Quarantining

[andrew5859]

Everyone always says to quarantine your new gecko, which is obviously the safest and best thing to do but I want to know why?

If you (say you are the breeder) sells a perfectly healthy say 1 year old adult to someone that is putting it in a newly setup, never been used cage,by itself is it really necessary to quarantine?

I guess im just trying to figure out why you would need to if you knew the gecko was healthy in the first place and it was going to be by itself.

Why would you need to if if was healthy but was going with another leo?

Im sure this is just a simple answer as always quarantine new pets, I just want to know why!

Thanks!

 

[TokayKeeper]

Zoonotic disease, or diseases that can be spread from animal to human and vice versa.

Accidents do happen too. Best example I can give was a trans-pecos ratsnake that went through 2 rounds of tapeworm medication when I worked at a museum. A couple snakes in out collection came back positive for pinworm after a student employee didn't thoroughly clean water bowls, didn't clean their hands, and then mixed water bowls into other snakes' cages, so I had fecals on everyone tested. The suboc (t-p rat) came back positive for pinworms, coccidia, and tapeworm. I ran second and third fecals (floats and smears) on other snakes looking for coccidia and tapeworm when he came back positive on those for his first fecal. Everyone came back clear and was treated for pinworms. The suboc was treated for all 3. After treatment I had a 2nd fecal run. He came back clear. I was talkiung to Kelli about this and Steve (her husband who works for Ft Worth Zoo) suggested I get another fecal. Meanwhile, first round of treatment took 1.5 months! 3rd fecal came back positive for tapeworm again! Another month and a half round of droncit. I ran 4th and 5th fecals on him and finally had him clear after about 6 months of treatment, from initial fecal check to final 5th fecal.

Insect prey can also transmit parasites and disease to our geckos, and other species. So as a whole it is best to quarantine REGARDLESS of who you're getting the animal(s) from. Some parasites and disease can also remain within a suspended animation, waiting for the right conditions/stresses to show their ugly head. A human example of this is the Herpes Simplex Virus-1 and cold sores/fever blisters. The virus can remain dormant for months to years and can be triggered to an expressed infection when one is stressed...to name at least one trigger. The worst part isn't the visual infection though, but rather the fact that you can be shedding the virus (i.e., you're contagious) without showing any visual symptoms!.

 

[ajveachster]

The above is a great explanation. Here is another example.

For about 2 years there was a shortage of crickets because something unknown started killing them off. In fact some suppliers went under due to it, when some other suppliers populations were not affected as badly. Testing determined the culprit was something only passed cricket to cricket, not to the animals that eat the crickets. What if it had been a different scenario, and the culprit was something that could have been passed to the animals that ate the crickets?

Regardless of how great the breeder is, if (s)he gets something bad which is not easily detected then all animals from that breeder are at risk for spreading that bad thing. A good breeder will not be offended if you quarantine anything you purchase.

 

[andrew5859]

Alright thanks just wasn't sure.
Also how long do you consider the quarantine time?