Reptiles for disposal through a ballot

[animal805]

Hi all,
Does any body have any experience with pythons being offered for disposal by The Office of Environment and Heritage in a ballot situation. I am concerned, as these are confiscated animals, that if I win I am getting a diseased animal. Has anyone here ever got an animal this way? Any in put appreciated.
The return of these animals to the wild is not a responsible conservation option.



The OEH recommends that a veterinarian check all animals received through the ballot system and a hygiene protocol be followed.

 

[stimigex]

It is an issue you have to weigh up, There is always a risk that the reptile may have a pathogen (No vet check can pick up these things)
It is always wise to quarantine anything new whether it comes from a ballot or any other means.

 

[grizz]

I have a nice jungle I obtained through a ballot, quarantine your animal as you normally should and no worries!

 

[Coppersimon]

I recently won a ballot and got an adult diamond. I was had the same worries as mentioned. My biggest fear was that the snake was treated poorly and had come to fear people. I am very lucky because it seems that the person who owned him before me was great with him. He is a incredibly good handler and loves nothing more than to sit with you, actively seeking you out if he's on the floor and your not.
You still never know if their in good health when you receive them and a vet check is always recommended and in my opinion is a must.

 

[dadaman]

I have won a lot through these ballots. They are vet checked at Toronga Zoo before they are released to the winners. NPWS also recommends that you get your own vet check (common sense really). I have always lined up a vet check for the day I pick up the reptile. Not once have I had a reptile that has had a problem.

 

[jordo]

It is an issue you have to weigh up, There is always a risk that the reptile may have a pathogen (No vet check can pick up these things)
It is always wise to quarantine anything new whether it comes from a ballot or any other means.

I'm sure there are plenty of tests they could run to pick up on pathogens, eg: facial floats for intestinal parasites etc.
Regardless of where you source your animals it should be common practice to quarantine, if you adopt a 'trust no one' approach when getting new animals you should never have a problem.

 

[animal805]

My anxiety has been relieved slightly thank you for all your replies.

 

[HerperBaz]

First time hearing of such a thing..

Firstly, Do you think they hold these ballots in QLD or is this just NSW? Secondly, Is there a fee involved to obtain the snake once you have won.

Such a great thing seeing animals, sometimes mistreated, go to a good home to people who will genuinely love and care for them.

 

[animal805]

I am not 100% sure about Qld. No it is completly free of charge, apart from housing heating etc.

 

[cement]

Yes I have given snakes and lizards away to NPWS for the ballot and also not through the ballot. These are either animals seized by us at the request of the police or found by us in the wild and are animals that are not local to this area (ie escaped pets).

With any animal you receive wether it is from a ballot or a purchase, you have to quarantine it. That is keep it by itself away from your collection and tend to it last after everything else. Some say 3 mths, others say 6 or 12, at a wildlife carers seminar last year a reptile vet said 13 mths is the best time. You can take poo samples to your vet to check for parasites, pathogens and get it looked over, checking in the mouth and over the body and even probed if you want to know the sex. After this time and these checks if nothing has surfaced and the animal is still alive and healthy then you can be satisfied that all is well.

 

[HerperBaz]

Cool, I'm very interested to check this out!

 

[Kimberlyann]

As stated thats what quarantine is for. Ive never done it myself but i've learnt my lesson. I bought a bearded dragon that had hook worm and got really sick which meant my other bearded dragons had to be treated as well (nothing more then a simple worming but thats not the point) also some ridge tail monitors that i bought one had a R.I and the other one had worms, lastly i bought 3 knobtailed geckos, 1 died over night, 1 died a week later and im lucky to have one left who made it threw all that. People can not be trusted and either can a healthy looking reptile as they dont show pain or anything. Your best of keeping them away from your collection and cleaning yourself if you go from handling them to the others

 

[stimigex]

I'm sure there are plenty of tests they could run to pick up on pathogens, eg: facial floats for intestinal parasites etc.
Regardless of where you source your animals it should be common practice to quarantine, if you adopt a 'trust no one' approach when getting new animals you should never have a problem.

Jordo, pathogens are not parisites. Feacal floats will indeed pick up parasite loads. Pathogens on the other hand such as OPMV or IBD can not be picked up by a vet. These thing can only be diagnosed post mortum and even then the tissue samples have to be examined by a lab overseas as there is no test available in Australia.

Quarantine is the only answer!

 

[eipper]

Actually stimigex there are tests for paramyxovirus being run here in Australia, however at the moment they are not available for use by vets in public sector.

 

[stimigex]

Actually stimigex there are tests for paramyxovirus being run here in Australia, however at the moment they are not available for use by vets in public sector.

Yes i understand that is the case, but its still not advanced enough to be 100% accurate at this point in time and still in research mode.
Hopefully this will change in the not so distant future

 

[pythonmum]

I got a MD by ballot and took him to the vet on the way back from the OEH (DECCW then) office. He had worms, but was otherwise healthy and a great handler. I quarantined him in a different building from my other reps and wormed him. A couple of years later, he is still great. You need to quarantine animals wherever you get them. I have heard of people getting sick animals on a ballot, but most are in good shape. I highly recommend having a go if there is a species which interests you.

 

[gavgav]

i got a diamond plython from a ballot, was told it was 2yrs old when i got it, it was small looked under feed but handled great, took it to the local reptile vet got him checked out, a;; good, after a few months he put on some weight, 1 year on its grown alot and ive had no proplems

 

[Bez84]

I got a BHP through a ballot in coffs, was very healthy.

 

[Red_LaCN]

Where do you find out about these ballots? I just assumed from reading that seized snakes were automatically destroyed! Im so glad to hear otherwise. Is these ballots available in Victoria?

 

[animal805]

I got a BHP through a ballot in coffs, was very healthy.

Hope to win this coffs one