(04-26-2012, 07:48 AM)Ram8349 Wrote: You indeed should be a vet.
Very informative long post, just the way I like it.
I never thought reptiles can have this many problems too. No idea why, I always thought they have stronger immune system due to some of them have regeneration capability.
Mouth rot is such familiar term. It is a pain in fish keeping as well. We had to use antibiotics to treat it.
Is mouth rot limited to cold blood animals only? I have never heard of any humans or other mammal caught mouth rot.
Their immune systems are strong, but they are fragile, and environmentally dependent. An animal kept in bad conditions with regards to temperatures, humidity, etc, becomes much more likely to have problems.
I am pretty sure stomatitis is common in all animals to one extent or another. Though the exact causes and biology would be different. It is a true problem with reptiles, especially with inexperienced keepers. A lizard kept in a screened enclosure, and then rubs its nose raw on it, will likely develop into mouth rot
(04-26-2012, 07:48 AM)Ram8349 Wrote: Did the snakes and lizards get the parasites from swallowing parasites infested prey items? I thought their stomach acid would have killed the parasites since they can dissolve prey whole.
That is the most common cause. Just like every other group of animals, there are protozoans, worms, flagella, and bacteria that have evolved to live in a reptiles stomach, some are beneficial, some harmful.
(04-26-2012, 07:48 AM)Ram8349 Wrote: Snakes can be bit by their prey and insects? All this time I have seen on TV, they are so successfully on striking their prey with pin point accuracy.
Well, normally yes. But there are a few things that have to be taken into account. In the wild if they don't want to eat, they are not trapped with the prey in closed quarters. They can leave. And, when a constrictor traps an animal, they stand a good chance of getting bitten, scratched, etc... The vast majority of adult imported wild caught animals I have ever seen have some kind of battle scar. And with all of this, you have to remember that most reptiles lay large clutches of eggs, and on average, the guess is that about %10 of those survive to adulthood. So in the wild, there is quite a bit of luck involved, and in captivity, you my have to help the animal out from time to time to avoid things that may injure or kill it naturally.
