Quarantine

[JohnnyMurderus]

wow thanks for taking the time to post this. sorry to hear about your 2 baby beardys. I've always cup fed all my lizards just due to the fact of how annoying it is to get loose crickets.

 

[Dave Bull]

wow thanks for taking the time to post this. sorry to hear about your 2 baby beardys. I've always cup fed all my lizards just due to the fact of how annoying it is to get loose crickets.

I have a cricket feeder with tubes. Take the tube out put it in refrigerater for 5 min they go to sleep. Then you can tap out how many you want to feed,into cup. Saves having to chase them round yer house . They then come back to life in the enclosure

 

[Stoneleon]

I have a cricket feeder with tubes. Take the tube out put it in refrigerater for 5 min they go to sleep. Then you can tap out how many you want to feed,into cup. Saves having to chase them round yer house . They then come back to life in the enclosure

I have read on here of people just removing the hind legs but I have never heard of this tactic I am gonna try it if I find myself dealin with adventurous crickets

 

[griddle]

This was a great post, it's always good to learn more and more about keeping chams especially with new additions. People forget even buying from reputable breeders is not a sure way to know that your cham is not infected with parasites. I have witnessed a cham that was bought from a very reputable breeder infected with parasites that were found after a sudden decline in health then died and after an autopsy he was found to be ridden with parasites. My buddy then had to treat his entire colony just in case. I have been handling chams for only 3 years so I am happy that members take the time to post informative information like this. My question is what do you think the best treatment is for Chams? Reptaid is the most common to my knowledge.

 

[rickyvc]

than you i will remember the qarintining imfo

 

[PantherPerfections]

mhm mhm mhmm

 

[redline]

Thank you for the information.. Waiting on some baby from a friend and this information is very useful. Thank you for taking ur time and guiding unexperienced owner like me, as well introducing pointer to those that have then.
Fredy

 

[sjt]

It doesn't matter if its CB or WC or even a LTC reptile that you bring into your collection"

What do these abbreviations mean, please?

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

What do these abbreviations mean, please?

CB - captive bred
WC - wild caught
LTC - long term captive

 

[SMCNARY]

Quarantine procedures are mainly used to prevent the introduction of pathogens into a pre-existing population of animals while allowing the health of a new one to be accessed and treated if necessary.

It doesn't matter if its CB or WC or even a LTC reptile that you bring into your collection, its important to quarantine a new-to-your-home critter IMHO. Failure to do so can put the reptiles you already own at risk.

If the chameleon has been in a petstore, a reptile store or at a reptile show, it could have been handled by people who have not bothered to wash their hands in between handling different reptiles. Handling one reptile and then moving on to another (especially WC's which may carry more/different bacteria to begin with) spreads the bacteria and may even spread parasites. Petstore/show employees could have handled more than one reptile/species without washing their hands in between handling each also spreading germs, etc. from one to the other. Even a breeder could have handled reptiles without proper hygiene practices....so its important to quarantine all new purchases as well as make sure that even when you go home with no new critters you wash your hands well to prevent bringing anything in to your collection.

I recommend quarantining new arrivals for several months...and even then it can sometimes be a risk when you move a new one into an area where you have your previously acquired reptiles. Its possible for the new arrivals to be carriers of a virus, for instance, that isn't affecting them but may affect others in your collection when they are exposed to it.

While they are in quarantine, I recommend looking after the reptiles that have been with you and are already out of quarantine first and then do the "new arrivals"...and I recommend not going back into the room where the one's that are out of quarantine are after you deal with the "new arrivals". Do not use equipment used for the ones in quarantine for the ones that are out of quarantine without disinfecting them first.

BTW, even when I work with ones that have been with me for quite a while (that are no longer in quarantine) I wash my hands when moving from one cage to the next.

I recommend keeping the set-up simple for the newly acquired so that its easier to observe them while you look for signs of infection, poor health, check the feces, see if the chameleon is eating and drinking.

Much of the following applies to WC chameleons although CB's can have some of these problems too.

Generally, I like to leave the internal parasite treatment until after the new arrivals have had some time to settle in (unless the chameleon is apparently suffering from them). This gives them and the parasites time to settle down/decrease in numbers before the treatment. If the parasite load is heavy, treating it can kill the chameleon. The vast amount of dead parasite bodies that the chameleon's system has to deal with all at once can result in a kind of toxic shock and death. Until the chameleon is parasite-free and the cage and furnishings cleaned out, its important to be careful that you don't touch anything that could have feces on it without precautions to prevent parasite transfer. Even allowing the chameleon to walk on you could transfer feces.

Its important that testing be done to see what parasite(s) the chameleon has rather than just using a shot-gun approach. If you just use any anti-parasite medication (shot-gun approach) you may be using it unnecessarily or you may not be treating the kind of parasites that the chameleon has or all the parasites that the chameleon has.

However, any external parasites (not usually found in chameleons) should be dealt with quickly so that they don't spread to the rest of your collection.

If there are abcesses or mouthrot or other issues (mostly in WC's) that could progress and compromise the chameleon's health (or further compromise the chameleon's health) they will also need to be dealt with ASAP. If the mouthrot is in the very early stages it might be able to be treated without a vet. If it is more serious, the "pus" should be removed from the abcess/mouthrot by a vet and the area flushed out. A culture and sensitivity test should be done to determine what antibiotic the chameleon should be put on to kill the bacteria.

Most other issues should be dealt with through a vet visit too.

One other area that might be of concern re: contamination is the eggs that come from a WC female...
I have read that salmonella can penetrate eggs and it hasn't been excluded that adenoviruses can penetrate them either...so these might be passed to the hatchlings.
--------------------------------------------
Advice from a well-known vet...
http://www.seavs.com/case_studies/lizards/chameleons.asp
"Bacterial and parasitic problems are common in chameleons. Also, concurrent unidentified viral infections may complicate both infectious and non-infectious problems. To minimize the spread of infectious disease, new chameleons should be quarantined in a separate room for a minimum of 60 days (preferably 90 days). During quarantine, several fecal samples should be collected and checked for parasites. Specimens should be observed to see if they are feeding and defecating normally (watch for signs of illness as well). The longer the new specimens are isolated, the greater the chance of identifying a problem and keeping diseases from spreading through an existing collection."

This is a keeper

 

[can33]

i like allowing my crickets to roam the cage it is a more natural feel for the chameleon and their prey should be hunted if your not using a quarantine for a new chameleon. yall were helpful cause i am about to buy a female for breeding any advice . i need a veiled female any clue where i can find a pretty girl

 

[coldbloodedAL]

Just something I feel deserves a bump...

I consistently see this ignored, and have even been guilty of not completely following through myself.

But it's quality information and can save one some major headaches!

 

[Cait0420]

Very informative thread!

 

[MattGian]

I love this post, loads of great information. Thank you for taking the time to write this up.

 

[kemack24]

Great Information! Thanks!

 

[puppypaws0123]

Quarantine procedures are mainly used to prevent the introduction of pathogens into a pre-existing population of animals while allowing the health of a new one to be accessed and treated if necessary.

It doesn't matter if its CB or WC or even a LTC reptile that you bring into your collection, its important to quarantine a new-to-your-home critter IMHO. Failure to do so can put the reptiles you already own at risk.

If the chameleon has been in a petstore, a reptile store or at a reptile show, it could have been handled by people who have not bothered to wash their hands in between handling different reptiles. Handling one reptile and then moving on to another (especially WC's which may carry more/different bacteria to begin with) spreads the bacteria and may even spread parasites. Petstore/show employees could have handled more than one reptile/species without washing their hands in between handling each also spreading germs, etc. from one to the other. Even a breeder could have handled reptiles without proper hygiene practices....so its important to quarantine all new purchases as well as make sure that even when you go home with no new critters you wash your hands well to prevent bringing anything in to your collection.

I recommend quarantining new arrivals for several months...and even then it can sometimes be a risk when you move a new one into an area where you have your previously acquired reptiles. Its possible for the new arrivals to be carriers of a virus, for instance, that isn't affecting them but may affect others in your collection when they are exposed to it.

While they are in quarantine, I recommend looking after the reptiles that have been with you and are already out of quarantine first and then do the "new arrivals"...and I recommend not going back into the room where the one's that are out of quarantine are after you deal with the "new arrivals". Do not use equipment used for the ones in quarantine for the ones that are out of quarantine without disinfecting them first.

BTW, even when I work with ones that have been with me for quite a while (that are no longer in quarantine) I wash my hands when moving from one cage to the next.

I recommend keeping the set-up simple for the newly acquired so that its easier to observe them while you look for signs of infection, poor health, check the feces, see if the chameleon is eating and drinking.

Much of the following applies to WC chameleons although CB's can have some of these problems too.

Generally, I like to leave the internal parasite treatment until after the new arrivals have had some time to settle in (unless the chameleon is apparently suffering from them). This gives them and the parasites time to settle down/decrease in numbers before the treatment. If the parasite load is heavy, treating it can kill the chameleon. The vast amount of dead parasite bodies that the chameleon's system has to deal with all at once can result in a kind of toxic shock and death. Until the chameleon is parasite-free and the cage and furnishings cleaned out, its important to be careful that you don't touch anything that could have feces on it without precautions to prevent parasite transfer. Even allowing the chameleon to walk on you could transfer feces.

Its important that testing be done to see what parasite(s) the chameleon has rather than just using a shot-gun approach. If you just use any anti-parasite medication (shot-gun approach) you may be using it unnecessarily or you may not be treating the kind of parasites that the chameleon has or all the parasites that the chameleon has.

However, any external parasites (not usually found in chameleons) should be dealt with quickly so that they don't spread to the rest of your collection.

If there are abcesses or mouthrot or other issues (mostly in WC's) that could progress and compromise the chameleon's health (or further compromise the chameleon's health) they will also need to be dealt with ASAP. If the mouthrot is in the very early stages it might be able to be treated without a vet. If it is more serious, the "pus" should be removed from the abcess/mouthrot by a vet and the area flushed out. A culture and sensitivity test should be done to determine what antibiotic the chameleon should be put on to kill the bacteria.

Most other issues should be dealt with through a vet visit too.

One other area that might be of concern re: contamination is the eggs that come from a WC female...
I have read that salmonella can penetrate eggs and it hasn't been excluded that adenoviruses can penetrate them either...so these might be passed to the hatchlings.
--------------------------------------------
Advice from a well-known vet...
http://www.seavs.com/case_studies/lizards/chameleons.asp
"Bacterial and parasitic problems are common in chameleons. Also, concurrent unidentified viral infections may complicate both infectious and non-infectious problems. To minimize the spread of infectious disease, new chameleons should be quarantined in a separate room for a minimum of 60 days (preferably 90 days). During quarantine, several fecal samples should be collected and checked for parasites. Specimens should be observed to see if they are feeding and defecating normally (watch for signs of illness as well). The longer the new specimens are isolated, the greater the chance of identifying a problem and keeping diseases from spreading through an existing collection."

Thank you very much, thats exactly the kind of help and advice im looking for.




Pets
Puppy

 

[Froike]

Froike

This is a sound practice in any type of animal husbandry. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to take my VC to the vet often. I do however, change the paper towels on his cage daily and remove all fecal material and dead insects, leaves, etc.
I also use an enzyme cleaner to sanitize anything he pooped on.

My Veiled is growing beautifully and seems to be in perfect health....so far so good. In fact, today, was the first day he came out of his cage and allowed me to pick him up without hissing/biting. He crawled up onto my shoulder and was quite content to hang out with me. It was a very rewarding experience!!!!!

 

[kinyonga]

I haven't looked at this thread for a long time. Didn't realize how many people have commented on it and appreciated it. I'm glad it's been of help tomorrow many! I hope it will continue to be.

 

[TheVeiledProphet]

1st off, I've spent time in the hole myself, so I know what I'm talking about. And it's not what you think. So get your mind out of the gutter. And I've been a lurker on this forum for a long time, so I KNOW your mind is the gutter. Don't try to convince me otherwise. Any woo , I know for a fact Extended periods of isolation are EXTREMELY unhealthy. And people. Spending time with a chameleon is Not the same as a person. That DOES not count. So just like people, they' at times are completely sick,both in the body and mind, so before you go and start talking about "quarantineing " remember what the nazi's did; let's all get out and socialize as much as we can!

 

[Chachi]

nice write up Linda!

Edit: I wanted to add that it's a good idea to manually cup feed (as in holding the cup for) the cham. This way crickets aren't running around the cage spreading excreted parasites. One of the reasons captive animals don't deal with parasites so well is a lot to do with not being out in the wild. Being in a cage means they mostly poop in one place and this creates a higher concentration of parasites. Sure we clean out cages but crickets getting loose and runing through some fresh droppings or digging in the dirt where poop has landed before can reintroduce a parasite, or increase the levels in the animal. Also chameleons like, Melleri, will (I have no idea why) aim their bottom at the feeding cup and deposit their droppings. Maybe it is to show the feeder bugs the end product of the process they are about to go through?

For this reason I hold the cup and monitor food intake as the cham eats. I also make sure no bugs get loose in the cage.

I do this w all my chams, all the time. I like to know what's going on. It rushes them a little and sometimes I have to come back around, but I like to watch them eat instead of guessing