Reptile & Amphibian Forums

how long should you quarantine new burms

At our wildlife center, we feature 6 burms that are either used for education programs or public display (not to mention many other species of herps including venomous plus raptors, mammals, etc.). So, when we take in a stray burm, they immediately go into our quarantine area for a minimum of 90 days. During that time, they are treated for mites (from the second they enter our facility no matter how "clean" they appear), taken to the vet for a check up and a fecal check done. If any ailments are noticeable, they are treated (usually RI which can be fairly easily remedied with homeopathic methods...high heat and high humidity usually does the trick with some camphor spirits mixed in...does wonders). For extreme cases, we go to antibiotics such as amikacin/baytril/etc. If, at any time, during the quarantine process, the burm/snake shows any problems, we start all over. Once 90 "healthy" days are up, we either put the burm into our permanent collection, or, adopt them out (this way, whoever adopts a burm from us is getting a healthy animal).

Rob Carmichael, Director/Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
City of Lake Forest (IL)

1.Nothing
2.Nada
3.Zilch
4.Zip
5.Zero

And that's about it. Otherwise he was very thorough.

(ha ha, gotcha Rob, didn't I?)

>>At our wildlife center, we feature 6 burms that are either used for education programs or public display (not to mention many other species of herps including venomous plus raptors, mammals, etc.). So, when we take in a stray burm, they immediately go into our quarantine area for a minimum of 90 days. During that time, they are treated for mites (from the second they enter our facility no matter how "clean" they appear), taken to the vet for a check up and a fecal check done. If any ailments are noticeable, they are treated (usually RI which can be fairly easily remedied with homeopathic methods...high heat and high humidity usually does the trick with some camphor spirits mixed in...does wonders). For extreme cases, we go to antibiotics such as amikacin/baytril/etc. If, at any time, during the quarantine process, the burm/snake shows any problems, we start all over. Once 90 "healthy" days are up, we either put the burm into our permanent collection, or, adopt them out (this way, whoever adopts a burm from us is getting a healthy animal).
>>
>>Rob Carmichael, Director/Curator
>>The Wildlife Discovery Center
>>City of Lake Forest (IL)
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It isn't "Ideas" that fail or succeed,... it is the "Systems" which are instilled to launch and sustain the idea that either fail or succeed.>[Me.]

I should have mentioned this in my original post. It is always best to service the quarantine area LAST during day to day maintenance. Even though you should scrub down after servicing this area, it just eliminates any possibility of cross contamination. But I agree with everything else you said!

It's kind of silly, but I would think everyone would know that.... but maybe not, huh? I do the same thing currently, and even take measures to do most quarantine maintainence on a different day, or at the very least, lastly as you said here. And any snakes I have in my quarantine are perfectly fine snakes that are just "new" and have to endure the 90 day "general quarantine" that all snakes must endure upon arival. But I am SO paranoid about possible viruses and or harmful germs I even wear a different pair of shoes and am constantly sterilizing door knobs and the hardwood floors. I'm even worse on the rare occasion that I have a known sick snake in the "deep quarantine" room. I am fanatical about having as little contact with that snake as possible. I just don't want any possibility of a repeat of what happened to me and my colonies in the late 80's. It was epidemic.

I have my future facility all blueprinted out and just have to obtain the right land on which to build it, but it is designed with every concievable precaution built in, even down to the air ventilation being channeled into and through the quarantine rooms and from there being blown outside, through a hepafilter system and then out to a very remote vent. This is designed to prevent ANY possibility of even an airborne agent reaching the main colonies. So in effect, all air flow is only IN to the quarantine rooms, never out. Constant vaccuum. And this air flow would also go through the levels of quarantine from "general" to "shallow" to "deep", then out. On top of that there will be a built in shower to wash off in before exiting the quarantine rooms. A different set of clothes will be worn when exiting too. There is only one door to or from these rooms, and from there these rooms are connected to one another. Even this door is placed at the furthest point from the main colonies. All of the walls and floors are all going to be painted concrete and concrete block for easy daily sterilization. Every room will have a drain in the center.

There's more, but this got ridiculously long. I hope to build this new facility before Feb or March.

>>I should have mentioned this in my original post. It is always best to service the quarantine area LAST during day to day maintenance. Even though you should scrub down after servicing this area, it just eliminates any possibility of cross contamination. But I agree with everything else you said!
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It isn't "Ideas" that fail or succeed,... it is the "Systems" which are instilled to launch and sustain the idea that either fail or succeed.>[Me.]