Some new garters

[Cazador]

Cyrill,
Sorry to hear about these problems, but thanks for sharing your experience. If nothing else, it makes us a bit more aware. We normally associate crypto with contaminated water. Any idea how they contracted it?
Rick

[Thamnophis]

Thanks for explaining, Cyrill.
It's a good thing you keep such strict quarantaine-rules.
I know by experience that this is very neccesary sometimes.
In the Reptile-Zoo where I work we give shelter to all kind of reptiles, also smuggled specimens that are taken away from the smugglers (seized?). This are often wildcaught animals or animals that did not get the right care during long periods. Often they are ill an wak.
We keep a very strict quarantaine-management.
This pays off. Our exhibition-animals do not get the diseases.

[boeh]

I'm not sure how they were contracted (I think by cryptos you never can be sure what it was..). But the most obviously thing is my watercourse that i have installed in one of my cages. I thought i can keep the watercourse clean, but now i know that this isn't possible. it was a bad mistake that i've done! i never would do something like that again.



On the right side you see the water pool. the water was pumped by the stone in the pool. Under the cage were a small aquarium with a pump.

Now, the whole cage is in the garbage and the snakes in bottles

@Fons
Yes, you're right. It's very importend to keep strict quarantaine-rules. This is the only way to keep those diseas away from the "main snakes".

btw. you work in a reptile zoo? nice? in which one do you work?

[Cazador]

Cyrill,
It's painful to hear that you lost your snakes AND had to throw away that amazing terrarium. How aweful. Ultraviolet light is often used to kill microbes in small water bodies. I don't know how expensive these units are, but they're highly effective. I'll do some research and find out. With your skill and motivation, I'm sure you'll create an even better set-up in the near future for your spectacular shipment of new snakes. When you do, please post pictures for us to admire. Best wishes,
Rick

[Thamnophis]

I always tell people not to use waterfalls in their snake terrarium.

Just a simple waterbowl that is cleaned on a regular base is much better.

@ Cyrill... I work in Reptilezoo Iguana in Vlissingen, the Netherlands.
Look at our site that I made:IGUANA. Together with two friends we started this zoo in 1981 after giving shelter tot all kinds of reptiles at our homes.
Today it is the largest, completely indoor Reptilezoo from Europe I am told.

We don't keep garter snakes overthere at this time. Our biggest snake is a female Python reticulatus - Reticulated python that weighs 80 kilo and is 6 meters long.
The smallest is a juvenile Natrix natrix that weighs about 10 gram and is 25 cm long

[boeh]

Hey Rick

Thanx for the info. This is generally an interessting thing with the ultraviolet light. But i'll never put a whatercourse again in a cage. Now i tell the same thing like Fons. However, this is anyhow an interessting thing for me. If you have some infos, it would be very nice.

I either won't make any back plane like in the terrarium above again. Now, I'm just on a sterile trip. I probably overact a little bit, but better a bit to much than to few. But I can either post some pics of the cages (I'll do in the future...) if you want?

@Fons
Nice thing you do over there! If I'll ever go again in the Netherlands, I'll have a look at your fine zoo. I was there 2 times. Once in Antverpen (very long time ago...) and once in Amsterdam / zandvoort?. I like this country and the people which living there!

Regards,
Cyrill

[Cazador]

I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to have a waterfall in any more displays after such terrible losses.

Just for discussion purposes, I'll find out more about the UV light technique. The way it works is that the UV light creates bonds (cross-linkages) between the DNA of simple organisms, which doesn't let them reproduce and ends up killing them. It can also create cross-linkages on human DNA, but we have better repair mechanisms than microbes. This is how the sun causes skin cancer.

In order to use such a system, you would have to make a separate area where the water could be treated (like you did below your terrarium), and it would have to be out of sight, so you're not looking at the UV light when it's turned on and working. I'll see if I can find any information on prices.

Finally, I would love to see more of your amazing terraria.
Rick

[abcat1993]

If I have a UV light for my anole, should I be worried about it's eyes or my eyes?

[CrazyHedgehog]

euthanasia.
?? you had the snakes put down??
PLEASE PLEASE someone...if ever there was a need for a full article about avoiding and caring for or curing...this is it... sorry for the loss Boeh..I would be heart broken..
(I was thinking about a water course...scrap that..) Every few months I move the snakes out and wash the cages down with a mild bleach solution, rinse well and put them back, would this help fight anything like this or is it a case of once they have it thats it?

[Cazador]

I'd be very surprised if the crypto came from Cyrill's drinking water source if it's been through a public treatment system.

Cyrill,
Did you get any of your water from a stream or untreated source? Did you add a live fish to your water that you caught from a stream? If not, maybe a new snake introduced it into the water system, where it multiplied.