boas and ibd

[Skiploder]

"Regarding playing Russian roulette with your collection..." Wow, that's harsh.

It's not directed at you, it's directed at the OP or anyone else who is weighing the odds of adding to their collection vs. the risk of IBD. Let's leave it at that and let's not make this a personal issue between the two of us.

I have learned from this forum, and several others, that ball pythons die from IBD very quickly after exposure to the virus. I feel okay that by practicing a long QT period and enacting very good husbandry skills, tragedy can be avoided.

Great. Some people have documented p.regius hanging on for much longer after being positively diagnosed with the disease. Again, snakes don't last long after the onset of neurological symptoms. The timeline between death and the onset of less obvious symptoms is often times not as quick.

Not to beat a dead horse but why even recommend a quarantine period when the disease can be asymptomatic for years in boas? Let's agree perhaps that with pythons species, a quarantine is probably effective.........for boas - probably not.

As far as husbandry skills go; since the exact transmission method is in doubt - what husbandry skills are effective? Collections without mites have been wiped out. Collections where the owners have used sanitizing agents have been decimated. While I agree that practicing good hygeine, cleaning routines and parasite maintenance is critical in eliminating pathogens from a collection, what benefit do they have if IBD can be transmitted via the air?

I would really like to talk to the "...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..." to ascertain further information regarding this issue.

As for information coming out of the UofF, I do try to stay on top of it. Since I am in graduate school, I have access to several databases that permit an in-depth search and retrieval of research papers. I believe that perhaps I am not one of your "most people" who are receiving incorrect and/or unreliable information.

Again, your passion is right on and appreciated. However, I take issue with your vast generalizations, globalizations, and accusations.

Nowhere did I imply that you were. If I did - my sincere apologies. In terms of generalizations and accusations - read into it what you will. Facts are facts - all of the transmission routes are still to be confirmed...............boas can be asymptomatic for years.......................people aren't screening their animals...........reliable and cost effective screening methods aren't really available for live animals..............and the symptoms can be subtle and wide ranging. If those facts are general and too global - so be it. If you think I'm accusing you of anything, well, that was not my intent.

I made the comment that you should be careful as to what you recommend, and I still think you should be careful on what you recommend - especially when it comes to adding boas to a python collection.

The OP asked a question. I gave him as thorough an answer as I possibly could. You are, of course, free to disagree. However, if you think you are being singled out or attacked - you're not.