“Keeping The Monsters Out... Large Collection Maintenance and Reptile Quarantine” by
Dr Shane Simpson B.V.Sc.(Hons), GCM(VP), CMAVA
Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Large Collection Maintenance ................................................................................................................ 4 Facility Design.............................................................................................................................. 4 Council Permits .......................................................................................................... 4 Rental Agreements .......................................................................................................... 4 Minimum Cage Sizes ....................................................................................................... 4 Construction Materials ....................................................................................................... 5 Building Zones .......................................................................................................... 5 Work Flow .......................................................................................................... 5 Cleaning and Disinfection ................................................................................................... 5 Food Acquisition and Storage ............................................................................................. 5 Food Preparation .......................................................................................................... 5 Waste Disposal .......................................................................................................... 5 Temperature Control .......................................................................................................... 5 Air Quality .......................................................................................................... 6 Lighting .......................................................................................................... 6 Utilities .......................................................................................................... 6 Security .......................................................................................................... 6 Occupational Health and Safety .......................................................................................... 6
Personnel ....................................................................................................................... 6 Insurance ....................................................................................................................... 7 Animals ........................................................................................................................... 7 Facilities .......................................................................................................................... 7 Public Liability ................................................................................................................... 7 Workers’ Compensation ..................................................................................................... 7
Record Keeping ........................................................................................................................... 7 Big Is Not Always Better ............................................................................................................... 7 Daily Routines .............................................................................................................................. 7 Visitation and Sales ...................................................................................................................... 7 Emergency Procedures .................................................................................................................. 8 Wildlife Carers and Rehabilitators ................................................................................................. 8 Veterinary Care ............................................................................................................................ 8 Hospital or Isolation Ward ............................................................................................................ 8 Quarantine Facilities ..................................................................................................................... 8
Quarantine ................................................................................................................................. 8 Quarantine Periods....................................................................................................................... 9 Facility ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Health Assessment ...................................................................................................................... 10 External Parasites ............................................................................................................ 10 Internal Parasites ............................................................................................................. 10 2
Introduction As reptile keepers we all know how addictive our hobby is! What starts as a simple interest in reptiles and the acquisition of a single animal can very quickly snowball into an unbridled need to have more and more animals. One becomes two; two becomes ten and on it goes… But with an increasing collection size in both number and value comes some issues. These issues involve maintaining a large collection, quarantine procedures for new animals and what diseases need to be kept out of a reptile collection. The latter two are something all reptile keepers and not just those with larger collections need to consider.
Large Collection Maintenance Large reptile collections can range from advanced hobbyists, to professional reptile breeders, to dedicated reptile shops, to zoos and research collections. Each type of large collection has its own set of issues but all do face similar problems such as:
Facility Design It is uncommon for a keeper, even one with a large collection, to be in a position to build a facility from the ground up. If it was possible then planning such a building would need to take into account many designs concerns not normally thought of when building a standard structure such as a house. The reality is that the vast majority of keepers are faced with retrofitting an existing structure whether it is an area within a house, garage or garden shed. In either situation there are several things to consider before undertaking the process. These include:
Council permits
Many local councils have often unknown by-laws relating to the number of reptiles that can be kept on a premises. This varies from council to council and while it may be difficult for individual councils to actually police such laws they are none-the-less enforceable and need to be considered. This is particularly so when the intention is to house venomous reptiles.
Rental Agreements
Not everyone is living the great Australian dream of owning our own house. As such many people are governed by rental agreements and it is not uncommon for these to include a “no pet” clause. These clauses no doubt relate more to dogs and cats but permission should be sought from the landlord before embarking on expanding or even starting a reptile collection lest you be prepared for eviction!
Minimum Cage Sizes
In recent times we have seen the introduction of new mandatory minimum cage sizes for reptiles in states such as New South Wales. These new laws impact greatly on the number of animals that will be able to be housed within a certain space. Importantly these regulations need to be considered when designing a facility.
Construction Materials
It is well beyond the scope of this presentation to discuss the types of materials used in constructing reptile keeping facilities but it is just another factor that needs to be considered with large collections.
Building Zones
In designing a facility to house reptiles it is prudent to consider dividing the space up into zones. This may be based on 4
animals are place into it. The proper use of disinfectants is important in a collection and is vital in a quarantine area. Keepers should be familiar with what is available and how to use it. Concentrations, contact times and efficacy against pathogens should all be understood. F10 and 1:30 diluted bleach solution are common disinfectants that are used. Most disinfectants do not work well if there is dirt or other organic material contaminating the area or object to be disinfected. Faeces and solid waste should be removed daily.
Housing The enclosures used in a quarantine area should all be able to be easily cleaned and disinfected. For this reason it is best not to use wooden or porous enclosures. Plastic enclosures or tubs are best. Ideally enclosures should be clear to allow for easy visualisation of the animal without the need to handle it. Needless to say they should be escape-proof. Using newspaper, butchers’ paper or paper towel are suitable substrates as they are easily replaced, cheap and will not harbour pathogens.
Breeding Loans This appears to be a common practice amongst keepers and it should be discouraged unless animals returning to a collection are once again placed in quarantine. Again the onus is on the keeper as to what level of risk they are willing to take.
Reptile Parties Getting together with people with a like-minded passion is great… but leave the reptiles at home! Bringing reptiles together to show them off is understandable but it is impossible to adequately quarantine anything in this situation. Where this is not possible such as at reptile expos steps can be taken to minimise the risks such as keeping the animals isolated from each other, not allowing handling of animals and the use of hand disinfectants.
Monitoring All animals in quarantine should be monitored for signs of illness. This should be done frequently. It is not uncommon for sick reptiles to be presented and the keeper makes a comment like “I have not had it out for 2 to 3 weeks because things have been a bit busy”. This either indicates the keeper is not adequately monitoring the animal or they have too many animals to look after them properly!
Record Keeping Along with monitoring comes keeping adequate records. Time flies and days become weeks; weeks become months. Without proper documentation it is impossible to keep track and this is even more so in a large collection.
Written Protocols It is prudent that keepers with large collections develop written protocols of how certain tasks are completed. Developing a set of standard operating procedures for not only the quarantine area but the entire collection and facility has several advantages. These include: i.
Actively making you think about the way you do things.
This review process often results in the development of better and more efficient methods of doing certain tasks. ii.
A reduction in miscommunication between people
working in the collection. Everyone should be doing things the same way and unless this is documented then there is the very real potential for there to be variation in the levels of care. 12
iii.
An increased level of efficiency. People can be trained
to do certain tasks and at some point it becomes second nature. New staff or volunteers can be trained quicker and to a higher level of proficiency.
Monsters to Avoid The question still remains though… why should you implement “best practice quarantine” in your collection. What is it that you are trying to keep out of your collection? Here is some basic information about some of the common transmissible diseases and parasites seen in reptiles and amphibians.
Sunshine virus Sunshine virus is a viral infection of pythons that was first discovered in a collection on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland in 2006. The causative virus belongs to a group called Paramyxovirus. Infected snakes show a range of neurological and respiratory symptoms including loss of righting reflex, incoordination, weakness, head tilt, nasal discharge, stomatitis, difficulty breathing and anorexia. Transmission is thought to be by direct contact between snakes via aerosols and contaminated equipment. Incubation times and carrier states are not known nor is the length of time the virus survives in the environment. Snakes infected with Sunshine virus have been found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Germany. The virus has only been found to infect pythons at this stage and species include the Black-Headed Python, Woma Python, Coastal Carpet Python, Centralian Carpet Python, Jungle Carpet Python, Murray Darling Carpet Python, Darwin Carpet Python, Diamond Python, Spotted Python and Ball Python. A DNA-based test called a PCR test for Sunshine virus has been developed and is available to detect the virus in living snakes. There are reports of Sunshine-virus snakes being treated successfully but whether these snakes continue to shed the virus and therefore potentially remain as carriers is unknown.
Reptile Mite The snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis, is probably the most hated parasite by reptile keepers across the globe! Once established in a collection it can be difficult to eradicate. There are many treatments that have been tried and still nothing is known to be 100% effective or safe. The key to mites is prevention. Affected animals can develop shedding issues, become anorexic and develop secondary infections due to immunosuppression. Death can occur from anaemia in small, heavily infested animals.
Yellow Fungus Disease Yellow Fungus Disease is the common name for a fungal infection caused by Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis
vriessi (CANV). The fungus is commonly found in soil. It has been reported in a number of reptile species overseas and in Australia including crocodiles, snakes and assorted lizards including Central and Eastern Bearded Dragons. The fungus invades the skin and causes a patchy yellowing of the skin that becomes moist and dies. Eventually the fungus spreads over and through the body and the animal succumbs to the infection. Diagnosis is based on biopsy results though a PCR test is available overseas. Treatment involves the use of antifungal agents, is expensive and is often unrewarding. While only a small number of cases have been reported in Australia it is an infection that has the potential to spread 13
Keeping reptiles can be addictive! What starts as a simple interest in reptiles and the acquisition of a single animal can very quickly snowball into an unbridled need to have more and more animals. One becomes two; two becomes ten and on it goes‌ With an increasing collection size in both number and value comes some issues that every reptile keeper needs to consider. These include: 1. Maintaining a large collection; 2. Quarantine procedures for new animals and; 3. What diseases need to be kept out of a reptile collection. Whether you already have a large collection of reptiles or are just considering expanding, this E-Book has lots of useful information by providing some concepts, tips and advice.
The Reptile Doctor Š2014
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