Quarantining Reptiles

All new reptiles should be quarantined upon arrival into your home, whether they come from a friend, a well-respected breeder, a pet store, or are wild-caught (which is not suggested or condoned by us). Even if the new reptile came from the same source as your current reptile, it should still be quarantined. The purpose of quarantine is to isolate a new reptile from the animals you already have so it can be monitored for contagious disease and general health. During quarantine, the reptile should be observed for any signs of illness, and taking a l fecal sample for testing is also recommended.

The quarantine area should be as far away from the animals you already have as possible. In most situations, using a room on the opposite end of the house will work just fine.

Animals in quarantine should be handled as little as possible. The less they are handled, the less the chance of contamination. New arrivals have also been subjected to a lot of stress, so minimal handling is recommended anyway to let them settle in.

The accepted duration for quarantine varies. Some people feel comfortable with a minimum of 30 days of quarantine, others recommend that the minimum be 60 or 90 days. We recommend erring on the side of caution, especially if the reptile came from a questionable source or a location where it may have been exposed to lots of other reptiles (an expo, pet store, etc).

If any new reptile(s) come in and also enter quarantine, the “quarantine clock” should start over. If any animal in quarantine shows any signs of illness, the quarantine clock should start over once the animal(s) have been vet-checked and the illness taken care of.

The animals you already have and those in quarantine should have a completely different set of tools and supplies – different cleaning supplies, feeding tongs, spray bottles, paper towels, vitamin supplements, etc. Reptiles in quarantine should be kept simply – enclosures, dishes, and cage furniture should be easy to disinfect. Using disposable items when possible is best. Substrate should be paper towel, newspaper, or similar as it is easier to monitor for mites and irregular feces.

Any uneaten food offered to an animal in quarantine should be thrown out, never offered to any other animal.

The animals you already have should always be worked with first when it comes to cleaning and feeding and possibly handling (you should always wash your hands after those actives though, no matter what). The animals in quarantine should always be worked with afterward, starting with healthy animals, and then any animal showing signs of illness should always be worked with last. It’s a good idea to wear gloves and even a lab coat or something similar. Remember to take off any jewelry or accessories such as watches, bracelets, or rings. Clothes should be removed immediately after working with animals in quarantine and put in the laundry, or bagged until they can be washed. The animals you already have should not be handled (or visited) again until you have thoroughly cleaned yourself and what you were wearing

Even if an animal has successfully passed the time period of quarantine without any problems, if it is not eating, it should remain in quarantine. With snakes, we like to make sure that they’ve had at least two to four meals before they are considered out of quarantine.

Things to watch for when a reptile is in quarantine are it’s general appearance and behavior, defecation and urination, internal or external parasites, wheezing or gasping, irregular movements or unnatural postures, and that it is feeding properly. Weight should be monitored (measured with a reliable scale) on a weekly basis, and at least one fecal test is also recommended.

The bottom line is, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!