Heavy parasite load found in ball python from Ed Clark

I don't know how many reptile parasite specialists are on this site, but hopefully one will chime in.

Emily stated that the snake she got from Ed has three different parasites that her vet stated would need at least 6-12 months to get to that condition. She also stated that her other snakes tested clean for parasites.

What are the chances that that this one particular snake could get three different parasites from something Emily did (rodents, handling other snakes, etc) and none of her other snakes would get even one of the parasites?

Sorta seems like a simple cure to this whole situation. Emily, have you tested the rest of your collection? If it shows in other animals, than likely it came from your food source. Just an idea to eliminate any other possibilities.

Then Ed can produce those vet results he was talking about earlier...Or can he?...Ed's shadiness has not only been this last year, it's just become more apparent. I for one, would not doubt if these parasites came from Him, based on HIS statement about looking into which ones he sent.

Where you at Ed? You could at least come and defend yourself. Produce those test results you spoke of to show that it is true. Or perhaps what animals you actually sent.


Rick

Originally Posted by ravensgait

Quote""I DID make a thread about this on ball-pythons.net--that is thread that Kelli is talking about where she disagrees with my having posted Ed's name.

I don't normally post on the forums here and the only other forums I frequent are gecko forums. Why would I post anything in those places? Why is this not exactly the place for this type of post? """

So you started a thread before you told Ed of the problem?? This is a place for business deals and if as you have stated IE that you wanted to warn others about Ed's Ball Pythons then why not post in the Ball Python forums instead of here?? I think more Ball python owners and prospective owners would see it there than will see it here.. I don't recall mentioning Gecko forums so don't know why you brought that up.

As has been stated Ivermectin doesn't work well on tapeworms nor if I'm not mistaken does it have much of an effect on coccidia . Though your Rats will for sure be free of Heart worm!! So treating your rodents with Ivermectin doesn't preclude them from having and thus transmitting these parasites to your snakes. You add in the 10 months that you've had these animals and yeah I wonder why you now post this on the BOI.


Quote"" Thanks also for the lesson in tapeworms. Another question though--if it is so easy for them to get tapeworms from their food, why aren't tapeworms insanely common in snakes? And if this snake got tapeworms from my feeders, why don't the rest of them have tapeworms too?""

The way I see this is that it is very possible that they got the parasites while in your care. It really doesn't matter where after 10 months they got it but it's time for you to stop the blame everyone else game and realise that you could be very very wrong. Can you with all honesty say with 100 percent certainty that these animals got all these parasites before they were in your care?? You've said as much in this thread might want to rethink your stance...

Good one Steve especially 4,7 and the second 8 ....Randy

Randy did you actually read this thread? She didn't post on the BOI before she notified Ed, she notified Ed first, didn't get a response that seemed at all reasonable or concerned, warned Ed that she would come to the BOI if he refused to give any sort of explanation, saw him blowing it off in another forum and posted here.

She brought up gecko forums when she was queried about why she posted in specific areas and not others....in other words in response to a direct question.

She didn't just "bring it up". Her snake passed a disgusting mass of tapeworms. That brings up a concern real fast I would think with any of us. Like any concerned owner she is searching for answers. She isn't getting any response from the breeder of this snake, hell she can't even now get confirmation from Ed that he in fact did breed the snakes which were trade valued as CBB! This is not some sudden desire to get a bit of attention here on the old BOI.

Did you read the bit where her herp vet says this snake to have this load of tapeworms would have had to be infected 6 months to a year ago if not longer than that?

I don't have an axe to grind with Ed. I do have a problem with anyone that blows off a customer, a person who trades with another who is expecting a good faith transaction, and that person can't be bothered to take some time to check records, get back to their customer or come to this place and speak their mind. This is a pattern with him, as it's been through issues with shipping mite infested snakes to his customers. Just ignore it and hope it goes away?

Based on your own direct knowledge of all that you do, and all that has been said, you may know in your heart of hearts Emily that this problem, the parasites, did not begin on your watch, and that they must have arrived infected. The rest of us can not know that, only believe it if we choose. As an example, we cannot know this statement by you as being a fact:

thanks for clearing this up. this proves that there is no way this snake could have gotten tapeworms after it entered my collection.

... no, it was not "proven", and we can only choose to believe it based on assumptions, even if we are 99% sure of your integrity, and/or the lack of it elsewhere. I am with Kelli on this one pretty much. I can suspect Ed of much for many reasons here, to include but not limited to "live by the sword, die by the sword", and "what goes around comes around", and "silence is deafening", "friends come and go, but enemies are forever" etc. I can see a reason to not desire to have a customer as you Emily as well. You may be a wonderful person, but I do not want to be blamed 10 months from now for a situation regarding a chameleon I sell you tomorrow, and it doesn't matter what the American Medical Associaton says. In my book, and maybe only in my book, you forfeited a blameless basis to make this claim in a public forum by not being pro-active when it mattered. Better late than never to help your critters, and even warn others about possibilities with Ed's critters. But the only concession to fair-play that I have seen you make is that you should have had your animals checked sooner, and not that the elapsed time has also increased your own possible culpability.

Thank you Dr. J., Rich, Randy, Kelli, and others for keeping sanity alive.

Originally Posted by crotalusadamanteus

Sorta seems like a simple cure to this whole situation. Emily, have you tested the rest of your collection? If it shows in other animals, than likely it came from your food source. Just an idea to eliminate any other possibilities.

Then Ed can produce those vet results he was talking about earlier...Or can he?...Ed's shadiness has not only been this last year, it's just become more apparent. I for one, would not doubt if these parasites came from Him, based on HIS statement about looking into which ones he sent.

Where you at Ed? You could at least come and defend yourself. Produce those test results you spoke of to show that it is true. Or perhaps what animals you actually sent.


Rick

Testing your other animals makes sense Emily. It is possible that you may have other infected animals, and you would certainly want to know that. If no other parasites are found, then there can be no doubt about where the parasites came from. It sounds like you have a pretty good case to me. Ed is evidently not going to come here with any proof, instead Bruce and Bud jump to the rescue and that didn't work. If I was about to be hanged, and Bruce and Bud were coming to save me, I would be better off taking a chance on the rope breaking

Joanna if Kelli's info is correct Emily posted a thread on another site I think the 14th was mentioned and she contacted Ed by PM on the 15th. So unless my info is incorrect I'll stand by what I said above.. Randy

Ed, you really need to come here and address this.. Having the Jedi and sidekick AKA Bruce and Bud, defend you here is akin to OJ's Lawyer calling Charlie Manson as a character witness !! it ain't helping ya !! Randy

Originally Posted by crotalusadamanteus

Sorta seems like a simple cure to this whole situation. Emily, have you tested the rest of your collection? If it shows in other animals, than likely it came from your food source. Just an idea to eliminate any other possibilities.

It might be a good idea to have some of the rats from your feeder colony tested as well. just a suggestion.

Originally Posted by David Scarboro

Testing your other animals makes sense Emily. It is possible that you may have other infected animals, and you would certainly want to know that. If no other parasites are found, then there can be no doubt about where the parasites came from.

That is an untrue statement. It is very possible that some (or even just one) of those rodents were infected.

As I have already stated, the other females I got from Ed are having fecals done on Thursday. The rest of my collection will be getting tested as I can collect the fecals. There is no way that I wouldn't test my entire collection after finding this bad of an infestation in one of my snakes.

Jim, if you had sold me an animal that was supposed to be captive bred and born and it came to my attention later that the animal may not actually be and you then could not or would not respond to my questioning it I think it would not be a terrible thing for me to make a public post about it. After 10 months I certainly do not expect any compensation as has already been stated, but I do think that lying and bad business practices are worthy of making public.

Yes, I started a thread on another forum the night I found the tapeworms because I was freaking out, not knowing what they were. I was looking for answers and when I got them from my vet the next day I posted them. That same day I contacted Ed letting him know of the problem.

As for posting this in the ball python forum here, I myself never go there so why would it be that more people would see it there than here? This does involve a business transaction--one where I received snakes that likely are not what I was told they were. I should think that that along with a parasite infested snake from that transaction is plenty BOI worthy.