Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I picked up an adult trio of these at a reptile show this past saturday for next to nothing. All the info I could get from the seller is that he got them on accident from a shipment, they are wild caught, they have been in the country for about a month, they have not been treated for parasites and they are eating live mice. At any rate I have always liked them so I picked them up. I currently have all of them housed together in a 100 gallon aguarium in the mid 80s and about 90% humidity. They seem to be doing fine but then again its only been a day.
My question is should I treat them for parasites and if so what do others with more experiance recommend as a cource for treatment? I have no problem taking them to the vet but if I do I want to know what to expect and what to ask for. Are there are any good current care sheets out ther for these guys? I did not find much myself.
Thanks for any feedback as this is my first attempt with these guys and I want to make sure I am providing them with everything I can to make the transition as stress free as possible for them.
I would take pictures but I am just going to let them be for a week or so.

Allen Sheehan

Some vets will do a fecal exam without having to see the snakes. This would involve taking snake poop into the vet's office for a look under a microscope. The parasite eggs in the fecal matter can be identified and proper treatment can then be administered.

You'd be better off housing the snakes separately, in case different ones are carrying different parasites. This would be a standard quarantine protocol.

There is no "cure all" agent that kills every type of parasite - different parasites sometimes require different agents to eradicate them.

Snakes are generally treated until fecal exams indicate that they are parasite-free.

Tim

Yea I agree with seperating them. I have them going in there own tubs in a few hours as I want to try and feed them tonight. I will give my vet a call and go from there.

Thanks
Allen

I love these snakes and I wish I could give you great news but the truth is that these snakes when imported usually have a parasite load. On top of that they are very nervous and high strung which can add to the problem by way of stress. They should at minimum be treated with Panicure and Flagyl which is what is often called the shot gun aproach. But a qualified vet will know exactly what treatment to give. It would be best to house separately if possible but they each require large cages. These are very arboreal snakes and need plenty of room and branches and hiding spots. The two that I had did good for a couple months then one started refusing food and getting thin, Then the other started doing the same. Good Luck, oh and if you haven't already found out, they are quite nippy and have a far reach, lol!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Yea I have read lots of articles indicating they do not like to eat, carry loads of bugs, and are mean as hell. I have each of them seperated into large tall cages with lots of branches, good heat and plenty of humidity. They are all at the very tops of there cages hanging out on the branches. I was only able to get one of the three to take a live mouse, I will try again this weekend after they have had more time to settle in. I went as far as to drape towels over the cages so they cant see anyone moving around outside there cage to help them feel a little more secure. I may bug you later if I run into any problems. My first goal is to get them debugged and get them all to at least eat something.

Allen

See my post on the Asian Rat Snake Forum. I strongly recommend multiple hides..one up high and one on the ground. Thawed mice/rat pups placed in the hides are usually eaten w/gusto. They are VERY prone to UR maladys so have Baytril at the ready. People tend to keep them too humid..which can result in the afore mentioned UR issues. 50% is fine w/a spike when opaque.

They are famous for crashing as an earlier respondent noted. A minimum of 3 cycles of Panacur/Flagyl will be needed. I have an F2 female due to drop her eggs w/in 3 weeks so I'm pumped! Good Luck..

Bill