Inventory and prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among vipers (Serpentes: Viperidae) reared in Padang city but originated among outside West Sumatera Province

Vipers are snakes that widely distributed in the world, including Asian region and currently decreasing in their natural population due to various factors. The most prominent factor is the exploitation of vipers for being human pets. Among other cities in West Sumatra, Padang is considerably dense with the reptile hobbyists and owners who keep reptiles for their fancy, including the vipers as this snake taxon has colorful morphological appearance. This study aims to investigate gastrointestinal parasites in reared vipers in Padang City in term of parasitic species inventory and their prevalences. Parasite specimens were collected from feces of vipers obtained from viper hobbyists and owners in Padang City during the period of November to December 2021. Parasite extraction was conducted at the Animal Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Andalas. Fecal samples were gained from eight individuals (five species) reared viper species. Fecal samples then process with centrifugation-float method to observe the parasite contents. This study found indication of four types of endoparasites, namely Kalicephalus sp., Ophidascaris sp., Oxyuris sp. and Rhabdias sp; each was found in its egg stage. Gastrointestinal parasite in reared vipers in Padang City is more common as single infestation cases (75%) than the mixed infestation cases 25%.