Keeping two different chams?

[SAYWIZARD]

i have a question that i hope isnt too stupid.

i am a new owner to a panther chameleon and i already own a veiled.

is there any specific safety measures i need to take as far as sanitizing
my free range branches?

can one carry a disease that can kill the other?

is this possible?

as soon as my veiled see's me holding the new cham he get jealous and wants to come out.

i would NEVER put them together of course but should i take any precautions like cleaning the branch everytime to avoid disasters.

there if course isnt any fecal matter or anything like that.

 

[Dean Pulcini]

I would think if one is wc you stand a good chance of passing a bug to the other. That's the best question of the day so far.

 

[SAYWIZARD]

I would think if one is wc you stand a good chance of passing a bug to the other. That's the best question of the day so far.

they are both CB and both 5 months old.

should i still take any precautions or do only WC chams carry illnesses that would harm each other?

 

[Dean Pulcini]

It wouldn't hurt to sanatize often if they are sharing it's just good husbandry.

 

[pssh]

It would probably be best to quarantine the new animal if you haven't already. And fecals would help determine if either have parasites that they could pass to each other.

 

[SAYWIZARD]

It would probably be best to quarantine the new animal if you haven't already. And fecals would help determine if either have parasites that they could pass to each other.

ok now im just going to sound very dumb!

im new to the game..

what does quarantine consist of?

thanks

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Quarantine means you should keep the new cham in a separate room from your current cham (and any other reptiles) for at least 45 days. While in quarantine they should have no shared equipment/decor, and you should take care of your current cham before you do anything with your new one. That way you don't take anything the new one might have and give it to your healthy veiled. The reason you do quarantine is because you have no idea what conditions the new one has been in or what it might have been exposed to. Never assume the source of a new animal uses good sanitation and only has healthy animals. Always err on the side of caution. Chams will hide any signs of illness until they are so sick they don't have the strength to anymore, so what appears to be a healthy animal could be hiding an illness or parasites that you do not want your other animals to get. And the stress of moving to a new environment could cause it to get worse. A particular infectious problem in one animal may not even be noticeable, whereas in another it could cause very bad problems. Ideally you should 2 fecal samples - one at the start of quarantine and one at the end. Intestinal parasites aren't always shedding eggs so you might miss them with just one fecal. Any parasites should be cleared before leaving quarantine. Quarantine should be done with any new animal brought into a home with other animals. It's hard to be patient for full quarantine sometimes, but it's in the best interest of all your animals. I have a trio of pygmies in quarantine currently and I really want to introduce them to my others for breeding...but must be patient!

 

[SAYWIZARD]

Quarantine means you should keep the new cham in a separate room from your current cham (and any other reptiles) for at least 45 days. While in quarantine they should have no shared equipment/decor, and you should take care of your current cham before you do anything with your new one. That way you don't take anything the new one might have and give it to your healthy veiled. The reason you do quarantine is because you have no idea what conditions the new one has been in or what it might have been exposed to. Never assume the source of a new animal uses good sanitation and only has healthy animals. Always err on the side of caution.

ok, that is exactly what i was concerned about. i will definitely NEVER let them share branches then. i rather be safe then sorry.

so i guess after 45 days he would have a clean bill of health and passed any germs he had with him from previous home. thanks a lot for the understanding.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

After quarantine if they are still nice and healthy and have clean fecal exams it's generally pretty safe. I rotate my chams (panther, veiled and jackson) in the big outdoor cage, but I've had them all for a few years so I know they're healthy and aren't going to pass anything to each other. So they share branches and stuff and I don't clean them between chams. But back when I got them they were in separate rooms until quarantine was over. Better to be safe!

 

[pssh]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about them being rotated in a free range after you do a quarantine and some fecals. Once you are sure they are healthy, they probably wont be passing anything between each other. It's annoying to wait, especially when you only have two, but it's worth it to make sure everyone is and stays healthy.

 

[SAYWIZARD]

After quarantine if they are still nice and healthy and have clean fecal exams it's generally pretty safe. I rotate my chams (panther, veiled and jackson) in the big outdoor cage, but I've had them all for a few years so I know they're healthy and aren't going to pass anything to each other. So they share branches and stuff and I don't clean them between chams. But back when I got them they were in separate rooms until quarantine was over. Better to be safe!

ok yes i love my guys too much to mess up over something so easy to avoid. i will do ANYTHING it takes to make sure they live the healthiest longest life possible no matter how inconvenient it may be.

i am pretty glad i asked this because i was holding both my boys right after each other. only sanitizing my hands. but i only had my new guy 5 days... so far so good!

 

[SAYWIZARD]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about them being rotated in a free range after you do a quarantine and some fecals. Once you are sure they are healthy, they probably wont be passing anything between each other. It's annoying to wait, especially when you only have two, but it's worth it to make sure everyone is and stays healthy.

agreed, now as far as fecals go im pretty much looking for bugs right?

when comparing them to my veiled they appear the same and always are consistant. haven't noticed anything odd.

 

[pssh]

If you dont have a microscope of your own, I would just bring the poop into the vets and have them perform the fecals. Obviously any parasites that you can see are bad, but there are eggs and other nasties that you wont be able to see with your eyes unless you have microscope vision.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

No a fecal exam is a microscopic examination looking for parasite eggs. Needs to be done by a vet as you won't be able to see anything just looking at the feces.

 

[SAYWIZARD]

No a fecal exam is a microscopic examination looking for parasite eggs. Needs to be done by a vet as you won't be able to see anything just looking at the feces.

ok looks like the first vet bill but better it be volunteered than emergency

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

ok looks like the first vet bill but better it be volunteered than emergency

Very true!