correct amount of time.
How long should I quarantine my reptile?
This is a question I am asked on a regular basis and the
answer has become a lot more complicated as of late. The
reason for this is that some of the infectious diseases we
are now seeing can go for long periods of time without
showing clinical signs. For some conditions, such as
mites, a quarantine period of 90 days will be sufficient to
allow the keeper to observe for signs of infestation before
introducing the reptile into the general population. Unfor-
tunately, many of the viruses currently of concern can
take years to cause visible illness. For example, there are
cases of Sunshine virus and Bornavirus in snakes and
agamid adenovirus in some lizards, where individuals
have been testing positive for years without showing
any signs of disease. This means that they can be
spreading disease for prolonged periods without show-
ing any effects. Therefore, it may be beneficial to have
testing performed on certain individuals prior to them
leaving a quarantine situation.
With this in mind, strict quarantine procedure should be
adhered to for all individuals entering a collection, and
consideration as to how this will be achieved should be
made prior to acquiring any new animals. It is impor-
tant for reptile keepers to stay up to date on the current
recommended quarantine periods and the infectious
diseases that pose a threat to their animals.
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