Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a female r.o. that shows signs of having crypto.She has been regurging for a month or so.I've tried smaller meals etc.She now is showing some mid body swelling previously mentioned.The problem here is,the local vet. sux unless you have horses or cows.How contagious is this stuff?? Thanks! Jeff

Crypto is VERY contagious...but you bred your own and didn't have it before so I wouldn't think it was crypto unless you got some new snake(s) that introduced it........but then that one should exhibit it also....

Ralph,I don't really think it's crypto either but,the symptoms I've noticed match what I've heard.The snake in question is the mother to my r.o. babies.Have you ever heard of worms causing a swelling in the mid section?The bulge actually has a mushy feel to it,it isn't hard or anything.I've had this girl since she was a baby and have not had any trouble with her until this summer around the time her eggs hatched.She has held down meals off and on however. Jeff

There's no cure for Cryptosporidiosis. It is also highy contagious. Crypto is being reported more frequently every year in snakes. A swelling of the animal may appear near the mid-point of its body. Clinically affected animals regurgitate food within a few days of feeding. There is no proven treatment for this disease. Any suspect snake should be quarantined and any materials should be disinfected before transfer from cage to cage.

Tim

Third Eye

also, the digestive tract is affected and any meals that get passed in the beginning, are "cottage cheese" looking, like they were not processed correctly.
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****Misty****

www.sneakyserpents.com

"I try to take one day at a time but sometimes several days attack me at once"

treatment that I know of which has shown good results in clearing the organism in reptiles. The drug of choice is called hyperimmune bovine colostrum, and it apparently cleared crypto in at least 50% of the snakes studied. It was written up by Cranfield and Graczyk in 1999. It's very preliminary, but it does appear to work.

And I know that many snakes can carry and shed the organism, but don't necessarily become clinically ill. There was another study, I believe, at the Baltimore Zoo, where many, many snakes were carriers, but very limited numbers ever died or showed signs of sickness caused by the protozoan.

One problem with detecting Cryptosporidium serpentis in snakes, is that snakes also can shed mammalian crypto (from their rodent-diet), C. parvum, I think it's called, which isn't infectious to snakes. And any good diagnostic lab should be good enough to tell the two species apart.

Hope that helps.

If your veterinarian needs to read this stuff, tell him to pull out his 2006 edition of Mader's book, NOT the 1996 edition.

Take care.

DR
Suboc.com

Jeff,..Have you tried giving it Flagyl and Panacur??? I would DEFINITELY administer these two! I think they might do the trick!

In any case, it sounds like you're running out of options FAST!

If you don't do something ASAP, I don't think the snake has much time left.

*Panacur...50-100mg/per kg body weight(repeat in 2-3 weeks)

* Flagyl...25-50 mg/per kg body weight(repeat in 14 days) I use the higher side of dose 50 mg/per kg as it is VERY well tollerated by snakes,....and so is Panacur for that matter!

hope the snake pulls through!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Have you added any snakes to your collection? Some snakes can be carriers, I believe without symptoms. So little is nown about Crypto, though. I have a realy good book on reptile parasites. I will have to read up on it. I don't want to put out false info.
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****Misty****

www.sneakyserpents.com

"I try to take one day at a time but sometimes several days attack me at once"

The only new snakes I have in my collection are a pr. of corns that I got from Ralph(thanks again Ralph!)a w/c Va. corn and a w/c Va. eastern king.This snake had already gurged before I got any of these however. Thanks!, Jeff

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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.HerpZillA.com
www.HerpHelp.com

Crypto is like a uri.... You think they have it because you saw a symptom..... Just because it sneezed doesn't mean it has a cold I understand that your snake is pretty bad off at the moment but crypto is still pretty rare and usually doesn't just pop up.
ANYWAY.... If you truly want to know if the snake has crypto call the vet and ask about an acid fast test. Any vet should at least have an idea of what this is. If the vet still has no clue, call the closest university and ask for the biology dept. Usually vets will ship samples off to colleges and universities to have the tests done. Also, crypto reproduces through spores. If it is not currently reproducing there will be no spores present. This means there is a chance of a false negative. So if it comes back negative and you still think it is crypto, try again in a few weeks. But I don't think the acid fast tests are cheap... ( I think around $50 a piece) If you think the snake is contageous freeze it.... Good luck!
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-David Harrison-
.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1. Striped Anery Corn "V" or "5".....Has two names
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
.1 Ball Python "Cleopatra"
0.0.2 Crested Geckos "Vinnie" & "Cadence"

"Have you ever tried simply turning off the T.V., sitting down with your kids... and hitting them?"

"If you think the snake is contageous freeze it..."

Freezing snakes is widely considered an inhumane method of euthanization.

Tim

Third Eye

Probably more humane then watching your entire collection slowly die off......
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-David Harrison-
.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1. Striped Anery Corn "V" or "5".....Has two names
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
.1 Ball Python "Cleopatra"
0.0.2 Crested Geckos "Vinnie" & "Cadence"

"Have you ever tried simply turning off the T.V., sitting down with your kids... and hitting them?"

"If you think the snake is contageous freeze it..."

So you'd rather freeze than quarantine it, even though you seem to think "crypto is still pretty rare and usually doesn't just pop up."?

Why wouldn't you have a vet euthanize it if it tested postively for the parasite?

Tim

jeff,
have you tried the vet you take your ferret too? i know they do reptiles and cardinal animal hospital does reptiles, but i wouldnt recommend them. i know there are 2 in the downtown richmond area.... as for the disease... no clue sorry
~kin
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~Sober Serpents~
Corns, Creamsicles, A Black Rat, Thayeri, Cal Kings, A Jungle Corn(Just A Pet), A Bearded dragon, Leopard Geckos, a Snapping turtle, and a white cheeked mud turtle