IMPORTANT! Quarantine protocol

[Golden Gate Geckos]

IMPORTANT! I cannot stress enough how critical it is to quarantine ALL newly acquired geckos for a minimum of 30 days, but 90 days is better. It doesn't matter if you got the gecko from +++++ or a 5-star breeder. Ten years ago there was a massive epidemic of crypto which wiped out many collections, and proper quarantine protocol would have prevented an epidemic. There seemed to be less incidences for quite awhile, but now that there are so many new people to the hobby we are seeing more and more cases of crypto infections. PLEASE quarantine ALL new animals, and read my article although it may be somewhat dated, but the basic information on the parasite is still very valid:

LINK: CRYPTOSPORIDIA

 

[favrielle]

Thank you so much for bringing up this really important issue, Marcia! You're amazing!

 

[Olympus]

Not just for crypto but for any reason, really! Other parasites, infections, fungal infections, etc. It may seem like more money to have a quarantine set-up aside for new animals but it's so much better than having to replace all the cage funishings because the collection has coccidia and treat them all with several rounds of antiparasitic.

I worked at a place with a large reptile collection for a time and one time they brought in some normal ball python hatchlings. After a few days they had all died, and within a few more days the snakes in the cages around theirs were starting to die. Upon performing necropsies it was discovered that their GI tract had become necrotic! There was a chaotic scramble to disinfect absolutely everything for weeks, until the infection subsided. But it goes to show how easily a biological contaminant can put an entire collection at risk.

 

[favrielle]

Not just for crypto but for any reason, really! Other parasites, infections, fungal infections, etc. It may seem like more money to have a quarantine set-up aside for new animals but it's so much better than having to replace all the cage funishings because the collection has coccidia and treat them all with several rounds of antiparasitic.

Definitely agreed. Crypto isn't the only thing out there, even just in leopard geckos. I think the difference is that most parasites and illnesses in Leos are generally easy to treat and clean/sterilize after, while crypto is currently uncurable and harder to eliminate with common household tools and cleaners.

 

[tb144050]

I feel ironic that I clicked "like" on the original post....I just put two new arrivals in a 20Long together. All the rest of the leo's from that order are still quarantined, but I chose to house these 2 clutchmates together after they were quarantined from each other for only 2 weeks... I hope I don't regret it. :O

 

[Olympus]

Definitely agreed. Crypto isn't the only thing out there, even just in leopard geckos. I think the difference is that most parasites and illnesses in Leos are generally easy to treat and clean/sterilize after, while crypto is currently uncurable and harder to eliminate with common household tools and cleaners.

Of course! But even something like coccidia, for example, is a huge pain in the butt. Anything porous in the cage has to be thrown out altogether, everything else needs deep cleaning regularly with chemicals, the geckos themselves have to be treated probably 2-3 times with Panacur, plus all the fecals you need to do to make sure it's out of their system, etc. By the end of it, especially if you have a decent sized collection, it's a hassle and a good chunk of change.

Crypto is definitely worse, of coruse. It's just better to put new geckos (or any reptile) aside for a while to make sure they're not going to spread anything through your other pets. It's so much easier for things to transfer than people realize!

 

[favrielle]

I think *any* disease is going to be a pain-in-the-butt to manage. Some are just more complicated than others.

 

[favrielle]

Bumping this.


I purchased a gecko that soon after turned up positive for Cryptosporidium. Due to proper quarantine, the disease did NOT spread to my other animals. This is SO important.

My new motto is going to be QUARANTINE! QUARANTINE! QUARANTINE!