Ibd

[rabernet]

Well, he's wrong. Ask any of the big breeders - NERD, RDR, BHB, the Barkers - all who have worked with hundreds if not thousands of ball pythons - in their experience it is contagious.

Adam has told me that when he breeds, if a male comes down with an RI - the females that he's been with are the most likely to also come down with it.

You can't get more "specialist" than them.

[pythontricker]

what about uri's are those contagiouse? maybe he was only talking about uri's.

[rabernet]

RI = Respiratory Infection
URI = Upper Respiratory Infection

Both contagious.

[pythontricker]

then why isnt my albino ball python showing any signs of having a ri? shes been all around the ball who had the ri. shes fine. i don't hear any popping, weezing etc.

[rabernet]

Because you've been lucky? RI symptoms can be very subtle when they are just starting, so she may very well have it as well if you've not quarantined the other one. Hopefully they aren't housed together and sharing a common water source.

[Patrick Long]

then why isnt my albino ball python showing any signs of having a ri? shes been all around the ball who had the ri. shes fine. i don't hear any popping, weezing etc.

why are you fighting this so bad?

[Ssthisto]

If you've had the both of them in the same enclosure, you have either:

1. Been really lucky and the albino hasn't caught it (same as you could go to work or school with someone with a cold - you might not ALWAYS catch it).
2. Got an albino python that's incubating the respiratory germs and might present you with symptoms days, weeks or months along the line (If you DO catch a cold from someone you've been around, it's usually several days to a week after THEY had it... because it takes time for there to be enough germs to make you feel sick).

Reptiles take longer to show symptoms than mammals do for several reasons - I wouldn't assume your albino's completely healthy, and keep watching it like a hawk for signs of respiratory infection.

As for IBD (Inclusion Body Disease)... if one of your animals has it, then housing other animals with it is going to make it much more likely they'll all get it; if none of your animals have it, then they don't have the disease to spread between themselves. However, as I said... not having it and "not showing symptoms of it" are two different things...

[West Coast Jungle]

I have dealt with vets who were very inexperienced with snakes/reptiles, I even had one try to tell me that beardies don't brumate and if mine is sleeping she must be very sick(not true). I also had a vet over medicate a snake because he didn't know what he was doing. Needless to say I don't go to those vets anymore. Most RI's are contagious through physical contact. For example you interchange hides, water bowls or even touch the snake's water and then touch anothers water. Some snakes have much stronger imune systems than others (like people) and don't get sick as easily. Also some forms of RI's remain dormant and pop up when a snake is stressed. PI's are not one just one germ or virus but a variety so it depends what you snake has to begin with. Chen=micals could also cause RI's. If your other snake is not showing signs then you may be real lucky or it is dormant/incubating. I know a breeder that had a snake that was sooo nervous that it would get sick from being handled to much due to stress. Although this is extremely uncommon it shows that they are individuals and they all react differenly. I have over 30 snakes and one gets an RI and the others don't. They are all in the same conditions but some aren't as strong as others or one is more stressed for whatever reason. When you see signs of an RI it could have been brewing for days or weeks before you notice. Thats why it is recommened to keep them separate because by the time you see evidence it has been going on for a while.

I just got over bronchitis, it started with a sore throat, then sinus congestin then full blown flu/bronchitis. Germs incubate in there host for some time untill the full blown illness is noticed. Now my wife never got bronchitis(just a cold) but she very easily could have because she was exposed to it.

Hopefully you other snake never catches the RI but he the odds are much higher if he has been in contact.