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RE: parasites
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by Cro on December 29, 2008
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They sure can.
Parasites can be transferred through poor husbandry practices, from an infected snake to a healthy one.
Unless a keeper is very cautious in using hooks, tongs, or, even his hands between one cage and the next, it is fairly easy for parasites to be transferred from one cage to another.
Also, captive born snakes can be born with parasites that came from the parent.
It is also possible that the cyst stage of some parsasites can be carried in the wind from one cage to another.
Best Regards
John Z
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RE: parasites
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by puffadder7 on December 29, 2008
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thanks alot, also what is the best injectable medicine, into the mice of course, too get rid of parasites, arin
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RE: parasites
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by agkistrodude on December 29, 2008
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If your feeding pre-killed mice, freezing will kill the parasites.You might want to check out the book "Understanding Reptile Parasites" by Roger J. Klingenberg. Amazon.com has it for 10 or 12 bucks. Its a good investment. Take care, Marty
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RE: parasites
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by Cro on December 29, 2008
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Arin, the book that Marty mentioned is a good one.
As far as treating snakes that have parasites, there are 3 major groups of parasites that can cause problems for snakes.
The Cestodes are Tapeworms, and are fairly uncommon.
The Nematodes are Roundworms, Pinworms, Hookworms, Lungworms, Strongyles, etc.
The Protozoans are Amoebias and Flagellates.
It is the last two groups that are of the most concern.
You really need to have a fecal sample taken by a vet, if at all possible, so that the type of parasites the animal has can be identified correctly, and then the right treatment can be used.
The most common treatment for Nematodes is Fenbendazole (Panacur), and the most common treatment for Protozoans is Metronidazole (Flagyl).
Some keepers give both of these drugs to newly imported snakes, because they assume that these snakes will likely have parasites.
The Fenbendazole (Panacur) is used in dosages of 50 to 100 mg/kg of body weight, orally, and repeated in 10 to 14 days. It is often marketed under the name Safeguard. It comes in powder form in gellatin capsuls, so you force a frozen thawed mouse to swallow a capsul with the correct dose, then feed the snake the mouse. Or, you could dissolve the powder in water, and inject that into the dead mouse, then feed the mouse to the snake.
The Metronidazole (Flagyl) is also marketed under the name Canker, and is also a capsulated powder. The usual dose is 40 to 125 mg/kg of body weight, and again would be reapeated in 10 to 14 days. Some snake are very sensitive to this product, and it should be used in lower dosages if in doubt. Indigo snakes, tricolor kingsnakes, and some rattlesnakes are known to be sensitave to it.
These products can be found at farm centers, veternarians, and online at sites like First State Vet Supply.
http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/store/index.php
Shop around online for the best prices. Some sites mark these products up 4 or 5 times.
Again, the very best thing you can do, is find a reptile friendly vet. He should be able to set up with vials of formalin to collect fecal samples. Then once you have had him identify the parasites involved, he can help you calculate the best dose for your snakes, based on their weight and health, etc. Also, if you have access to a good microscope, learing to take samples and study them yourself is not all that difficult to do, with a bit of instruction. Could be that there is a knowledgable Biology teacher at a High School or College who might help you.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards
John Z
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RE: parasites
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by agkistrodude on December 30, 2008
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Panacur, (Safeguard) can be bought at Tractor Supply stores, or most feed/farm supply stores so you don't have pay to ship it.Although they are a little more expensive so it might not save much. But you won't have to wait for it. The Safeguard Goat Wormer liquid, is the one to get. Its suspension 10%, 100mg/ml. No mixing required, just load a dosing syringe with the proper doseage and go.(syringes and dosing needles can also be bought there)Or you can inject it into a pre-killed mouse or rat before feeding. Take care, Marty
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RE: parasites
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by agkistrodude on December 30, 2008
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John, Heres a neat little tool I found a while back for figuring dosages. I've used it a few times for Baytril and checked the dosages against other sources and my own calculations, and it seems to work pretty good. Let me know what you think. Take care, Marty
http://www.sandfiredragonranch.com/tools/drug_calculator.htm
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RE: parasites
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by Cro on December 30, 2008
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Marty, that is a great calculator that you found.
Sure makes it easier than trying to convert ounces to KG !
Best Regards
John Z
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