Quote Originally Posted by starmom View Post
I've got boas and ball pythons. I keep them in different rooms of the house and have separate feeding utensils for each group.
When I want to handle the snakes, I handle the balls first and then the boas.
When it's feeding day, I feed the balls first and then the boas.
I don't really believe that this is a very big deal unless you house them together, do not implement a long qt time, obtain your boas from an unreliable source, and/or have sloppy husbandry skills.
Just my two cents!!
Be very careful on what you recommend.

Theories on transmission include that it may be airborne.

Regarding playing Russian roulette with your collection - per the Merck Veterinary Manual:


Boa constrictors and several species of pythons are most commonly affected by IBD. Boas are considered to be the normal host for this retrovirus because so many (up to 50% of those tested) are infected and they can harbor the virus for years without symptoms

50% of those tested?

Recommending a quarantine period on a disease that many never manifest any symptoms (in the case of boas) is pointless. While the animal is quietly carrying the disease without any outward signs, it can be infecting other animals.

Several respected people in this hobby have obtained animals from reliable sources, practice immaculate husbandry routines and have still lost large parts of their collections.

Most people have gotten incorrect information about IBD from unreliable or inaccurate sources. I would suggest that anyone interested in what is currently known about the disease research Dr. Jacobson's work at UF.