releasing my snake :(

[Pinky]

This is getting real in-depth! I say if you want to keep her, keep her.If not let her go...sounds like a great snake though and her chances of survival are much better in captivity, with proper care.Hhmmm It is a tough dissision, but it's yours to make.Good luck

[mtolypetsupply]

yeah, we call it the 17 day rule in my neck of the woods. after seventeen days in captivity, it is illegal to return an animal back into the wild. why the number seventeen, i don't know, but that's the law. i can see both sides of the coin, but generally lean toward not releasing animals back into the wild due to the potential for introducing pathogens into wild populations. but who knows? There is so much man-made waste out there that reeks havoc on wildlife ....well, whatever you decide, hope it works out

What pathogens would a snake pick up from being in captivity? I have heard this numerous times, and don't understand, as no one has explained exactly what diseases/parasites occur that are not present in wild populations. From where would they get it? Are there pathogens that humans carry that are zoonotic (cross-species transferrable)? What about other animals, dogs, cats, etc.? If your other snakes are vetted clean, no parasites, what aren't the vets testing for that can be transmitted?

Any links to veterinary journals/resources pertaining to those diseases/parasites and any scholarly journal/resource articles pertaining to the infection of native populations would be appreciated. I don't have a college library close enough to access those things.

[Odie]

I say keep her.
Or find someone else to give her to

Heck, I will if no dose

[Snake lover 3-25]

What pathogens would a snake pick up from being in captivity? I have heard this numerous times, and don't understand, as no one has explained exactly what diseases/parasites occur that are not present in wild populations. From where would they get it? Are there pathogens that humans carry that are zoonotic (cross-species transferrable)? What about other animals, dogs, cats, etc.? If your other snakes are vetted clean, no parasites, what aren't the vets testing for that can be transmitted?

Any links to veterinary journals/resources pertaining to those diseases/parasites and any scholarly journal/resource articles pertaining to the infection of native populations would be appreciated. I don't have a college library close enough to access those things.

yeah... this confuses me too.....

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

THANK YOU, for being so understanding .... others do not have quite as much tact for stating opinions/insults lol

haha, certainly not an insult, but you are right when you say, I don't really have a nice way of putting some things... it's just the way I am!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

What pathogens would a snake pick up from being in captivity? I have heard this numerous times, and don't understand, as no one has explained exactly what diseases/parasites occur that are not present in wild populations. From where would they get it? Are there pathogens that humans carry that are zoonotic (cross-species transferrable)? What about other animals, dogs, cats, etc.? If your other snakes are vetted clean, no parasites, what aren't the vets testing for that can be transmitted?

Any links to veterinary journals/resources pertaining to those diseases/parasites and any scholarly journal/resource articles pertaining to the infection of native populations would be appreciated. I don't have a college library close enough to access those things.

I don't have any links for you but somebody else may. all pathogens occur or originated someplace in the wild, and can be anywhere at any time. But all pathogens are not all over the place, some are in this area, others are in another. the problem, is that a snake who is exposed to one thing and tolerates it, carries it to a region where that pathogen is foreign and can potentially wreak havoc. Happened to some guy trying to "repopulate" spotted turtles... now if I can just find where I read that. I'll look around, it was on some forum somewhere!!! Exposure can be as simple as you going to your friend's house, sitting outside on the grass in their yard, coming home and checking on your snake.

[stonyloam]

OK Snakems here is my story: Couple of years ago I caught a big eastern female out next to the pool. Kept her for a few months till she had her babies. She was a very “friendly” snake and quickly got used to me. She would come to me and crawl into my hand whenever I opened the cage. After she had her babies she was released where I found her. A couple of days later she was out sunning next to the pool and I thought Cool, I’ll see if she remembers me. Took ½ step toward her and she was GONE, like she had never been in captivity at all. Saw her the next summer so she adapter back to the wild very well. So I would not feel bad about releasing a snake back where it was found. On the other hand I would be OK with keeping her. Snakes are pretty low on the food chain, so a life in captivity is not so bad. Example is Rhea’s Chloe, She was pretty beat up when found, and obviously from the scars had led a pretty harrowing life. She is FAR better off than she would have been in the wild (probably dead by now). So, what is the point? In my humble opinion either way, keep or release is OK it's up to you (but what do I know?).

[mtolypetsupply]

Exposure can be as simple as you going to your friend's house, sitting outside on the grass in their yard, coming home and checking on your snake.

So if that's the case, and pathogens come from human environments, what are we bringing in when we "field herp"??????

What precautions should we take before going into a herping area?

What precautions should we take before coming home to our own collections?

Rubber boots and clorox before going in and coming home? Deet or pyrethrin on our clothes?

[Stefan-A]

If you're asking for a list of cases where released or escaped animals have introduced diseases into the environment, there is no such list. When it comes to diseases that affect amphibians, Chytridiomycosis would be one such case and it's one with global consequences. When it comes to reptiles, it could be cryptosporidiosis, various intestinal parasites, respiratory diseases, trichomoniasis, mites (can also spread other diseases), IBD in boids, infectious septicemia or any of a large number of infectious diseases known to infect reptiles or amphibians. Even stomatitis (mouth rot) is highly contagious.

These are just examples of such diseases and there's no way for any of us to know what you could unwittingly spread to the wild population. We're not clairvoyant. It could be a virus, a bacteria, a fungus, a prion disease, a protozoa, a parasite etc. How big the risk is may vary, but it doesn't ever go away and there are countless strands and even strands of normally harmless bacteria that may be deadly to other individuals of the same species or other species. One problem is that it's usually identified only after it's spread into a population where there's no resistance to it and when it is already wreaking havoc. So what are the consequences of not taking the risk?

Obviously this problem has already been identified independently a number of times, the question is how many times do we need to learn the same damn lesson?

[infernalis]

My opinion: Either keep her and reinforce the cover, keep the cat outside.

Or give her away, Several have already said they will give Snakems a good home.

Releasing her is ultimately up to you, but as already said multiple times, a very bad idea.