How common is RI for BP's?

[Mittens]

Hey guys, I'm a fairly new owner, and had a question regarding RI. How common is this? It seems like a lot of people on the boards experience this one way or another and I just wanted to prepare for it. I realize biosafety is probably the best way to avoid this, and of course keeping the husbandry in ideal conditions. I guess I'm just giving myself unneeded anxiety as my SO's bp just got RI.

If its a common thing I want to prepare for it (planning on purchasing a humidifier) and to locate some F10SC as reptile basics is currently out of it for cali residents as myself. And of course, I will take her to the vet for testing but I know a lot of cases her where if the infection is minimal, the F10SC sauna could suffice.


And here is a pic of her and her little girl

[George1994]

Lovely BP! Really gorgeous!

Erm, they wont often occur if the humidity and temps are correct, and if it does it is normally easy enough to treat, especially if picked up early!

I was VERY nervous when I got my first, but honestly, they are dream to keep! Chill

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[Dave Green]

If your husbandry is correct you'll be fine. I have a couple hundred ball pythons and I can't remember my last RI. It was probably 10 years ago and was from a thermostat that went bad.

[Mittens]

Lovely BP! Really gorgeous!

Erm, they wont often occur if the humidity and temps are correct, and if it does it is normally easy enough to treat, especially if picked up early!

I was VERY nervous when I got my first, but honestly, they are dream to keep! Chill

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Thank you, that puts me at ease.

If your husbandry is correct you'll be fine. I have a couple hundred ball pythons and I can't remember my last RI. It was probably 10 years ago and was from a thermostat that went bad.

Noted, thank you for the heads up!

[Mr. Misha]

Yep, three years going strong with RIs. As long as you properly monitor ambient temps (with a digital thermometer) and humidity, you have nothing to worry about.

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[CORBIN911]

Well if you spend time on the forum is very common , but as for REAL ri's most are caused by the bacteria already in/around the snake, that attack with a weak immune system (usually lack of heat) alot of symptons are just us being worried, and over reading, even with some that MAY be real, they can commonly heal on their own with proper husbandry, I've had one and it was from a buyer i picked up the snake from, the heat pack was faulty, took to vet and before culture was back (3 days) his improvement was already started, before i started injecting harsh AB i gave him 10 days to improve on his own which he did (note the Fortaz to cure RI was already paid for, but was not needed so now i have it incase something pops up)

[JoshSloane]

The internet tends to consolidate a lot of polarized experiences, so if you spend too much time on this forum you will begin to think that ball pythons never eat and constantly get RIs, haha. Truth is that while it is common, as already stated, good husbandry is crucial to keeping any sickness at bay.

Also, maintaining good hygiene when handling snakes foreign to your collection will drastically decrease the odds of your animals having an RI. If you go to expos, pet shops, or handle other people's reptiles, it is imperative that you disinfect your hands, and ideally change clothes before you come back to your collection. Quarantining new arrivals is also good practices. There is some debate as to how long to do this. Some say 3 months, others 1 month. Point is that some type of quarantine will lower your odds of disease transmission.

I also think that an overlooked factor in disease prevention is the health and packaging of feeder rodents. While freezing rodents does cut down on some bacteria, we know that many pathogenic strains can survive the freeze/thaw process. I have also found that some frozen feeders come packaged 'dirty' with spots of feces and other contaminants on them. While its hard to completely avoid any contamination, buying rodents from reputable sources will help keep your bp disease free.

If you maintain basic standards you should be fine. With enough snakes in a collection, you are bound to run into an RI once in a while, but being prepared, as it seems that you are, will make it a much better process.

[frostysBP]

15 years not a single RI

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[Reptile Frenzy]

Keep a stable environment. Last time i saw an RI was during breeding season when they were having extra stress than normal. That was a couple years ago.

[distaff]

There is a radio program out there (sorry, I don't have the link) featuring Dr. Scott Stahl, DVM. He is supposed to be one of the top herp vets in the US, at least according to the show's announcers. He talked extensively and in detail about RI's causes, and secondary infections, the proper technique for getting a culture, etc.

Very informative.
Worth doing a search for.

My take-away (may not be accurate) was that Retics seem to have more problems with RI's than Balls. He said that Retics tend to be in proportionally smaller confinements, and due the bulk and difficulty of moving them, many keepers don't get them out enough for them to really move around.