Southern Cross Reptiles comp. updates

[Slateman]

Question n.9

please name parasites you can find on or inside of snake body.




Please answer by Wednesday evening11.01.06 to email [email protected]

 

[Slateman]

I have only one answer for this one so far.

 

[staffsrule]

Did you get my answer Slateman ?

 

[Slateman]

Ihave only 2 answers for this question so far. Here is the chance for some people to catch up. Don't forget we are just on begining of this comp, and price is nice bredli from Southern Cross reptiles.

Yes Stafsrule, I have your answer now. Thanks.

 

[soulweaver]

just letting you know i am dropping out, don't have the time to answer these questions anymore.................good luck everyone else in the running!!

 

[southy]

mine will be in on wed arvo slatey

 

[Slateman]

No problem.

 

[Slateman]

Answers for question n. 9

JandC_reptiles
Pin-worms
round-worms
hook-worms
whip-worms
tape-worms
lung-worms
protozoa
Ticks
Mites
Flukes
Trypanosomes
Trichomoniasis or Trichomonas
Amebiasis
Bacteria
Malaria
Dracunculoidea
Ascaridida
Spirurida
Oyurids
Dracunculoidea
Filarioidea
Kalicephalus
Capillaria
Bothridium
Ophiotaenia
Rhabdias
Hirudinea
leeches
Helminths.

As the question was "please name parasites you can find on or inside of snake body" The answers should not be held for AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS ONLY, but snakes worldwide.

Robbo
internal
- amoebae
- flagellates
- protozoa
- round worms
- tape worms
- flukes

external
- mites
ticks


Junglemad
Inside a snake may have a varity of protozoa

Flukes will effect the repiratory and urinary tract
Tapeworm in the digestive system
Roundworms in the digestive system as adult and other organs when in the juvenile stage of growth, particularly the lungs
Amoeba from contaminated food and water cause Amoebiasis
Trichomonas from rats and mice result in a condition called Trichomoniasis

The outside of a snake can harbour mites and ticks.



Southy
internal parasites

Protozoan infections:
Amoebae- death can be the first systom shown of an infection. signs to look for are lethargic muscles, reguritation of meals or not interested in feeding, unseemingly endless thirst for water, and watery-green or bloody diarrhoea or constipation. if a constipational blockage, it can be felt as a very large, hard lump usually between 3/4 to cloaca down the snake. also snakes tend to coil loosely. if any of these other symptoms dont stand out, faecal examination can be determine amoebae and flagyl is the antibotic given orally. the most comman way these infections start is through feeding infected food items. it is highly contageous and animal should be isolated immediately.

Flagellates:
can cause such diseases as necrotic enteritis. outbreaks of intestinal flagellates are often prompted by inadequate cage conditions or stress. some flagellates eg trichomonads, are that contagious that if introduced into a collection, will spread regardless of cage condition. the symptons are that simialar to amoebae. treatment involves oral administration of emtryl. if the reptile can be trusted to drink regurarly, the drug can be added to the water.

round worms:
round worms or nematodes are unsegmented and cylindrical in cross section. some round worms inhabit the digestive tracts and can reach dangerous numbers. because some worms attach themselves to the gut wall, local ulcerations that become infected can occur secondarily. you may see some ascarid worms in the faeces if in moderate numbers.worm eggs can be detected by a vet by faecal eximination. ascarid nematodes are elimated with piperazine given orally at a dosage rate of 110mg/kg. hookworms are treated with mebendozole at 50-100mg/kg.

tapeworms or skinworms:
tapeworms are parasitic flat, ribbon like worms. adult worms live in the gut and their long ribbon like body consists of a chain of segments. in this adult stage, they are usually detected in the digestive tracts. like round worms, numbers in capivity can become extremely high and cause ulcerations. they also sap the energy out and can cause malnutrition or intestinal blockages. faecal eximination again will determine the presence and will be treated with droncit at 2-7mg/kg given orally with smaller animals given higher dosages. the larvae of some tapeworms are found as cysts beneath the skin particually frog eating snakes.they cysts are harmless but for aesthetic reasons are removed by a small skin incision, then squeezed partially out then grasped by foreseps and pulled out.

flukes:
flukes are parasitic flatworms also known as trematodes. adult may live in the liver, gut, lung or blood vessels where they cause serious disease. swamp inhabiting snakes usaully have lung flukes. treatment can be difficult since the killing of the flukes can result in a more serious problem when they ldoge in respiratory tracts.

external parasites:

ticks:
ticks are usually found on wild animals. can be removed with dabbing alcohol on them, with tweezers carefully making sure not to inject poisen in. found under the scales, if not removed, will drop off eventually then may lay eggs or move onto another host.

mites:
the snake mite ophionyssus natricis is believed to be an exotic species coming with exotic imports. often the most common yet can be fatal parasite known to captive snakes, it is one parasite that all reptile owners don't want. mites like the warmth and darkness. by day the hide, while at night get under the snakes scales and sucks blood. under good conditions, they will breed when a few weeks old. a mite full of blood can fast for more than 14 days or more . the nymphs hatch out at 10-35 days, depending temperature. in no time an entire collection can be infested before you know it. they are particually dangerous to small or juvenile specimens and could end up in the death of the snake. some spectulations has it that they also carry diseases but not yet proven. once in a collection are very hard to erradicate, often with outbreaks from time to time. they can be controlled to an extent, by keeping cage conditions clean, putting new snakes through a "quarantine" process. they are so small to the naked eye are very hard to see. eye inflamination, inflamination beanth body scales, blood gorged mites and cage floor or soaking in water bowl for long periods of time. usually if soaking in water, the mites can be seen at the bottom presumably drowned. if no water bowl, may be constantly on the move rubbing against cage furniture. be careful if your snake soaks in water too long as scale rot, canker or respirartory infection may occur and make problems more serious. there are many ways to treat mites through "fogging" rooms with d-phenothrin, shelltox pest strip, dri-dir 67 powder, top of decent spray or neguvon spray. most if not all of these require the animal not to be in the room when treating and ALL food, water bowls and water sources removed. ive used top of decent before, found best used at night when the mites are active and sprayed every 3-5 days for about 6 weeks to ensure any eggs that were laid, are killed when hatched so that don't get old enough to breed and cause new outbreaks. i would meantion the other methods but i would be here till next week.

Stafsrules
Ok, on the outside of your snake you can get mites and ticks. Both of these little nasties will embed themselves under scales and around eyes ect.
Internal parasites - Roundworms, tapeworm, lungworms and flukes. These little nasties actualy live off the food your snake is trying to ingest, robbing him of much of his needed nutrients.

Both internal and external parasites can be easily passed from one reptile to another.


Points for this question;
Staffsrule 1.5
Southy 2.5
junglemad 2.5
robbo 2.5
JandC_reptiles 3

score after 9th round.
steve6610 1
JandC_Reptiles 17 and half
craig.a.c 1
OuZo 3
soulweaver 13
staffsrule 12
Dicco 9 and half
danep 5
munkee 1
newtosnakes 2
jonno 1
southy 17
junglemad 17 and half
westaussie 1
olivehydra 10
BUCK 1
Memphis_Tank 1
robbo 8 and half
Kahn_10 3

 

[Slateman]

Question 10

Can freshly killed female stimulate male to mate?
If yes, why?
If not Why?


Please answer by Wednesday evening18.01.06 to email [email protected]

 

[Rennie]

I hadn't really paid much attention to this comp before, my woman says we have too many pets as it is. Man half of these answers are like essays! Its very informative but I'm glad I'm not the judge LOL
Keep up the good work Slateman and good luck people!

 

[Slateman]

It is informative and people who are in comp do learn lot by finding the right answers.
I understand that not all people have time for it or don't like this type of activity.
There is not always essay to be written. If you look at question 9. 10 worlds would be fine. But if people like to come with complex answer like southy, it is great for all of us. I learned bit by reading his answer.

 

[JandC_Reptiles]

Slateman,
Funily enough I answered the same as the others with the added info below:

Pin-worms
round-worms
hook-worms
whip-worms
tape-worms
lung-worms
protozoa
Ticks
Mites
Flukes
Trypanosomes
Trichomoniasis or Trichomonas
Amebiasis
Bacteria
Malaria
Dracunculoidea
Ascaridida
Spirurida
Oyurids
Dracunculoidea
Filarioidea
Kalicephalus
Capillaria
Bothridium
Ophiotaenia
Rhabdias
Hirudinea
leeches
Helminths.

As the question was "please name parasites you can find on or inside of snake body" The answers should not be held for AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS ONLY, but snakes worldwide.

EDIT:
I just checked my email sent box & it seems I sent the email as question 8 not 9, is this what effected my answer?

 

[Slateman]

You have got me there mate. I was thinking only local.

 

[Slateman]

I am sorry J and C but I did not received any answer from you under question 9. You put there question 8 by mistake. That is why I missed your answer. That is why you did not haqve any points counted. I am correcting this mistake right now and apologize for that.

 

[Slateman]

You have all till Wednesday eavning to answer question n.10

 

[Slateman]

Answers:
Answer for APS comp #10 by JandC_Reptiles
The answer is YES provided she had been releasing FEREMONES.
Even a shed skin of a female that had been producing feremones can stimulate a male.

Answer from Southy
Yes, If shes in season as she produces pheramones during this period to attract males. You can even use a fresh shed skin off a female that males are interested in to get them to mate with females they are not by rubbing it over them.
The dead snakes dont have to be that fresh as theres reports of male snakes trying to mate with a dead female for a few days in a row.

Answers from Staffsrule
I think a freshly killed female would be able to stimulate a male to mate. Mating (from what I beleive) is triggered when the male cops a smell of a female. Females when ready to mate release pheromones, wich the males smell and that tell him she is ready to rock !! If the female was receptive to males when she was killed she would be emitting pheromones, therefore he would still be able to smell them and would prob have no clue she was dead.

Answers from Junglemad
My answer is Yes, a freshly killed female snake can stimulate a male snake to mate. I refer to studies by Shine 1986 that have discovered that female file snakes can exude a pheromone from their skin to attract up to 12 males at a time. A freshly killed female in breeding condition and in oestrus should still attract a male.

Shine et al 2003 conducted further experiments with garter snakes whereby the skin lipids extracted from females in breeding condition stimulated males to begin courtship behavior with a towel - chin pressing etc.

In a later experiment a freshly killed (by crows apparently cough cough bullshit cough cough) female snake garter snake was tied to a fishing rod and lowered into an outdoor enclosure within range of a male.The females used were less than 24 hours dead and stimulated the males to align along the dead female with their bodies in 12/12 cases of male snakes caught within a den agregation and 9/12 of the males that were caught free ranging.


Points for this question;
Staffsrule 3
Southy 3
JandC_reptiles 3
Junglemad 3

score after 10th round.
steve6610 1
JandC_Reptiles 20 and half
craig.a.c 1
OuZo 3
soulweaver 13
staffsrule 15
Dicco 9 and half
danep 5
munkee 1
newtosnakes 2
jonno 1
southy 20
junglemad 17 and half
westaussie 1
olivehydra 10
BUCK 1
Memphis_Tank 1
robbo 8 and half
Kahn_10 3
This people are leading Southern Cross Reptile Competition on APS

Leaders of comp so far:

1. JandC_Reptiles 20 and half
2. junglemad 20 and half
3. southy 20
4. staffsrule 15
5. soulweaver 13



PS. I had to change this result as Junglemad sent me the answer with proof of right date. (Problem with internet)


New questions:


Question 11

Why males have usually thicker tail base than females?
Please answer by Wednesday evening 25.01.06 to email [email protected]



Question 12

Which female snake lay more eggs in general: King Brown or Eastern Brown? and explain why.
Please answer by Wednesday evening 1.02.06 to email [email protected]

 

[FAY]

HEHE
I think that it would be much easier to save up the money and buy your own bredl!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Slateman]

Only differenc would be that you miss all the fun and learning about reptiles. Some people who are involved in this comp did e-mail me and ask if they can donate the snake in case they win.
Looks like few people are playing to have fun and learn bit about our hobby. Price is not the main target here.

 

[Slateman]

Answers question11:
From: staffsrule To: Slateman Posted: Jan 21, 2006 - 02:17 PM Subject: Southern Cross Reptile Comp
I think male snakes have a thicker tail base because of the 2 Hemipenes, the male reproductive organ.

APS COMP #11 by JandC_Reptiles
The base of a males tail is more thicker than a females due to its hemipenes.
The buldge of the hemipenes makes the tail slightly broader & curve in the first 5 sub-caudal scales in comparison to a females tail which is finely tapered at an evenly distrubution.

robbo
hi slateman
my answer for question 11 is
males usually have a thicker tail base than females because that is where the hemipenis is
robbo

Junglemad
Here is my answer to question 11
Many male snakes have a thicker tail base than females because the hemipenes make the tails of males longer and thicker than the tails of females. It is easier to look at a few to see the differences though it is not an infallible method of sexing snakes like probing or popping.
When viewed in profile male tails are generally 50% as thick in the middle as at they base. Female tails are usually 25% as thick a quarter of the tail's length from the base.
These differences are more pronounced in adults of the same species
Junglemad

Southy
male have a thicker tail base due to the 2 hemipenis they have, and id want that extra room too if i had 2
Southy


Points for this question;
Staffsrule 3
Southy 3
JandC_reptiles 3
Junglemad 3
robbo 3

score after 11th round.
steve6610 1
JandC_Reptiles 23 and half
craig.a.c 1
OuZo 3
soulweaver 13
staffsrule 18
Dicco 9 and half
danep 5
munkee 1
newtosnakes 2
jonno 1
southy 23
junglemad 20 and half
westaussie 1
olivehydra 10
BUCK 1
Memphis_Tank 1
robbo 11 and half
Kahn_10 3
This people are leading Southern Cross Reptile Competition on APS

Leaders of comp so far:

1. JandC_Reptiles 23 and half
2. junglemad 23 and half
3. southy 23
4. staffsrule 18
5. soulweaver 13

 

[Slateman]

Please don't forget that question 12 is due tomorrow.
So far I have answer from Junglemad and J and c Reptiles.