My experience with Inclusion Body Disease (IBD)

[brick]

Originally Posted by Montage_Morphs

To me my animals are worth everything. I would only start up a new collection once all my current snakes are dead and buried. I say that now but I don't know if I could bear to go through all this again. And if I still have one or two snakes 20 years down the line I will still be enjoying this hobby.

I have never travelled to shows or anything like that anyway. I am not interested in large gatherings like that. Reptile shows do not appeal to me. Anything I have bought in the past has been from reputable breeders and well known forumites. So what does that say?

I now percieve the hobby the same way I always have. These are organic things we "collect". They WILL die at some point. When and how is a different matter. I enjoy my pets and care for them to the highest possible standard I can. I have upped my game ever since Clementine died and it is a lot of work to try and keep every snake out of contact with each other in every way possible. But if it's what I have to do then I will just get on with it.

I don't regret my descision to go public with this. By keeping quiet what kind of person does that make me? I have informed all the people who have bought snakes from me recently as well. They NEED to know. I have went public to protect other people and to raise awareness.

My animals are worth everything to me aswell, whether the are worth €50 or €10000. They are still my pets, and living animals.
That being said, i am still responsible for their health, and i feel to my place in the hobby. I feel that IBD is something that has to be eliminated. Of course these isnt going to happen completely. BUT be removing any animal that COULD have the virus i feel its a step in the right direction. This is of course my own opinion, and as i have stated before, i commend you for what you are doing, i just dont think i could do the same.

[Montage_Morphs]

Originally Posted by brick

My animals are worth everything to me aswell, whether the are worth €50 or €10000. They are still my pets, and living animals.
That being said, i am still responsible for their health, and i feel to my place in the hobby. I feel that IBD is something that has to be eliminated. Of course these isnt going to happen completely. BUT be removing any animal that COULD have the virus i feel its a step in the right direction. This is of course my own opinion, and as i have stated before, i commend you for what you are doing, i just dont think i could do the same.

I agree with what you are saying. It is not like I take my animals anywhere, or people come to visit or anything like that. They are mine, and I don't feel the need to parade them around the place or show them off. If they can live quiet and content lives with me where we can both enjoy the time together then why euthanise them?

If I eradicated my entire collection, I don't think it would matter much when you consider that I have bought and sold a good few snakes over the years. What about the people I have bought from and sold to? I remember almost every person I have ever bought from or sold to and can trace my snakes origins back easily enough.

I would of course euthanise any snake which showed signs or symptoms. God knows how many snakes in the UK are carriers. How would anyone ever know?!

[*H*]

R.I.P Clementine.

[bosshogg]

Originally Posted by Montage_Morphs

The most important thing when a reptile dies is to have a post mortem done. So little is known about reptile disease. I know how hard it is to lose a pet. I know the thought of having them cut up and their organs sent away is horrific. But by burying your animal in the garden you are only burying an underlying illness, which could be extremely serious.

Don't risk the lives of your other animals by not finding out why one lost it's life.

Agree ..if you send your snake to Liverpool Universty, Verterinary Patholgy department and ask them to do autopsy and screening for IBD they will do it for £27
Pathology services - DIAGNOSTIC PATHOLOGY SERVICE - University of Liverpool

worth keeping in mind if anyone loses a snake it is worth getting it tested

Sorry to hear about your snake lets hope with strict quarantine and mite control you can keep the rest of your snakes safe.

[eriksatie]

Elle, I have no adequate words, I'm sure, to even begin to balance the magnitude of your loss and disappointment. But I can thank you for the painful lesson in pictures and data that you have shared with us. When you first mentioned IBD, I had to google it, and have been reading about it as you gave us updates on the deterioration of the situation.
I have never had any of the exotics, but there is no particular reason for me not having had them, and I realize any of us could potentially find ourselves in a situation like this. Shudder.
The implications and magnitude of this case are tragic, but that it struck a friend...makes me pause and wonder how I would have handled it. Cried a lot. Phased myself out of circulation. Gone quiet. Disappeared from the forum(s). Gone from run-of-the-mill introvert...to extreme super dooper introvert.
What I am saying is thank you for the positive example of the affirmative and solution-oriented way you have gone about sharing your plight, and the dignity with which you've done so.
Eric

[cannotstopbuyingballs]

Thank you for sharing this with us, you have shown much courage in disclosing this information. Also your description of IBD is the best I have read. I have had many an argument on this forum that IBD is highly contagious and would get on peoples clothes and spread like wildfire. It will not ! It is a retro virus and like aids will spread with exchange of bodily fluids, but like you say it is the bloody snake mite that is the danger. I can not stress to any keeper that snake mites are not just a pain they can be deadly. I spray my shoes with flea spray and disinfect any reptile product that I buy from a shop. I don't use bark chipping but if I have to then I would leave it in the freezer for 3 days, wait a week then put it in the freezer again to break the egg cycle.

I have never heard of any IBD problem with anybody who did not have snake mites.

[rbailey182]

such a sad story commendents on ur courage and honesty witht the whole situation though.
I hope is hasnt/doesnt spread to the rest of ur collection. I agree witht the majority that this should be made a sticky because of what u have explained about this horrible disease so that it makes more people aware of it.

R.I.P Clementine

[royalnking]

I'm so sorry for your loss RIP Clementine.

Thankyou for having the courage to make this post, it must have been very difficult for you, and you have my respect for your openness.

[cabrera]

sorry for what has happened...............saying sorry when someone has lost someone or something they love always seems very inadequate thing to say but really cant think of anything else.

Would like to thank you for the factual and informative post. It was educational and I appreciate the time and effort you have gone to for everyone on the forum. Thank you.

[Nyoka Malkia]

Elle Love

I can't think of anything els to write here that has not been said already on this thread or more than I have said over the phone these past few weeks.
Wish I could have been with you at times to show more support and understanding.
I can't even start to imagine what it's like for other people but feels worse when it happens to someone you know.

I too have fingers etc crossed that your other snakes stay well.

Anne x