quarantine - how long?

[drache]

an important subject, right?
we should always quarantine new animals, lest we expose the ones we're already attached to, to nasty pathogens and parasites that could potentially kill off our entire collection, or at least give us some extra work for a few months
there is debate as to how long, and for me that always depends on where the animal comes from
and I confess that there are sources that I trust so implicitly that the quarantine is over after the first feeding
there isn't usually that much grey area either, except for now where I have these lovely marcis, purchased from that very nice lady at the expo who impressed me with both the quality of her animals and her enthusiasm about the garters
since these are animals purchased at an expo, they would not ordinarily be housed with any others for at least six to eight weeks, yet part of me wants to break that rule because of the other factors

[guidofatherof5]

Having a quarantine rule that is not flexible affords you "peace of mind". The first time you don't follow your set policy and a tragedy occurs, you'll understand why you had the set policy. It's about protecting all of them. The other factors that might make you shorten that time period are truely unknown. We only have knowledge and fact about our animals history. There are many people on this forum that I trust but I will still stay with my quarantine period so that I have that "peace of mind" that we all seek.
These are just my thought. All of us should look at the rules we have set down in this area.

[infernalis]

Enthusiasm can be faked Rhea.

Best to just wait it out and avoid any heartaches.

[snakeman]

I would say 6 months at the least.

[misskris]

I'm curious. What protocol if any do you fallow while you have snakes in quarantine?

I've had/have several different types of fish, I alway's quarantine new arrivals to obeserve for things like interanl/external parasites. However, snakes are a bit different.

If there is not a vet around to examine a snake what are the sigs/sypmtoms that people should be looking for while the snake is in quarantine?

[guidofatherof5]

One of the best ways is to compared their behavior to your others. Eating, drinking, pooping.
Should be a lot of tongue flicking. Quick movements and fast reaction time. Just sitting and watching them will tell you a lot. Look for any unusual movements. I always give a good bath. Check the vent area for any swelling or dried poop. Scales at vent should lay flat. Check the area of mouth for any swollen gums or incomplete sheds. Just holding them gives you a good idea about there strength and reactions.
Hope this is what you were asking for. I'm sure others have some great advice, also.

[misskris]

Thanks Steve,

For those of us that are on our first snake and have only one, it's hard to compare behaviour. I personally had never had any interest in snakes, so I could not tell if a new snakes behaviour was/is normal or if they just have their own persanality.

Does that make any sense?

[guidofatherof5]

Makes perfect sense. You will learn the natural movement of your snakes rather quickly.
In my opinion, personality will have very little effect on that movement.

[Loren]

I try to isolate new snakes for around 3 months. Being single right now, this is easy. I can use the whole house If I feel confident about the source, it might be less, and if I am not soo confident, it might be longer.