There are two popular and dangerous beliefs among reptile and amphibian enthusiasts. The first is that captive born animals are parasite and disease* free. The second is that quarantine is a service that should be provided by sellers before they sell their animals. Unfortunately neither is true.

            Captive born animals can and do carry a variety of diseases and parasites. While all diseases should warrant some concern there are a few that are very dangerous. Diseases such as IBD (inclusion body disease), ophidian paramyxovirus, and cryptosporidium to name a few are highly infectious, nearly always fatal, and capable of wiping out entire collections. In addition if the keeper of such an infected collection is an active or worse, an irresponsible seller, these diseases can be spread quickly to other collections with the same devastating results.

           Many sellers offer guarantees that their animals have been quarantined and treated for diseases. Others will claim that because they only sell captive born animals there are no risks for diseases. Statements such as these suggest to the customer that these are sellers that care about their animals and more importantly care about their customers. But these promises are very often better sales tools than they are any real assurance that you are getting a healthy animal.

            While many sellers may truly have good intentions and believe in what they are doing such promises are little comfort when a customer discovers that their newly acquired reptile has infected their established collection with a disease. In most cases the disease is nothing more than a case of mites, but in some cases it can be a very serious and even fatal disease. When something like this occurs customers very often blame the seller for selling them a sick animal. But is the seller really at fault?  

            Possibly for selling a sick animal, especially if they knew or even suspected the animal might be sick. At the very least the seller should have been informed and responsible enough to advise his customers to quarantine their animals before putting them with the rest of their collection. Beyond these two possibilities the rest of the fault lies with the customer. The customer’s established animals became infected because the customer failed to practice proper husbandry and management techniques. The customer did not quarantine their newly acquired animals before introducing them to their collection. As a result their entire collection became infected.

            Although it may seem correct to put the entire blame on the seller the reality is that each keeper is responsible for the care and welfare of their own animals. Once the animals leave the seller’s hands it is the customer that is responsible for providing proper care and husbandry. The seller cannot be held accountable for the buyer's ignorance, lack of husbandry skills, laziness, or carelessness.   

            The single most important husbandry practice for protecting your collection from unwanted disease is to quarantine and treat all your newly acquired animals. Captive born animals are granted no exceptions as they are just as likely to carry infectious diseases as wild caught animals. This practice should be used without fail each and every time you acquire a new animal regardless of its origin.

            In order for a quarantine and treatment program to be successful it must be carefully planned, ready for use before you bring home your next purchase, and then properly applied. The purpose of this article is to help you be properly prepared to receive your next acquisition.    
   
GETTING STARTED:

UNDERSTANDING QUARANTINES AND QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS:

          A quarantine simply refers to a period of time during which an animal or group of animals are held in isolation away from other animals in an established collection or population. This length of time is determined by the purpose or goals of the keeper.

          A protocol, by definition, is a detailed plan of a scientific or medical experiment, treatment, or procedure.

          A "quarantine protocol" is a detailed plan of the quarantine. In this situation the protocol clearly defines the purpose, procedures, and goals of the quarantine. It defines what symptoms and diseases the keeper may observe, how long the quarantine will last, where it will be located, who will work or visit the quarantine and when. It details maintenance and husbandry procedures such as feeding, cleaning, disposal of uneaten food and trash. It will also list and define procedures to be used by the keeper to diagnosis any potential problems. This may include procedures such as the use of X-rays, sonograms, blood and fecal sampling, medical treatments, behavioral observations and modifications, as well as any other issues or concerns of the keeper.

          Because it is up to the keeper to define his individual concerns quarantines can vary tremendously. A keeper that is only concerned with making sure the animal is feeding and acclimated may decided that 10 or 15 days with no sampling, testing or technical procedures is sufficient to achieve his goal. Another keeper that is concerned with mites may decided that close observation for 45 days and 2 thorough treatments for mites are required to achieve his goal. A keeper that is concerned with a dangerous disease such as IBD (inclusion body disease) may quarantine his animals for 180 days or longer. Another keeper (or facility such as a zoo) may require a detailed physical and behavioral evaluation. This may include detailed observations, behavioral testing and sampling, X-rays, fecals, blood work, cultures, and other medical procedures and may require 6 months or more to complete.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF QUARANTINE:
        
          The first and often only purpose of quarantine is to protect a keeper's established collection from unwanted diseases that may possibly be carried by the newly acquired animals. This is accomplished by holding the new animals in isolation for a specified period of time away from the established collection. This time period is generally determined by the longest length of time required to incubate or complete the life cycle of the diseases that are known to infect the species being quarantined.  

        The second purpose of quarantine when possible and if the keeper chooses to do so is to treat the newly acquired animals for any diseases with which they may be infected. Most diseases can be treated rather easily, but occasionally a keeper may come across a difficult case that requires a great deal more attention. There may also be those rare cases when the only humane and responsible thing to do is euthanize an infected animal. It is better to lose a few animals in quarantine than an entire collection of animals to which you have grown attached or invested a significant amount of money and time.   

          While the quarantine must always meet its first and primary purpose of protecting the keeper's established collection the great thing about it is that it can be customized to suite the specific needs of the keepers and their animals. In addition to protecting the established collection from diseases it may also be used to observe social behaviors. This allows a keeper the ability to determine if an animal is to shy and withdrawn to be put with an aggressive group of animals or if it is too aggressive and disruptive to be put into an established and stable group of animals. It may also be used as a conditioning period to get animals to accept a particular food or be fed in a particular manner. It can be used for any purposes a keeper is creative enough to think of provided they do not compromise the integrity of the quarantine's primary purpose of protecting the established collection from diseases.      

ADVANCE RESEARCH:

          Always be prepared! So many buyers purchase animals spontaneously and know little if anything about the animal they have purchased. They see an animal that they think will make them look good on the beach or cruising around town and they buy it without any knowledge of even its most basic care. Sometimes these buyers do not even know what kind of animal they have purchased. The consequences of such poor judgement are very often fatal for the animal.

            If you are not already familiar with the species you are planning to acquire then you will need to do a little research. Aside from the normal husbandry and maintenance information you will want to know what types of problems and diseases are associated with the species. You also want to know the reason for these problems and the sources of the diseases as well as their life cycle or incubation period. Finally you will need to know what is required to treat or otherwise deal with these diseases and problems.

          In addition you may want to research the animals’ behavior so you can determine if they are socially compatible with your established animals. You may also wish to look into conditioning, handling, and restraint techniques. You may even want to consider their source or origin for the purposes of "risk assessment". If you have a greater than average reason to believe your newly acquired animal has been exposed to a contagion then you may wish to take additional care to protect your collection or even to find a new source for acquisition.

            Sources for your research may include related magazine and journal articles, the internet, local herpetological clubs, libraries, universities and zoological institutions, museums, conversations with other keepers, and your veterinarian.  

SUPPORT:

         It is important that you develop a reliable support network. These resources can provide you with information and assistance as you plan, develop, and continually improve upon your quarantine protocols as well as your general husbandry and maintenance skills. One such resource is a veterinarian.

         Veterinarians can be very helpful for any quarantine or animal collection and are almost a requirement for any serious large scale operations. They can advise and assist you with basic lab and technical procedures such as fecal sampling and medicating techniques. They can provide prescriptions for proper drugs as opposed to those "over the counter treatments" or “hand-me-down” and often expired drugs that are often used. They are equipped and trained for a variety of technical and surgical procedures that may arise from time to time. They can also give you and your quarantine some additional credibility.

          Fellow keepers are another excellent source of assistance and information. Experienced "old timers" often have a lot of tips and tricks to offer that they simply take for granted. Fellow beginners or intermediate keepers are good for comparing notes, sharing experiences and exchanging reference sources.     

          You may also want to start a library and file system. You may wish to purchase your own books and subscribe to magazines and journals related to your interest. You may find the purchases and subscriptions too expensive but there are public libraries, university libraries, and a wide variety of internet references available for reading. Keep in mind that many of the popular books and articles are written by people that breed and then sell reptiles and amphibians. This means that most of the information is going to be positive in nature (e.g. readily feeds, born tame, disease free, etc . . .). Don't be afraid to seek out the negative information as well. For example when searching on the internet instead typing into your search engine "bearded dragons as pets" try typing "bearded dragon problems" or "bearded dragon diseases." Knowing both sides of an issue or topic improves your knowledge and puts you in a much better position to deal with potential problems when they arise. Remember to keep an open mind about anything you hear or read.

            You may wish to do some additional research of your own and develop your own opinions on the proper care and husbandry of the animals you keep. You will need to develop a good record keeping system, keep notes and records as well as learn some basic pc skills. Who knows you may one day become published.    
                   
DEVELOPING YOUR PROTOCOL:

LOCATION:

        The basic rule is the greater the distance the quarantine area is from the established collection, the less likely the chance of contamination. This would make the ideal location for a quarantine a separate building located on another property several miles from the established collection. Unfortunately this is not practical for most keepers. The second choice would be an unattached garage or shed away from the building that houses the established collection. The third choice and most practical for most keepers is a distinctly separate room in the same house or building as the established collection. The rule here is to try to have a corridor such as a hall way, room, or several rooms, separating the quarantine area from the established collection.  Locations such as adjoining rooms, adjoining closets, or opposite walls in the same room are unacceptable. Just remember that a snake mite can travel approximately fifty feet in one hour. That is about the length of a small home or store.

ISOLATION:  

         Once you have established your quarantine location you will want to be sure that it is in fact isolated. The definition of isolate is "to be alone" or "to set apart from others." For quarantine purposes this definition must be expanded to include no indirect contact either. You should always follow the rule that everything that goes into quarantine stays in the quarantine until it is over.

            To accomplish this the quarantine area must have it's own cages, bowls, hiding boxes, tongs, forceps, medications, and any other tools, equipment, or supplies necessary to properly care for the animals. At no time during the quarantine period should any of these items be removed for use in your established collection. At the end of the quarantine period these items can be removed, but only after being properly cleaned and disinfected.

          This same rule also applies to food. Once it goes in quarantine it stays there until the quarantine is released or until it can be disposed of properly. If you are feeding live food and it is uneaten you will need to either keep it in a cage in the quarantine until it is eaten, humanely kill and freeze it for later use (in the quarantine), or humanely kill and dispose of it properly. Once exposed to the animals in your quarantine food should never be removed and fed to your established animals.    

            Foods, especially live foods can be potential sources for disease transmission not only during quarantine but afterwards as well. It is important that you properly store and prepare all foods. Commercial diets, fruits, and veggies should be kept and prepared to prevent spoilage or rot. Live foods, in particular those that are wild caught, can pose a dilemma for a proper quarantine protocol. Prey items such as rodents, anoles, house geckos, frogs, snakes, fish, and crickets can act as intermediate hosts for parasites and may even carry harmful bacteria or viruses. Keepers need to be sure that these live foods come from clean and healthy sources whenever possible. Some keepers prefer to feed their animals frozen/thawed prey. This is always a good practice but keep in mind that freezing live food before feeding does not always kill bacteria and parasites.

            There are several ways to deal with feeding live foods. You can plan your food requirements in advance and then quarantine and treat all the live food you will use, but in most cases this is impractical. You can take random samples from your food items and have them checked by your veterinarian. If you discover a problem you will then need to take steps to correct the problems which may include treating the food or finding other food sources. You can assume the food may be contaminated and treat it prophylactically. You can also assume the animals may have been exposed and treat them prophylactically as well. The simplest solution is simply to feed your animals and watch for any symptoms that could develop into problems and be prepared to provide treatment accordingly.

            One source of indirect contact that is often overlooked is the keeper or keepers. The ideal situation would be to have a separate employee or employees working in the quarantine. These employees would never have contact with the established collection until the quarantine animals are released. Again for most keepers this is not a practical situation. In fact most situations will require the keeper or keepers to work with both the quarantined and the established animals. As a result there is a risk of contamination. A few mites or a tick can hitch a quick ride on the clothing. Fecal matter under the fingernails, on clothing or the keeper’s hands can also transfer disease. A lapse in protocol and a snake hook, water dish or uneaten food could be transferred from the quarantine area to the collection.

            To avoid this potential risk it is important that you have a specific work schedule. It can be working in both areas on the same day starting with the established collection first and then moving to the quarantine area last. It may be having alternate work days in each area. Regardless of the schedule you choose it is important to remember that once you enter the quarantine area you cannot leave and go to your established collection. If for some reason there is a need to go to your established collection after leaving your quarantine area then you should at the very least change your clothes. I would also recommend that you shower taking care to clean you hands and fingernails.

           Remember that your quarantine area is just that, a quarantine area. It is not a trophy room where you bring all your herp buddies to show off your newest acquisitions. Keep in mind that fellow herpers can also be potential disease vectors. Although a little extreme, should their own husbandry skills be less than adequate they are a potential risk for infecting your collection or even their own collections. Some keepers simply do not allow guests to see their breeding stock and maintain a separate area or location where animals that are for sale can be viewed. Other keepers are selective about who they allow to visit their facility.     

HOW LONG TO QUARANTINE:

            The length of your quarantine is based on the species you are quarantining and your goals. If your goal is simply to be sure the animal is feeding then it could be as short as 10 days or as long as 60 based on what you feel is appropriate to say the animal is feeding properly. If you are quarantining the animals for possible disease then the minimum duration is based on the longest life cycle or incubation period of the diseases associated with the species plus some additional time to allow for variance or errors.

          There is one other thing to be aware of when calculating the length of your quarantine. Once you begin your quarantine period you can not add more animals. Should you choose to add additional animals the quarantine must be restarted and ran in full from the date the last animal arrived. For example: You start your quarantine on April 1st and have scheduled it to run until June 1st. On April 10th you receive a few additional animals and add them to your quarantine. You now must start your quarantine over as of April 10th and run it until June 10th. If you do not do this then your quarantine is invalid.

SAMPLING, TREATMENTS, AND OTHER PROCEDURES:

        The sampling, treatments, and other procedures used in your quarantine will be determined by the species and your goals. Samplings may include fecal examinations, taking blood, as well as throat, mouth, and cloacal swabs for culturing. Treatments can include the use of pesticides and a wide variety of prescription drugs. Procedures may include X-ray, sonograms and in some cases even biopsies may be required. All of these things require some knowledge and skills not to mention the tools, equipment, and other supplies. You may choose to learn these skills yourself as many keepers do but be sure you learn from an experienced fellow keeper or veterinarian. If you do not feel comfortable with learning these skills or simply have no desire to do so then you may ask a fellow herper to assist you. You may even hire an experienced keeper, veterinary technician or veterinarian to do these things for you.

         During the quarantine period it is normal to do at least two samplings. However, depending on your veterinarian's recommendations additional samples may be required. Keep in mind that a negative sample does not absolutely mean that the animal is free of disease. It can also mean that the disease was not present in sufficient numbers to get a positive reading. By repeating the sample at least once you can increase your confidence that the animal is indeed healthy.

          Once the samples have been taken and examined your veterinarian will prescribe a course of treatment. Again, depending on your skills and experience, you may require the aid of your veterinarian to assist you with some aspects of treating your animals.

          Always do your best to avoid random treatments such as treating for parasites without knowing what type of parasites or if any parasites are present. Keep in mind that some treatments are stressful and even potentially dangerous. Treating the animal randomly and then discovering that it needs to be treated again with different medications simply increases stress and the risks of harm to the animal. Treating animals with antibiotics without knowledge of which type is best suited for the particular infection you are treating is also dangerous not just to your animal but potentially to the entire herp community. Just as in humans inappropriate drugs may simply mask symptoms and eventually create a super strain of bacteria that does not respond at all to the random drugs you have used in the past. As a result keepers and veterinarians must resort to stronger, sometimes more dangerous and almost always more expensive drugs for successful treatment of the disease. All treatments, medications, and procedures should be based on proper sampling and observation. Medications should be appropriate for the type of parasites or bacteria found in the samplings and cultures.

OBSERVATION:

        Observing animals requires skill and experience which only comes with repetition. In order to properly observe your animal for abnormal behaviors and signs of illness you must first know how a normal and healthy animal appears. Fortunately you either already have experience with the subject species or you did your advance research. In addition you have your support network setup to offer assistance.

        Until you gain some experience and familiarity with the species you should keep notes of your observations. In order to properly assess your observations it is important that you record everything from just prior to, during, and immediately after the behavior you are observing. When the opportunities are available you should discuss your observations with those that are familiar with the species. Once you have a baseline of what is normal for the species you may or may not wish to limit your notes to only abnormal observations. Keep in mind that not all abnormal behaviors or symptoms are necessarily signs of illness. You will find that some abnormal behaviors are the result of things in the animal's environment. These behaviors can often be modified by making the appropriate adjustments. Other behaviors may not be so easily explained or dealt with especially in a quarantine situation.

          From your observations you will be able to determine if treatments are working, if additional procedures are required and if the animal is going to be appropriate for your collection. As I mentioned earlier you may find some animals to shy or to dominate for your needs. You may decide they are too difficult to handle or not feeding as well as you like or on what you like. Animals that are deemed unsuitable for your personal use may be sold, traded, or given away after successfully completing the quarantine.            

CLOSING THE QUARANTINE:

        Once you have reach the end of your predetermined quarantine it will be time to make decisions. You may find at the end of the quarantine there are animals not responding to their treatments. One choice is to euthanize the non responding animals and extend the quarantine to make sure the remaining animals are not carriers. The second choice is to extend the quarantine and continue treating the symptomatic animals. During this time the "healthy" animals should be closely observed to determine if they may be carriers. The third choice, especially if the disease is contagious and generally fatal is to euthanize the entire group.

          Hopefully everything has gone well and meets with your approval. If so then it is time to transfer all the animals to their permanent facilities. After the animals have been moved it will be time to thoroughly clean your quarantine area, restock supplies, and make sure it is ready for your next acquisitions.

AFTER THE QUARANTINE:

          After your quarantine period is over and all your animals are found healthy you may feel that you can relax. Depending on how active you are in herp related activities you may find that this is not the case. Keep in mind that once your animals are released from quarantine that under the right conditions they are once again at risk of being exposed to contagions. In order to protect these animals along with the animals in the rest of your collection it is important that you continue good husbandry and management practices.

          If you are an active herper and have other keepers frequently visiting you and your animals or you frequently visit other keepers, breeders, attend shows, or visit dealers and reptile shops then you must keep your guard up. If you or your visitors have been handling animals at another location then at the very least brush off your clothing well and wash your hands thoroughly before going into your animal area. If you purchase other animals, even just one, remember to quarantine. If you are selling animals at a show where animals are on the very next tables and patrons are going from one table to the next handling animals then you must quarantine these animals before retuning them to your collection. An alternative is simply to have a separate location to return the animals to that are being sold.
        
CLOSING COMMENTS:

          There are sellers that will tell you they quarantine and treat all their animals prior to sale. There are breeders that will tell you captive born animals are disease free and that all the worry and hassle regarding diseases can be avoided simply by purchasing captive born animals only. Both of these statements are nothing more than good sales pitches. Without knowing every detail of how the animal was quarantined and how it was kept after the quarantine there is no way to positively determine the health of the animal you are purchasing. As for captive bred animals being free of diseases and parasites it is so simple to disprove I am surprised that anyone would even make such an ignorant statement, especially those that claim to be skilled and knowledgeable in the field.

          If you are like most people once you purchase your first herp it will not be your last. Unfortunately as you make more acquisitions the more likely it becomes that sooner or later you are going to own a diseased herp. It may be something relatively simple such as mites or could be something as terrible as cryptospridium. I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of quarantining ALL newly acquired animals. Your animals depend on you for their good health and well being. Be smart, do the right thing, and take the time to develop and utilize a quarantine protocol to protect your collection.

                 
 
*  (Note:  parasite infections are a disease.  So throughout this article the reference to disease will include any illness caused by a virus, bacteria, fungus, stress, endoparasites, and ectoparasites.)               

          To paraphrase an old breeder saying:  "Use your head, even when you buy captive bred!"