What is IBD?

I keep reading about IBD and i'm just wondering what is it exactly? Where does it come from?

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Originally Posted by RideRed12

I keep reading about IBD and i'm just wondering what is it exactly? Where does it come from?

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Its basicly AIDS for snakes.

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Originally Posted by joepythons

Its basicly AIDS for snakes.

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So pretty much IBD is a disease that makes there immune system crash?

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Originally Posted by hunter94

So pretty much IBD is a disease that makes there immune system crash?

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Yes.It can be in boas as they can be carriers but in pythons they are dead within 30 days.

IBD is "Inclusion Body Disease".

This is viral or retro-viral disease found in snakes. It used to be known by the common name of "Stargazer's Disease".

This virus attacks the nervous system, primarily. Symptoms include increasing neurological impairment, regurgitation and loss of appetite, and often a variety of secondary infections such as respiratory or mouth infections. Affected snakes will twist, arch their head back at an extreme angle and keep it there (stargazing), and may show weak muscle tone.

It is not known 100% how this disease is spread, but there is evidence that one vector is snake mites (they bite an infected snake, wander, bite another snake, and transmit the disease).

This disease can lay dormant for long periods of time, or even be carried asymptomatically for an indefinite time in boa constrictors. It usually manifests within 3 months of infection in pythons. The symptomatic disease is always fatal, and there is no treatment.

YouTube - My python before it died of IBD :/

This disease is one reason why a minimum 3 month (90 day) strict quarantine of all new animals is recommended when people have an existing collection.

How common is this disease? I mean is it common among breeders?

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Originally Posted by RideRed12

How common is this disease? I mean is it common among breeders?

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No its not common, it happens but don't keep it on your mind. Ive kept over 50+ boas and never seen IBD. I guess you can call it semi rare but its out there.

Most larger hobbyist breeders and up wont have the disease running through their collection.

The only thing that worry's me is that i'm looking for a more BPs for my collection and now I'm going to be paranoid about them having IBD before I get them. Most of the time I look on kingsnake.com and the for sale here, and most of the best deals are from random hobbyist.

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Originally Posted by RideRed12

The only thing that worry's me is that i'm looking for a more BPs for my collection and now I'm going to be paranoid about them having IBD before I get them. Most of the time I look on kingsnake.com and the for sale here, and most of the best deals are from random hobbyist.

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Like i said keep it out of your head. Most Ball Python Collectors/breeders wont have it in their collection. And if something ever springs up, they wont be advertising animals for sale that were exposed.

Buy from reputable people and your fine. Ive bought Balls from boa breeders housed in same room and they been fine for last 4+ years.

Once you have over 10 grand in animals in your collection, if you didn't think about it seriously before, you do then.

Ultra strict quarantine is a necessity. This fatal disease can and has devastated entire collections due to one miss-step with an infected, mite-ridden animal.

Always quarantine new arrivals, no matter WHERE they came from--but animals from wholesale facilities or 'flippers' should be scrutinized particularly carefully.

How common this disease is, is actually unknown, because most breeders who have an animal die of it, even in quarantine, will not make a public announcement about it. Paranoia runs SO high, they could lose sales due to simply having had the disease within a mile of their collection. It may actually be more common than is realized, as a result of that.

Being paranoid isn't a bad thing, when it comes to these diseases (IBD is one of several dangerous viral diseases that can kill ball pythons).

So is it mainly Boas that have it or carry it? Because eventually I would like a red tailed boa as well.

All boas and pythons, and some families of snakes (vipers, colubrids, etc) can contract IBD.

Boas are singled out because they can be 'asymptomatic carriers'. They can carry the virus/retrovirus WITHOUT developing the disease, which means they can spread it to other snakes without ever becoming sick themselves. This is rare, but it happens. Extreme caution is warranted when owning both pythons and boas, as a result. A perfectly healthy boa could be harboring a secret deadly to the rest of your collection.

Most boas that contract the virus/retrovirus will develop the disease and die, though it often has a longer incubation period in boas, from what I understand. The worst part is, if IBD is spread primarily by mites, someone with good hygiene practices in their collection could have a carrier boa, and never know it until one day they have a mite outbreak.

I personally would keep boas and pythons housed strictly apart.

Well, that is very useful information and something to keep in mind. I think if I had both I would almost have to keep them on seperate properties. I could'nt stand the thought of animals dying of something so horrible that could have been prevented. Maybe I'll stick to BPs for now.

I had a boa that had IBD and had to be euthanized because of it. It's really a sad thing to see...there's no cure and they appear to be suffering.

Highly contagious, unfortunately all of us who handle from one reptile to another will have shake when we read this.......:(