Trichomonads are flagellate protozoan parasites that are fairly common in wild snakes. Small numbers are easily tolerated by these wild snakes, but the stress of captivity and changes this causes in captive snakes physiology and intestinal flora can allow Trics to sometimes multiply to very large numbers. It would take a major infection of these to cause symptoms that you describe, and you would most likely also be seeing diarrhea and loss of appetite with this python if that were the case.

Somewhere along the line this snake was exposed in some manner to another reptile or reptiles cage that was infected with Trichomonads. I remember checking imported pythons in the 70's and early 80's for Trics and most had them. They didn't seem to cause them any issues, and two or three doses of Flagyl (metronidazole) spaced 5 days apart usually cleared them up. I am a little confused about the comment that there is a level of where they "should be", especially in a captive born python. What drug is being used to treat this fuscus?

Kelly

[ Hide Replies ]

• Tricamonads? - HogBilly, Sun Jul 19 13:32:41 2009
• Trichomonad infections........ - Kelly_Haller, Tue Jul 21 00:05:01 2009
• RE: Trichomonad infections........ - HogBilly, Tue Jul 21 00:16:34 2009
• RE: Trichomonad infections........ - Rich Crowley, Tue Jul 21 09:44:17 2009
• RE: Trichomonad infections........ - HogBilly, Tue Jul 21 10:16:31 2009
• Thanks Rich, that explains a lot. n/p - Kelly_Haller, Tue Jul 21 17:38:56 2009
• RE: Trichomonad infections........ - jaykis, Wed Jul 22 14:57:34 2009