BOA question

I am currently doing research on BCIs. I am looking into the possiblity of getting one next year. I need y'all to confirm my suspsions(sp) that if I get a BOA that has an illness (that I didn't know about prior to purchase), I bring into the house, take all the precautions concerning quartine. Isn't it possible for a BOA to pass an illness on to my python that I currently have? And could it possible get passed on to my Corn and Easern King snake? I am under the impression that this is highly likely to happen if it has something. Although slim (if quarinte is done right) it can be passed on to my other snakes. And I take it, it is still possible to pass an illness on even after the quartine period is over. Please let me know if my assumptions are right or not.

Thanks

there is always a chance of passing something between reptiles. Use the general precautions such as not mixing species or keeping more than one animal in a container (in most cases), washing YOUR hands in between handling animals, keeping enclosures clean. If you keep your animals responsibly there will still always be a chance but you lower the chance just by using common sense.


I might add the first responsible step you have taken is asking this question and doing your research. Good for you :D

i do know that there is a diesease that can pass from boas to pythons.If it can pass to pythons i know it can pass to other snakes.I dont know anything about quarintine though.i'm sure someone more experienced than i am could help

If you properly quarantine your new BCI for a month, chances are very slim that you will pass anything along. IF anything though, you are more likely to pass disease on to your python then to your king and corn. IBD (inclusion body disease) seems to be of particular concern amoungst herpers. IBD can be carried by boas that dont show signs of any illness for quite some time while if transmitted to a python, will kill them rather quickly. There is no cure as of yet for inclusion body disease. It has a 100% fatality rate. That is why I keep my BCI in a different room from my pythons.

Even after a month of quarantine it is POSSIBLE to spread diseases, just not likely. You will usually know within a month if your snake is sick.

From what I have read, IBD can be passed from boid to boid, meaning boa to python and vise versa. To my knowledge it wont pass to corns or kings, and from what I have read it dont, but dont take my word for it on IBD passing from boids to corns and kings. That I am just not sure of. When you get multiple species, there is always a risk... I am glad that you have done your research tho and that you r asking questions. I think there is less chance of this kind of problem when getting a boid from a reputable breeder, but it is not fool proof either. Maybe, should you decide to get a boa, keep it in another room permanently and be sure you wash between handling. I have read of cases that ppl get boas and keep them completely away from thier pythons for the appropriate quarantine time, and after a year they have pythons with IBD because the boas carried IBD and did not display the symptoms.

wolfman....i keep a BCI and a BP in the same room, only about 4ft away from eachother. i ordered from alexhuereptiles.com. no problems at all, just talk to a breeder, most well known, established breeders will be safe. just keep precautions such as handle other snakes first, boa last

Well as of right now, I still have to decide where I would place his enclosure. I am leaning toward keeping it in the same room as my corn and king (my bedroom). My python is being kept in the hallway between the two bedrooms. But from what I can gather from this is that my assumptions are correct. There is and will always be the possiblity of spreading diseases from boa to python and visa versa. Hypothetical situation here: When I get my BCI, I take it to the vet, he should be able to tell if carries IBD (even if it has no signs of it) correct? I would hate to loose my python or other snakes from an illness that I never new my new boa had. i appreciate all y'alls help information on this subject any other information you can give me would be well appreciated.

Thanks,

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When I get my BCI, I take it to the vet, he should be able to tell if carries IBD (even if it has no signs of it) correct?

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Only if he does a necropsy of the BCI, which requires it to be dead first. Boas can be symptom-free carriers of IBD their entire lives, just like people can be carriers of tuberculosis and not know, except that IBD can't be tested for in a live patient yet.

One of the best things you can do is get your boa from a very reputable breeder. The breeder i purchased my BCI from runs a great system. Every new snake introduced into his colony is quarintined for at least 90 days, and if its not ready to breed, he still wont introduce the snake to his population. Then whatever snake he breeds with the newly quarintined snake he breeds in a different room, waits for the clutch.....sacrafices a baby, tests for IBD. His system sounded cruel the first time i heard about it, but i never realized the severity of IBD and what it can do to a boid population. I'm pretty sure every reputable boid breeder uses a similar system. Last i hear the breeder i purchased my BCI from still had some left overs from this year. If you want his contact information or anything, feel free to ask, i'd be more than happy to spread the word for a good breeder :D

That sounds cruel but effective. It would be nice if they could develop a way to take a liver tissue sample or whatever through a minimally invasive procedure on live animals.

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Originally Posted by Marla

That sounds cruel but effective. It would be nice if they could develop a way to take a liver tissue sample or whatever through a minimally invasive procedure on live animals.

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Yea, it would make things more convienant. But it is my understanding that no invasive method exsists, and if it does, i'm assuming it's expensive which leads to what breeders normally do to make sure their boid stock stays clean. But personally, if i had several snakes worth large amounts of money in my breeding stock, i'd take every precautionary step possible to avoid something like IBD, it could wipe out an entire collection very quickly, and theres nothing the owners could do to stop it. So i guess it comes down to the simple equation of protecting the majority of the stock, by sacraficing 1 baby from first breeds with collection additions.

The breeder i'm referring to breeds alot of different BCI variations, and several semi-expensive genetic ball morphs as well.

I'm certainly not putting down his choice. It sounds like a very good way to keep IBD out of his stock, and that's something we all benefit from. I'd like to know which breeders do this if I decide to purchase a boa in the future.

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Originally Posted by Marla

I'm certainly not putting down his choice. It sounds like a very good way to keep IBD out of his stock, and that's something we all benefit from. I'd like to know which breeders do this if I decide to purchase a boa in the future.

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Yea, i'd always ask and see if their stock has ever been IBD tested, and just do the run of the mill questions to make sure the breeder is competent and knows what they are doing. And if you'd ever want the information for the breeder i purchased from, Chris Himstedt, i'd be more than happy to give his contact information. All in all he's an extremely knowledgible herp breeder, and always willing to answer any and all questions, and the thing i like most about him, he wants his normal's to get just as good of homes as his morphs. I've heard stories from other local people who said he's refused sales because he doesn't think the snake will be going to a proper home.

I appreciate all y'alls input on this matter. It has been very helpful and informative. I believe that I have come to a decision that if/when I am ready to get a BCI I would be better off buying one from a good breeder online than I would be buying one at a local pet shop where you don't know anything about them. At least with a well known breeder you can actually talk to the breeder and get some much needed information from them verses going getting one from a pet shop where they workers there don' t know their a** from a hole in the ground. I was already leaning toward ordering one from an online breeder, and I apreciate y'alls input on this and confirmed my assuptions. You guys rock.

Thanks for the info, Jase. I appreciate your input on making boa purchases safer. And Da Wolf, I think that's a good idea, particularly after Jase shared the lengths that some breeders will go to in order to keep their stock clean. I doubt there's more than a dozen pet stores in the country who'd care enough to make sure their sources are that clean.

In continuing with my research on my possible new addition of a BCI, I was wondering if y'all could tell me what would the most popular enclosure to keep him in when full grown. I know that most people would say to builder your own cage, but I neither have the tools, equipment, nor the place to build a custom cage. So, with that being said, I will need to purchase an enclosure for him. I know that I would not need one for at least 2 maybe more years, but I like to have a plan for something like this (have my ducks in a row) rather than just jumping head first in. So, where would you recommend me to get an enclosure for a full grown male BCI?

I know that Animal Plastics and Vision Herp both make big enough cages for a fully grown BCI. Check out our Web Links section on the left hand side for links to some pretty good custom cage makers.