Heavy parasite load found in ball python from Ed Clark

On November 1, 2006 I received a group of 2005 female ball pythons from Ed Clark in trade for some crested geckos. Ed told me that they were captive bred and assured me that "all [his] stuff is as clean as you will find" and, as he was in good standing with the reptile community at the time, I took his word for it.

Last Thursday one of these females passed something in a bit of runny stool that I had never seen before (see photo below). I took the snake and the suspect tapeworm to the vet Friday morning. The vet ran a fecal sample and confirmed tapeworms along with strongyloides and a high number of coccidia.

The snakes in question are 2005 females that eat very well, yet haven't put on much weight since I have had them. They have not been in direct contact with any of the other snakes in my collection, nor do they share prey items. I have had fecals done on several other snakes recently, all of which were clean. The only snakes that I have added to my collection since acquiring these girls are 2 cbb ball pythons that I got in Daytona several weeks ago; these snakes are currently in quarantine.

This is proof enough for me that the snakes I received from Ed were infested with parasites at the time I received them. I should have been wise enough to run fecals on them immediately even though, at the time, I trusted the source.

The point of my post is not to start drama or debate, but to inform those who have also purchased from Ed Clark that their snakes may also be carrying a heavy parasite load. Regardless of the source, always get a fecal done for the sake of your animals!