Posted today on the TT site (be warned it's a very sad read):

Tortoise Trust Web - Herpes in Pet Trade Tortoises


Ali,
I don't think anyone is saying it's an epidemic. What's being said is that this particular on-line supplier may quite likely have an epidemic with so many torts imported and kept together.

Nobody is slating imports or reputable shops/dealers verbatim as it's accepted that there are reputable suppliers out there who give good advice to new keepers and sell healthy imports. As has been mentioned elsewhere maybe it's time they spoke out against the unreputable so that they're not all tarred with the same brush.

__________________

1 confirmed vet case?

__________________
ANDY B 1

Taken the place of Tops in his absence
Ñ Ç

What ive got0.1.0 '07 Amel corn snake2.1.0 Hermanns Tortoises2.3.0 Cats0.2.0 Guinea pigs

i dont think any body is slating imports or dealers as such. There is no telling how many uk CB animals have become/are carriers. to be perfectly honest i was under the impression that herpes in tortoises was a little more common than it seems to be. i for one check mine every week at the weigh in and am fully aware of the symptoms etc. but it has been suddenly thrust into the limelight and alot of people are panicking. it makes no difference to me, and it wont change any of my procedures of methods of care. but there are quite a few people that ARE pannicing and blowing this out of proportion because they are already worried.

I get home from work and hit the net to relax... that don't usually happen because I hit sites I don't usually hit.

I found the source of this 'information' as it pertains to the UK keeper... beautiful marketing.

Keep in mind very little is understood about the herpes virus in tortoises. For those of you that have WC tortoises... which includes all those umpteen year adoptions... are at risk of harboring the herpes virus. To say that it is restricted to wild caught or even farmed tortoises is... what it is... fear mongering.

If the disease manifests itself... it kills relatively quickly. If the tortoise looks sick... don't buy it.

I've got a good deal of experience with this virus dating back to the 70s before it was actually described. I've got thousands invested in diagnostics on my own animals.

I can say without a doubt that the virus is not restricted to wild caught animals and the recent note about the virus crossing the egg barrier... well... you can guess what I would have to say about that.

I suggest that any person reading such extreme articles... do a little research on your own.

Ed

I suggest we all take a step back and as Ed says do out own research....and also concentrate on keeping our tortoises in peak condition...when they are a bit below par...whatever is lurking will surface when their immune system is a littlle off kilter.

I do not for one minute believe, as I have found no proof that this is anything like epidemic status....it has cropped up from time to time....and if I could find the reference...but I cannot as yet...on a french site...it has occured in a small number of french CB animals.

As for passing the egg barrier......I am still looking

AH said in reply to a post I made on his list this morning that in his view the problem is that if there is one infected tortoise from a particular dealer then there are bound to be more as it will be shedding millions of viral particles which will infect the rest of the stock of the dealer in question. He also said this virus can lurk in a tortoise for up to 10 years and then 'activate'.

I'm off to Veterinary College so I'm in a position to contribute in depth to this thread. I'll have an answer in 6 years or so

you lucky bugger. i am gutted that i wasted my student loan on reading ENGLISH! i would dearly love to do a course on parasitology too. may have to be happy with nvqs and a diploma though.... when i enquired about going to vet school in liverpool i was old it would cost me £17k a year. you can imagine my husbands reply.

Nobody is saying it's restricted to imports (whether they be cb, wf or wc).

This case is specifically about an online dealer of which there have been other reports in the past... no naming and shaming or even location being mentioned from me so I can say this. Your advice of 'if the tortoise looks sick... don't buy it' doesn't merit in this case as people are buying these torts unseen online. It's also possible for herpes carrier torts to be introduced into a group after 6, 12, 18 months quarantine as symptoms won't always show quickly. You know that.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one as I don't see it as 'extreme' or 'beautiful marketing' it's simply informing people of what has happened in this case so that they can make their own choice based on their own judgement when purchasing. As you have said yourself further research can be done before a person makes their choice so this information just adds to their research base.

__________________

Nobody is saying it's an epidemic Helen... what has been quoted is that it could be endemic.

__________________

I'm not really - I have more than enough of educational institutions, exams, essays, dissertations to last me a life time. If in alternative reality I did end up being a vet I be like the one from the League of Gentlemen.

English is not as much of a waste as what I read - Ancient History. That really set me up for a lucrative career in the 21st Century