My experience with Inclusion Body Disease (IBD)

[Montage_Morphs]

Originally Posted by arachniface

Just a small point, AIDS isn't a virus, HIV is the virus, and you can't catch it from faeces even if snakes can catch IBD from faeces. Off-topic but I feel compelled as there is a lot of misinformation about HIV around and it's a topic very close to my heart.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Poor snake.

You are absolutly right! Appologies for the mistake. And to think I spent two years doing my nursing degree. I guess thats why I left and decided to do my social work degree instead. I just HATE human biology! lol

[kay-leighann]

i had a single het burm who had ibd, the guy i got it from sold it to me as an assist feed which was ok by me, but then it got worse. it was around 8 months and still only 2 foot at a push. i found out that about 60% of the clutch if not more were not feeding. i took mine to the vet after he had a fit for about an hour, constantly turning upside down and throwing his head around. he told me it was ibd, i did some research and found out about vertical and horizontal contraction. obviously it wasn't horizontal as this is from breeding so it had to be vertical (from the egg) as he didn't have mites and from the sound of the rest of the clutch, it had to be that. so please be careful when buying anything that has come from a dodgy clutch and try to find out as much as possible before buying anything that isn't a proven feeder to try to avoid this as it broke my heart to have to hand him back to be euthanased.
RIP Burm-uda

[Montage_Morphs]

Originally Posted by kay-leighann

i had a single het burm who had ibd, the guy i got it from sold it to me as an assist feed which was ok by me, but then it got worse. it was around 8 months and still only 2 foot at a push. i found out that about 60% of the clutch if not more were not feeding. i took mine to the vet after he had a fit for about an hour, constantly turning upside down and throwing his head around. he told me it was ibd, i did some research and found out about vertical and horizontal contraction. obviously it wasn't horizontal as this is from breeding so it had to be vertical (from the egg) as he didn't have mites and from the sound of the rest of the clutch, it had to be that. so please be careful when buying anything that has come from a dodgy clutch and try to find out as much as possible before buying anything that isn't a proven feeder to try to avoid this as it broke my heart to have to hand him back to be euthanased.
RIP Burm-uda

First and foremost I am very sorry to hear about your burm.

Unfortunately without a post mortem you cannot confirm it was IBD, although the symptoms seem to fit. Just be aware of that before jumping to conclusions.

Pythons tend to show symptoms straight away when contracting the virus. Unlike boas, they cannot simply hoard it. They go down hill much quicker than boas, lasting no more than two weeks. What was the time scale in the demise of your burm?

Finally, when you say watch out for dodgy breeders or suspected sick snakes, well that is common sense. As I found out though, even buying perfectly healthy snakes from a magnitude of VERY reputable breeders, I STILL ended up with the disease killing one of my snakes. Nobody on this planet can claim they do not have IBD in their collection UNLESS they have had liver and kidney biopsies done to prove there are no inclusions within each and every snake in their collection. Basically the lesson I have learnt is trust NOBODY. Quarantine, quarantine and quarantine some more!

[Ssthisto]

Originally Posted by Montage_Morphs

Pythons tend to show symptoms straight away when contracting the virus. Unlike boas, they cannot simply hoard it. They go down hill much quicker than boas, lasting no more than two weeks.

I've read at least one account of pythons lingering with symptoms for months, rather than weeks:

Boid Inclusion Body Disease

I would never assume that an infected python would die that rapidly, especially if that leads people to think "My royal is still alive a month after I got it, it can't possibly be infected."

[Montage_Morphs]

Originally Posted by Ssthisto

I've read at least one account of pythons lingering with symptoms for months, rather than weeks:

Boid Inclusion Body Disease

I would never assume that an infected python would die that rapidly, especially if that leads people to think "My royal is still alive a month after I got it, it can't possibly be infected."

Very True, perhaps I gave the wrong message there. Then again, when it comes to something like IBD, people cannot afford to assume anything.

With all the accounts I have read, the people I have spoken to in private who had seen my thread but will not come forward to share their experiences etc, the majority have stated once their python had shown any one of the associated symptoms of IBD, it died within 2 weeks. It could have contracted the virus a while before showing symptoms, but from the point of the first cork screw or head roll or whatever, they went downhill rapidly. As did my Clementine, who was not a python.

[born2bwild]

I have been very moved by your posting.
Is there any known ways to prevent this kind of disease?
Is there any book and / or link where it is possible it find a listing as comprehensive as possible of snake diseases and how to prevent or treat them?

[Montage_Morphs]

Originally Posted by born2bwild

I have been very moved by your posting.
Is there any known ways to prevent this kind of disease?
Is there any book and / or link where it is possible it find a listing as comprehensive as possible of snake diseases and how to prevent or treat them?

I honestly think strict quarantine is how to prevent it. Although no amount of quarantine in the world will stop a boid (particuarly) a boa from harbouring the disease. I treat my snakes monthly for mites (despite not seeing a mite in over 6 months, ie since Clem died). I don't know how I prevented all my other snakes from contracting it and dying. I truley expected my pythons to go shortly after Clem, but over 6 months on and not a single snake is showing any symptoms. I don't kow how infections IBD is... I thought it was HIGHLY infection. BUT miraculously all my other snakes are ok *touch wood*.

I am considering breeding some of my candoia, euthanising any surviving babies and testing them for IBD. That way I will know for sure the parents are not carriers if the autopsies show the babies were not positive for IBD. It works like any other retro virus in that it is inheritable from the parents.

[Montage_Morphs]

Just thought I would update this thread to say I have had a lovely year with the snakes. Every single one is still with me and in seemingly perfect health. I hope I have many more years of happiness from my bunch!

[SW-morelia]

Thats great news Elle...
Seems all the prayers worked..

[Montage_Morphs]

I think it was damn good luck and extensive qurantine methods/hygiene proceedures that have worked wonders. I count myself very lucky that snakes were never a busiess to me, otherwise I'd be fecked LOL. Just glad to have all the slitherly darlings still with me, especially Siren. Man I love my chondro...