I appreciate the feedback!



It's true we can't be 100% sure regarding illness; but we can be reasonably sure. I don't think I'm ever 100% sure about most things.....I just try and lower the odds.



With respect to quarantine time regarding boxies that appear well; I'd recommend the proposed eight week rule.



Although a wild caught boxie may seem asymptomatic; 99% of all wild boxies have pathogens. They can live with them in an open range; but that situation changes within a closed captive area (same substrate for increased contamination) and close proximity to other boxies. To further complicate things, we must consider the other variables such as STRESS; or a change in the boxies homeostasis. All that a boxie does in the wild that meets it’s needs including normal feeding, being handled, their daily walk along it’s home range, the preference for favorite foods, their breeding habits, being able to feel safe, genetic factors, and many more variables influence STRESS. As stress increases so does lowering a boxie’s immune system. That’s when we see a boxie that looked fine upon aquiring him; change over weeks in captivity. Consequently time is our best friend. We can wait six months, a year, two weeks; I proposed eight weeks for the aforementioned reasons. In conclusion one must consider, we never know which ones will be carriers that can contaminate our entire colony....



Regarding my background; I'm not a Vet Tech or studying to be a VET.



I agree that medicating a boxie is not for anyone and everyone. Decades of hands on working with them, and some degrees in the Biological Sciences, along with extensive reading, have given me a little background.



Respectfully,

Ric

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