Getting Unwanted BP - Some opinons needed

[MiniJ83]

Someone else posted something that brought up a point I'm a little curious about...
There's hundreds of snakes being brought into reptile shows all the time. All breathing in the same air, being touched by random people who have touched other snakes and not all vendors ask you to use hand sanitizer before handling their snakes. From what I understand, most BP health risks spread like wildfire within a matter of hours (correct me if I'm wrong). Also, a lot of people end up buying these snakes, just like I did with Pandora. So if these developing health risks are SUCH a concern that you can't keep a new BP in the same room as another one, how is it that a majority of the BPs brought to shows (that sometimes stay in the same room as several others for the entire duration of a weekend) don't end up dying off or getting any major illnesses?
JUST so I get that cleared up...

Pandora, stop. I know you have all the answers, and we're just hugging you at this point. You asked why you need to quarantine, and we told you. Don't follow, the advice. That's fine. Chances are, nothing will happen. There's probably a 99% chance that nothing will happen. But if it does, andthats a big if...don't come back on in a month and say "My poor pandora is sick, andher nose is bubbling and she won't eat. What's wrong?"

[Pandora]

Pandora, stop. I know you have all the answers, and we're just hugging you at this point. You asked why you need to quarantine, and we told you. Don't follow, the advice. That's fine. Chances are, nothing will happen. There's probably a 99% chance that nothing will happen. But if it does, andthats a big if...don't come back on in a month and say "My poor pandora is sick, andher nose is bubbling and she won't eat. What's wrong?"

WOW. Don't tell me to stop asking questions I honestly want to know the answer to. I'm not asking you to "hug" me or decide anything for me. I'm also not saying I'm not following your advice at this point. I'm still undecided which is exactly why I asked for people's opinion. I'm not going to come back and whine if something does happen to Pandora, so don't talk to me like that. If you don't want to answer my question, don't reply to it, and also don't be rude. Is it that difficult for you?

[starmom]

Well, some breeders who take their snakes to shows will need to chime in here.
I know of one breeder who will not take snakes to shows due to the health issues.
I know of another breeder who QT's the snakes that come back from the show.

[Pandora]

Well, some breeders who take their snakes to shows will need to chime in here.
I know of one breeder who will not take snakes to shows due to the health issues.
I know of another breeder who QT's the snakes that come back from the show.

So in reality, what are the chances of a collection or a BP getting sick from a show as apposed to a new snake being put into a room with another one, such as I would be doing in my case if I decided to get this new guy?

[tweets_4611]

I think everyone has beat this to death...you know the risks, and if you are ok taking them, then go for it.

As for the shows, I can't tell you honestly. I know that RI's can be contagious, but they aren't always *so* contagious that it gets passed across the room. As for IBD, it actually usually kills pythons with in a fairly short time of them contracting it. (I also wanted to mention that there isn't really a way to "look them over for IBD". From what I understand there aren't a whole lot of signs for it, and once you see the signs they are too far gone.)

There are risks surrounding picking up a bp from a show. Illness is one of those risks. You don't know how well the breeders at the show keep their animals, and that is something you should keep in mind when getting an animal that has been exposed to all of that. Than can get sick, but I think that many of the breeders that go to the shows have pretty good, healthy snakes, so that helps eliminate the risk of some illness getting spread to everything in the room...


****Man I type slow...

[starmom]

So in reality, what are the chances of a collection or a BP getting sick from a show as apposed to a new snake being put into a room with another one, such as I would be doing in my case if I decided to get this new guy?

If your snake is the one who gets sick, the chances are 100%

[jpod89]

Pandora, stop. I know you have all the answers, and we're just hugging you at this point. You asked why you need to quarantine, and we told you. Don't follow, the advice. That's fine. Chances are, nothing will happen. There's probably a 99% chance that nothing will happen. But if it does, andthats a big if...don't come back on in a month and say "My poor pandora is sick, andher nose is bubbling and she won't eat. What's wrong?"

If you have nothing helpful or useful to say, it's better not to say it. Someone is being very careful and covering all their bases and making sure every doubt in their mind is put to rest before they take a step such as what this thread is about.

Unfortunately people seem to believe (though I'm sure a few people are, don't get me wrong) that they're the king's king when it comes to breeding, taking care of, or handling reptiles/snakes.

News flash: Unless you actually have a degree or something similar that reflects your career as a Herpetologist, you aren't one. You can always be wrong going off of hearsay or your own personal views/habits. None of you at all can be held to your word, as what I've just mentioned can happen. Never say never.

On that note, again, I have no intent to be rude or abrasive. I don't post much around here, but I've lurked here and there and see a lot of people giving personal advice, and many threads turn into garbage because it becomes a laughable debate of who's right and who's not again all over personal habits/collective knowledge.

Pandora is looking to you people for advice. Consider that a compliment, not an excuse to sound like the world's best breeder/caregiver, 'cause in all reality you may know what you're doing, but you're not nearly as professed as someone in the career.

That's my rant, and if you don't have a direct answer or suggestion to Pandora, don't bother posting needless things.

[Pandora]

I think everyone has beat this to death...you know the risks, and if you are ok taking them, then go for it.

As for the shows, I can't tell you honestly. I know that RI's can be contagious, but they aren't always *so* contagious that it gets passed across the room. As for IBD, it actually usually kills pythons with in a fairly short time of them contracting it. (I also wanted to mention that there isn't really a way to "look them over for IBD". From what I understand there aren't a whole lot of signs for it, and once you see the signs they are too far gone.)

There are risks surrounding picking up a bp from a show. Illness is one of those risks. You don't know how well the breeders at the show keep their animals, and that is something you should keep in mind when getting an animal that has been exposed to all of that. Than can get sick, but I think that many of the breeders that go to the shows have pretty good, healthy snakes, so that helps eliminate the risk of some illness getting spread to everything in the room...


****Man I type slow...

Yes... as I've said at least 5 times now, I know the risks. I just wanted some people's opinions. It seems a lot of people on this website have a heard time staying on track and giving direct responses and tend to beat around the bush.

Well thank you for the response regarding my last question. I just wanted to compare the two situations to get a better understanding.

[Kaorte]

If it is impossible to keep them in separate rooms, I would keep them as far away from each other in the one room as you can. I would be very diligent about washing your hands and cross contamination and stuff. If possible, you should try not to handle your new snake unless it is necessary.

Sure it's not as good as a full quarantine, but you are doing the best you can. If something happens, you are the one who has to pay the price, and you know that. I think if you get him checked by a vet and keep your two snakes as separated as possible for a few months, you should be fine.

I am no expert, this is just my opinion (which is what you were looking for I presume

[rabernet]

It's not so much my choice as my obligation to keep them both in the same room. I CAN NOT put them in separate rooms. It's not an option. I do realize I'm taking a risk, but if he's looked at by a vet, determined to be healthy, I don't see why a 3 month quarantine should be necessary. I will keep his tank (for the first few weeks) at separate ends of the room from Pandora's tank. If there was anything he could infect Pandora with, from my knowledge, it would spread like wildfire within the first few days so I would know sooner or later if the risk paid off.

Just know that a snake can appear healthy during the exam, but then develop symptoms of something very nasty on down the road.

All of my snake are vet checked, and all of them are quarantined when they are new.

In fact, all my snakes that went on the BP.net table at three different shows go directly into Quarantine when we return from the show - I know that before we left for the show that they are 100% healthy. I don't know if there was anything that they could have been exposed to at the show that may show up later.

It's definitely a risk to skip quarantine - not one I'm personally willing to take - for what it's worth.