Owning BP's and Boas

[Jyson]

Boas should be quarantined for a minimum of 6 months.

Yup, when I got my first boa, I quarantined her for about 6 and a half months.

[starmom]

But again, does anyone know what the incidence of IBD is in captive bred and born boas from reliable and respected breeders???

[potatofloss]

Seems like I've stirred up quite the controversy! I can completely understand how a breeder would opt not to own Boa's due to the risk to their collection. What I want to know is a: What's the point of quarantining an animal that can remain asymptomatic? b: What percentage of CBB Boas carry IBD? and c: What percentage of Boas carrying IBD remain asymptomatic? Jeez, maybe I should just get a Carpet Python for a display snake

[starmom]

Seems like I've stirred up quite the controversy! I can completely understand how a breeder would opt not to own Boa's due to the risk to their collection. What I want to know is a: What's the point of quarantining an animal that can remain asymptomatic? b: What percentage of CBB Boas carry IBD? and c: What percentage of Boas carrying IBD remain asymptomatic? Jeez, maybe I should just get a Carpet Python for a display snake

Why don't you pm jimisnakes and ask him to post the answers to these questions; he could really help out with this!!

Also, don't give up on boas just because you have unanswered questions.... pm Jimi.....

[JayBP]

I've been waiting for Jimi to chime in. . .Let us know what he says.

[Skiploder]

Seems like I've stirred up quite the controversy! I can completely understand how a breeder would opt not to own Boa's due to the risk to their collection. What I want to know is a: What's the point of quarantining an animal that can remain asymptomatic? b: What percentage of CBB Boas carry IBD? and c: What percentage of Boas carrying IBD remain asymptomatic? Jeez, maybe I should just get a Carpet Python for a display snake

The December issue of Reptiles Magazine has an excellent article on IBD.

No one is going to be able to answer your question about incident rates in captive boas because (1) the majority of animals aren't being screened for the disease and (2) boas that remain asymptomatic are also not being tested in enough numbers to generate any reliable data..

If I was in the market for another boa, I would seek out a reputable breeder who is knowledgeable about the disease - I think it would surprise you how little many breeders, even Vets know about the disease. I would also pay extra money to have a biopsy done - whats $400 or so compared to the cost of your collection?

After reading the latest articles and after talking to our Vet, I would not assume that IBD is rare. Our Vet flat out told us that the IBD symptoms vary so much that many animals do not display the neurological signs that everyone seems to be hypersensitive about. Sometime it's renal failure. Sometimes tumors. Sometimes respiratory infections. Sometimes septicemia. Sometimes a host of subclinical maladies that deal with anorexia or regurging.

There is so much misinformation out there and so little in the way of cost-effective methods for testing for the disease that any data regarding infection rates, the percentage of animals that remain asymptomatic, etc. even if it were available, would be suspect.

[Skiploder]

I had wanted a Hog island boa but now I refuse to get one because of the risks. I already have two ball pythons, one of which was purchased long before I looked into the hogs. It's not at all fair to risk my existing snakes just to add to my collection. In my opinion, you should either keep only pythons/ only boas, or you should wait until you can house them properly in separate ends of the house. That, to me, is responsible snake keeping.

I agree with you 100%

I have quite a few pythons - mainly aspidites and antaresia. I also keep various colubrids..........

I have two boas left in my collection. After a long bout of anorexia with one I had both biopsied for IBD - luckily, they were negative.

I will not be buying any more boas until they have a cost-effective and reliable method for identifying IBD and boa breeders begin advertising that they test their animals.