• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Slapped by a dose of reality. Please read!

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww that's really sad, but what EXACTLY is crypto??? and *soft* don't use 'destroy' for puttin animals to sleep it sounds really cold or maybe i'm just overly-emotional towards animals *shrugs*:(


Rach:(
 
CAV

I've never encountered crypto, but have researched up on it quite a bit, and as Darin said, it looks likely you'll find another diagnosis. :) For what it's worth, I mentioned and showed this thread to a friend who is good pals with Dick Bartlett (who actually lived in my neighborhood and I never knew it!:eek: ) and his advice was "unless they are healthy as horses, brumate them!" While Dick teased him for brumating breeder corns to begin with, he had great results (compared with nursing them along) brumating unknown caused non-feeders, regurgers, <even some at a less than healthy weight to put down>, and even had a thermostat put on a 'fridge for that purpose.
Not suggesting this out of experience, just food for thought. I lost 4 of 5 problem regurgers I bought late last season and wish I had tried. :(
Best wishes and keep us informed.
 
I have now had two straight weeks without a single problem. This means that Crypto is officially out of the picture as the cause. Even the vet is stumped.

I'M RELIEVED TO SAY THE LEAST!

Probably will never know the true cause. Without the cause, lessons learned and corrective actions are much harder to come-by.

I did implement the following changes to my husbandry practices:
1. Increased quarantine time - A minimum of 3 month

2. "Enhanced" sterilization - Bleach and Iodine based agents will not kill all of the little nasties out there

3. Paper v. wood substrate - I am testing paper (jury is still out)

I still standby the statement "don't blindly trust anyone". There are many great folks keeping reptiles, and some shady characters looking for a quick sale. Treat each with caution when bringing new specimens into your collection.

I appreciate everyone’s kindness, support and interest during this wild roller coaster ride.
 
You mentioned "Enhanced Sterlization". I'm still in the "newbie" stage, so if bleach based dont do it, what will?
 
The vet gave me a copy of an article regarding treatment and eradication of crypto. According to this article, standard sterilization methods do not kill crypto. Survival rates continue, even at low temperatures, for months.

The only methods clinically proven to in fact kill crypto are ammonia and moist heat (~80c). I will get the article and post specific details next week.
 
Looking back, it just sounds like a bad case of stress. I really didn't mention it at first because if your vet was suspecting crypto I would have assumed he saw more signs of it than just the regurges. (Swollen stomach, abnormal feces). Hopefully, it was just that your little one was stressed out and is just getting used to it's new home.
 
Carol,

That was my first thought as well, and one of the reasons I didn't start to worry until the third meal was instantly regurged upon consumption.

When the vet conducted the examination, he palpated the snake twice. The first time, he thought there might be a hard lump, but couldn't confirm it on the second pass. He did state at the time that it was impossible to confirm crypto without a biological sample to swab. From his stand point (which I agree with) he was obligated to give me the "worst case scenario" so that I could take the necessary steps to protect the other animals in the collection.

Because I could not confirm the diagnosis, I didn't feel it was right for me to release the breeder's name or jumping on the BOI and raising a stink. Hindsight being 20/20, that was a very wise decision. ;)
 
I agree it was very wise to take the sanitary precautions and to wait before mentioning the breeder. There are just so many unsensible people out there. I hope the worst is over for your little one. Your nerves must be shot by now!
 
Sanitation article

In case anyone hasn't seen it, there is a great article in the August issue of "Reptile" magazine regarding sanitation. It discusses the importance of quarantines, sanitation and other preventative measures to ensure the safety of a collection.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top