Posted by:
willstill
at Wed May 3 12:38:03 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by willstill ]
Hello,
First of all, round worms are not a direct lifecycle parasite. Meaning, that if your snake gets them, they will not multiply and reinfect the snake with out an intermediate host. Once they die off, they will be gone, unless the cycle is continued with a host that they can breed in. Or, unless husbandry conditions are so poor that they stress the snake to the point that the immune system fails and secondary infections take over. It is not very accurate to assume that just because a rodent is alive when fed that it will pass on parasites to your snake. Many of us have been feeding live prey to our snakes for decades and have never had a problem with parasites. The situation that you are sharing is not common at all, and should not be interpreted as such.
Also, antibiotics are not used to treat roundworms, as they are not bacteria and would not be severly affected by the drugs. Panacur is a very safe antiworming medication that is used to treat nematodes (roundworms, hookworms {much worse}etc.). I think that it would be difficult to induce renal failure with panacur unless the snake was severely dehydrated and overmedicated at the same time (bad dosage bad husbandry). I do agree that the kidney failure probably was a result of poor husbandry from the previous owner. However, it is a huge stretch to say that the original problem stemmed from feeding live rats or mice. That scenerio is extremely unlikely and should not be used as evidence to argue against the feeding of live prey.
Will
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RE: whoooaaah......hold up a minute - willstill, Wed May 3 12:38:03 2006