a bit of good advice on what to do at home, but i guess maybe, like us, he has learned a lot in the past eleven years hehehe.
do you know of anything we should ask him if we take any snakes to him in case he doesnt do much? like any products to ask him for prescriptions for or anything?

[KrokadilyanGuy3]

... You could use Panacur and flagyl for internal parasites, which you can get from drug stores, and for mites you could use olive oil a few times a week 'til you dont see any more on them (if they were there in the first place). Ticks you can just pull..
Just a couple of things..
Also, do you ever sleep? heh
Xain

[Kyle Barker]

I have no idea on your state laws but i doubt your legally allowed to collect snakes from a nation forest. You may need to get some type of permits. Personally i would leave them in the wild, but if you do catch them you may want to make sure your doing it legally:)

kyle

[andrea]

yeah, didnt see how that looked, didnt re-read it. we camp at the forest, and there is tons of forest around it that is not part of it. we camp and take pictures and stuff at the forest and the next day we go outside the protected area. nope that is like a 20,000 dollar fine from taking it from the protected area.
there is such an overabundance of kings and corns here you wouldnt believe. people find them in their closets while doing spring cleaning, in their sheds when there is the first warm day after winter, just walking through high grasses behind our houses. i could probably get a bucket full of kings out in the area behind my house and i dont even live in the country. but they are good to keep if you have them outside around your houses cuz they eat the coral snakes that are everywhere here too.
we dont have a shortage that would force you to feel they needed to stay in the wild if you could come down here and see 'em, lol. they are like pests to a lot of people. like the bloody deer everyone thinks shouldnt be shot. they come up in our backyard sometimes in the spring and tear up the flowers, and we live just off a major highway, and cause soooo many major wrecks with the logging trucks every year.

[Kyle Barker]

That sounds awsome, i wish we had that many snakes. All we have is few garters for half the year. No offense intended but i will never agree with taking native species out of the wild(unless it conservation, and yes i do realize all of our herps came from the wild). That is pretty neat that you have that many though. Would you be able to take pics? id love to see them. they come up in our backyard sometimes in the spring and tear up the flowers, and we live just off a major highway, and cause soooo many major wrecks with the logging trucks every year Are you saying the snkaes cause the accidents? Thats pretty funny, that they could cause such havoc without even knowing or caring:)

kyle

[andrea]

no no, lol, not the snakes, just before the quote you put up i had said...........
like the bloody deer everyone thinks shouldnt be shot. they come up in our backyard sometimes in the spring and tear up the flowers, and we live just off a major highway, and ............
deer do that. we have seven deer limits during deer season and lots of places around here have like a two deer limit. we have an overabundance of deer, snakes, raccoons, anything you could name. and oh god the squirrels...................lol
but yes, every spring if you go out and start pruning or anything you will find several snakes. our neighbors had a large, black mocassin (*spelling?) curled up on their windowsill. they are everywhere.
my digi cam just died right before xmas but am going to try to get another in the next few months and will have tons more pics to post.

[Kyle Barker]

Oops my bad. Ya deer do that here too, but i still love em. Cant wait for some pics:)

[Mustangrde1]

Andrea this is off my homepage but it might help you with quarantine of wild caught snakes, also in reguards to Forrest , here in florida you are allowed to collect but not sell last i checked.DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT THE GUY IN THE PET STORE TELLS YOU.Most pet store employee's know very little about Reptiles and there deceases so please to protect your animals and you.Always Quarantine. Many people have asked me about quarantines, well here is my procedure, Hope it helps.
This is the method I have found to work best for the safety of myself and well being of my animals. Remember a new animal that is not QUARANTINED can bring in unwanted pest and decease that can be fatal to your entire collection.
Remember NEVER EVER under any circumstances place a new arrival in the general population of your other animals.
First thing I want to say is remember to wash your hands before and after you handle the new arrival for both your protection and the protection of the animal. I always clean my hands with an Antibacterial Soap first then rinse with water then re-rinse with Alchol.I also use surgical gloves for handling the new arrival.

Step 1 Arrival. Inspect the container snake has arrived in for mites, tick's and any other insects.
Step 2 Inspect the snake/snakes for any mites, ticks, and crust around the cloaca and mucus around the mouth.
Step 3 Place the snake in a Bag and take to Veterinarian
Step 4 After the vet has given the snake a clean bill of health take snake and put it in a sterile plastic box with paper for substrate
Step 5 after the snake defecates take the stool sample to the vet for examination for parasites.This must be done withen the first 2 hours of defication. Clean the tank with bleach and let soak for 2 hours.
Step 6 one the 3rd day Inoculate with Flagella or some other antibiotic
Step 7 on the 7th day feed the animal
Step 8 on the 10th day inoculate with Panacure. Clean the tank again with bleach let sit for 2 hours.
Step 9 on the 17th day Feed the animal
Step 10 on the 24th day inoculate with panacure. Clean the tank again with Bleach let sit for 2 hours.
Step 11 on the 30th day take the snake to the Vet for another health check.

Remember you must clean the tank and waterbowl every day of the quarantine period I always use the 90 day quarantine method for safety and health of my collection. I suggest using a dishwasher for the cleaning of the quarantine tank, water bowl and food dish and any other ornaments you may have in with the animal.

I understand this seams to be an extreme amount of work and detail but if you have a large collection the cost of not being careful in monetary value can be in the thousands of dollars. Now think of the psychological impact on you and your family at the loss of a pet.
In my opinion the cost and time taken to protect both you and your animal is well worth it in the long run. Keeping in mind these animals can lead a long and productive life if taken care of properly from day one.


this might help

[andrea]

thanks a bunch, gonna print that out and keep it.
i think i'll phone the parks bureau and see what they say

[tHeGiNo]

we dont have a shortage that would force you to feel they needed to stay in the wild if you could come down here and see 'em, lol. they are like pests to a lot of people. like the bloody deer everyone thinks shouldnt be shot. they come up in our backyard sometimes in the spring and tear up the flowers, and we live just off a major highway, and cause soooo many major wrecks with the logging trucks every year.

LoL no offense but I think that was a kinda mean thing to say. I mean we are taking down the poor deers home. Maybe if we didn't cut down their forest would they be populating on our highways :)

[andrea]

survival of the fittest, man!
hehehe

[dm101081]

Originally posted by andrea
survival of the fittest, man!
hehehe

Does that mean I have the right to kill you???