This introduction to quarantine appeared on Vancouver Island Reptile Show’s Facebook page on April 10, 2019 and was written by Ryan Moore of Crown Pythons. It is re-posted here with permission.

Today we’d like to talk about quarantine. We’re probably going to talk about it a few times, since it’s very important and many even seasoned keepers don’t put a lot of thought into it.

What is quarantine?

Many people will tell you that it’s about keeping new animals separate and they aren’t wrong but there is more to it than that. Quarantine is also about monitoring your new family member for any possible illness or parasite. While this is primarily a concern with wild caught specimens, which aren’t nearly as prevalent current day as they used to be thanks to breeders providing captive bred specimens, despite the greatest care possible, it’s still possible to bring a little something extra home that’s unwanted.

Remember when you attend an event it’s not just the vendor you deal with, or the vendors around them, but also the people touring the event who have animals of their own at home . We and all our vendors take every foreseeable precaution but quarantining is a very important practice.

We suggest a very barren sterile environment.

We completely understand the rush to get them into the beautiful enclosure you have prepared (because it’s ready to go right? And not an impulse buy?… Well talk about that soon too) but stress that a basic bin, with a water dish and paper towel and no substrate is critical to monitor health and well being for 30 days minimum and much longer for some species.

While we can’t explain total procedures for every species, please, speak to the vendor you are dealing with about what they suggest for quarantine. They will all be willing to give you the info you need to ensure a long and happy life with your new animal friend. Or, to prepare what you need ahead of time, comment or message us and we can give you some preparation tips before you head out to your next show.