Posted by:
HappyHillbilly
at Sat Oct 20 23:15:28 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by HappyHillbilly ]
> > > I do have one negative thing to say though...
You really should have quarentined her from your other snake for a couple months before allowing them to be together.
Heh, I don't consider that a negative, especially the way you said it. I understand where you're coming from, what you mean, and that you said something out of concern for the snakes, and maybe even me. And I thank you. 
The snakes only came into contact for about 2 minutes, max. They aren't housed together, although I wouldn't hesitate to do so if i wanted to or had a need to.
You see, I'm from the old school of reptile keepers. Most of us old timers do things differently than most of the younger generation of keepers.
I don't treat a newly acquired reptile for parasites as a precaution. In fact, in almost 40yrs I haven't had to treat the first one for parasites.
I don't disinfect water bowls everytime I change the water. Still, no poor health conditions.
I don't disinfect the whole cage at every cleaning.
I've always said that if a person can't tell that a reptile has any health problems within 2 weeks, then they've still got a lot to learn. Now, please don't misunderstand me, I don't mean to be rude, or sarcastic, not at all. So please don't take it that way. That's just the way I've successfully kept reptiles, mostly snakes, for almost 40 years.
I know of people that sanitize water bowls daily, sterilize their cage daily (or at least once a week). I even know people that practically follow their reptiles around with a microscope, waiting for them to poop so they can check to see if they have any parasites from one hour to the next. For what? Let the creatures live! A healthy animal is not affected by parasites, germs, or anything other than a keeper practically wearing a surgical mask & gloves when they handle them so they don't contaminate the animals. I kid you not!
All of that disinfecting, sanitizing, sterilizing, de-parasitizing, hospitalizing, stuff is nothing but bandaids. Bandaids! Used to hold the animal together, to cover up for poor husbandry. UVB lighting: a bandaid.
If you've got good husbandry, you don't need any bandaids. I've got 3 bearded dragons that don't even know what a UVB light looks like.
If you don't keep your humidity up where it should be, you'd better use a bandaid by disinfecting the waterbowl every day. Low temperatures, inadequate amount or quality of food? You'd better sterilize your cage often.
Meet the animal's basic needs and save all that time wasted on the other, trivial, things, and spend it with your animals, enjoying them.
I'll tell you what. If you can name one thing that is guaranteed to show itself within a 3-month quarrantine period that would not show up during a 2-week quarrantine period, I'll seriously reconsider what I've been successfully doing for nearly 40 years.
Please keep in mind that I'm not being hasty with you & I mean you no disrespect.
Here's a side of humor that I feel is actually relative:
I don't quarantine the kids that come to play with my kids, either. 
Have a great day!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American
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RE: Photos of Rescued Burmese - HappyHillbilly, Sat Oct 20 23:15:28 2007