# zoos keeping exotics?



## TheReptileben (Sep 29, 2012)

what are your views on zoos keeping exotic snakes I reasenly went to a zoo (will remain nameless) that had numerous corns snake brums and boas all covered in mites one if the corns was so bad that it looked like someone had dunked its head in baby powder, there were that many mite eggs why are they allowed to keep them when obviosly they don't take very good care of them and we can't?


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## miss_mosher (Sep 29, 2012)

I don't have a problem with a zoo keeping exotics, that's what they're for. I do however have a problem with a zoo or a person keeping any animal with mites etc. I hope you informed one of the staff.


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## shabbyy (Sep 29, 2012)

TheReptileben said:


> what are your views on zoos keeping exotic snakes I reasenly went to a zoo (will remain nameless) that had numerous corns snake brums and boas all covered in mites one if the corns was so bad that it looked like someone had dunked its head in baby powder, there were that many mite eggs why are they allowed to keep them when obviosly they don't take very good care of them and we can't?



What zoo is this? That could be a serious matter...


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## TheReptileben (Sep 29, 2012)

I spoke to the reptile keeper at the zoo and her said that they are waiting on a batch of prevent-a-mite to arive from the US I might go back and check it out in about a month or so


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## junglepython2 (Sep 29, 2012)

Lots of big collections have mite problems, in a zoo it would be nightmare to erradicate them.


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## notechistiger (Sep 29, 2012)

Why couldn't zoos own exotic snakes? What do you think about zoos owning tigers? I mean, we can't have them. What about elephants? Rhinos?

They pay big money to keep exotic animals so we can pay money to see them.

Mites in large reptile collections is actually fairly common. It's nothing really to get huffy about and assume they don't look after them.


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## snakerelocation (Sep 29, 2012)

mites..... ewww, you would never see that in the wild.... would you.
lol, i would say 50 to 70% of pythons i relocate would have some form of mites on them, they are a lot more common than you think, for one the common asian house gekko is a major carrier of them, and they are litterally everywhere, the mites dont cause as much of a problem as people make out, unless the snake is kept in unclean small cages. In the wild snakes loose the majority of the mites every time they shed and leave the problem with their shed, in captivity the problem remains in the enclosure and just escalates.


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## Red-Ink (Sep 29, 2012)

TheReptileben said:


> what are your views on zoos keeping exotic snakes I reasenly went to a zoo (will remain nameless) that had numerous corns snake brums and boas all covered in mites one if the corns was so bad that it looked like someone had dunked its head in baby powder, there were that many mite eggs why are they allowed to keep them when obviosly they don't take very good care of them and we can't?



How else am I going to see these reptiles.... what down the pub?


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## disintegratus (Oct 2, 2012)

Red-Ink said:


> How else am I going to see these reptiles.... what down the pub?




Nah, just go over to you're mate's second cousin's girlfriend's best friend's brother's house. I hear he's got a sweet collection of exotics


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## Snowman (Oct 2, 2012)

Food for thought. Perth zoo can't even get a GTP.


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## saintanger (Oct 2, 2012)

i bought a python once that had a bad mite problem and any reptile might treatment will work. i bought 2 cans form my locale reptile shop and problem sorted. i'm wondering why they are waiting for stuff from overseas and why not have some stored already and wen they start to get low, order more. 

i wonder what would happen if we got an insepection and our snakes were covered in mites and our answer was i'm ordering treatment and waiting for it to arrive.


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