Your Opinion on Quarantine Please!

Hi,

I'm going to be purchasing a few new cresties in a week or so, and was just hoping to get your opinion on quarantining.

My plan is to keep all new cresties in separate cages/containers, in a different room than my current ones. The containers will be cleaned prior to putting the new ones in with a bleach/water solution. I plan on using paper towel as a substrate, putting in a piece of something to climb on (your opinion would be appreciated here, should I use wood, egg carton, something else?), and something to hide (I was thinking plant, but plants are hard to disinfect, unless they are silk).

How often should I clean these new cages, I was thinking 1-2 times a week, is that enough?

My plan is to keep them in quarantine for 90 days, should I also do fecals on them, just incase they have something that isn't visible? and if I should, when should I do this? (at the beginning of quarantine, or near the end, or both?)

Also, are there any common ailments that cresties have that I should be looking out for symptoms of, either when buying or in quarantine? I've never dealt with a sick one, so I don't really know what I should be looking for, other than being a healthy weight, clean vent, and a dry nose!


Any help, even if you're more into leos, I'm sure the quarantine procedures are very similar (minus the climbing apparatus!) would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!

Thank you so much for your help!!!
Amanda

I'm really more into leos, but I'll see if I can help at all...

Originally Posted by HerpAddict

My plan is to keep all new cresties in separate cages/containers, in a different room than my current ones. The containers will be cleaned prior to putting the new ones in with a bleach/water solution. I plan on using paper towel as a substrate, putting in a piece of something to climb on (your opinion would be appreciated here, should I use wood, egg carton, something else?), and something to hide (I was thinking plant, but plants are hard to disinfect, unless they are silk).

Sounds good. I would use all fake plants so that you can disinfect them. I would also use fake sticks if you can, because again you don't know where parasites or bacteria, ect can hide. Bleach/water solution sounds good, make sure you let it completely air out for a day or two to remove any fumes (after bleaching, I usually will let it dry a day, then rinse it with hot water and let it dry for one more day).

Originally Posted by HerpAddict

How often should I clean these new cages, I was thinking 1-2 times a week, is that enough?

Should be. If you have any indication of a problem (fecals come back with parasites, ect) you should clean more often. If they seem OK, once or twice a week seems reasonable to me.

Originally Posted by HerpAddict

My plan is to keep them in quarantine for 90 days, should I also do fecals on them, just incase they have something that isn't visible? and if I should, when should I do this? (at the beginning of quarantine, or near the end, or both?)

90 days is ideal (if fecals come back positive, reset the counter from the next negative). I would do fecals on them (just to be safe) right in the beginning. If they are all clean, you don't need to do it again. If even one has something, I would continue to quantine all of them and have it done again before even considering moving them in with your other animals.

Originally Posted by HerpAddict

Also, are there any common ailments that cresties have that I should be looking out for symptoms of, either when buying or in quarantine? I've never dealt with a sick one, so I don't really know what I should be looking for, other than being a healthy weight, clean vent, and a dry nose!

Can't help you out at all there.. never had crested. Haven't really had any problems with my Gargoyles either. Just make sure you keep track of thier eating habits to make sure everyone is eating and growing well, and you should be fine. Everything I said is what I recommend, others may feel differently, and some steps can probably be eliminated, but I like to play it safe with my animals. Hope that helps at least a little bit.

Thanks for the advice and response, it makes me feel better to know that I am on the right track!!

I was wondering, if I get a fecal done near the beginning, and it comes back clean, then should I still quarantine them for the full 90 days? Or would it be ok to reduce the time? I'm fully willing to do the 90 days thing, just wondering when I can put the cages in the same room/rack.

Thanks again,
Amanda

If you are going to do the quarrantine for the full 90 days (and it is a good idea) and are going to have fecals done, do them at the beginning and at the end of their quarrantine. Even if the fecal comes back clean in the beginning, it may not mean that they don't have parasites. Some parasites don't shed eggs all the time and you may just happen to get a sample where they are not shedding eggs then, or the parasites are not yet mature enough to shed eggs.
Fake plants work best for hiding areas and they are easy to disinfect. You should only have to completely clean their cage/accessories once a week, but I would recommend picking out any stool you see whenever you put fresh food in. Unless their fecals come back positive, then I would clean any and all fecal matter out daily.
The best gauge of how your cresties are doing is to weigh them each week (when you clean out their cages) to make sure they are not losing weight and are gaining well, also keep track of how much they are eating.
Good luck with your new cresties!

Thank you, I appreciate the opinions.

If anybody has anything else to add, that would be great too.

I have never weighed my cresties, I just watch their growth and weight, and handle them to see how they are doing physically. If I were to weigh them, does anybody know what is a reasonable rate of growth for a baby/juvie? About 2 grams a week? more? less? I really have no concept of how much they weigh at any stage, I just eye-ball them. I will invest in a scale now that I have eggs incubating, I just haven't felt the need for it up until now, as all my purchases have been either adult or sub-adult, so they are pretty well established in their weight.

Also, I was wondering if anybody could give me advice about feeding new arrivals. My instinct would say to wait about a day or two before giving them any crickets, but maybe putting in baby food or CGD after a day. Is this the right way to go about feeding new arrivals?


Thank you! Any help is appreciated!!
Amanda

I was just wondering what the best way to clean fake plants is??

Thanks
Amanda

Brush off anything stuck on them, and then carefully wash them in cold, soapy water, I would imagine.

I think you can use the bleach solution to clean them...I was waiting for someone else to respond about that

I use healthy habitat to clean everything...I haven't had any problems but I can't give you a comparison of what would be better or worse...

I would not, however, use soapy water for any of my animals