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Lizard and Snake Day to Day Practice (view source)
Revision as of 15:25, 2 March 2010
, 15:25, 2 March 2010no edit summary
Hygiene is probably the most important part of a preventive medicine program and includes attention to food and water, personnel and the environment. A food preparation area (especially one for humans!) should never be used cage cleaning. Maintaining personal hygiene will also help reduce the likelihood of a zoonosis. Sterilization of the environment is not possible but the frequent use of disinfectants is extremely important in addition to the vigorous removal of faeces and other debris.
Hygiene is probably the most important part of a preventive medicine program and includes attention to food and water, personnel and the environment. A food preparation area (especially one for humans!) should never be used cage cleaning. Maintaining personal hygiene will also help reduce the likelihood of a zoonosis. Sterilization of the environment is not possible but the frequent use of disinfectants is extremely important in addition to the vigorous removal of faeces and other debris.
===Vector control===
====Vivarium disinfectants====
{| border="1"
{| border="1"
|Poisonous but can be used to disinfect empty vivaria.
|Poisonous but can be used to disinfect empty vivaria.
|}
|}
===Vector control===
Preventive medicine includes elimination of mechanical and biological vectors. For instance the snake mite has been incriminated in the spread of viral diseases and ''Aeromonas hydrophila''. Flies, ticks and ants are potential vectors for disease. The eradication method must be effective against the vector but safe for snakes and lizards. For instance the vapours from dichlorvos strips can be potentially toxic to reptiles.
===Formite control===
When moving between cages or exhibitions it is possible to transfer organisms between snakes. Care must be taken to minimise transfer of disease by formites.
===Prophylactic treatments===
Prophylactic treatments are especially important in quarantine but may be useful on a regular basis. For snakes parasiticides are probably the most important.