I took in a rescue king snake last week that the owners didn't want anymore. They told me he was only fed sporadically, and was very hungry whenever offered food. They also sent me records from his last vet visit, where the vet noted that he had neurological issues (he would bite his tail, had delayed righting reflex) and was concerned that he may have IBD or paramyxovirus. I set up a tank for him in a room where I didn't house any other snakes, kept handling to a minimum, and washed my hands thoroughly after I did handle him or any cage furniture.
I took him back into the vet today for a checkup since, obviously, I was worried about potential health issues. The vet called me shortly after I dropped him off and said that his neurological issues had progressed (he had weaker muscle tone and difficulty moving and righting the lower third of his body), and that this makes her pretty confident that he is suffering from a progressive viral disease. I made the difficult decision to have him euthanized and tonight will be bleaching everything. I plan to bleach and then dispose of all cage furniture, bleach the table the tank sat on, the sink where I washed my hands, etc, but I am still worried that the virus could transmit to my other snakes. Does anyone have any experience with this? Any decontamination tips? I'm so sad to lose this sweet snake but I would be even more horrified if my others got sick.
I took him back into the vet today for a checkup since, obviously, I was worried about potential health issues. The vet called me shortly after I dropped him off and said that his neurological issues had progressed (he had weaker muscle tone and difficulty moving and righting the lower third of his body), and that this makes her pretty confident that he is suffering from a progressive viral disease. I made the difficult decision to have him euthanized and tonight will be bleaching everything. I plan to bleach and then dispose of all cage furniture, bleach the table the tank sat on, the sink where I washed my hands, etc, but I am still worried that the virus could transmit to my other snakes. Does anyone have any experience with this? Any decontamination tips? I'm so sad to lose this sweet snake but I would be even more horrified if my others got sick.
