corn snakes/ball pythons

[deuce]

I heard that ball pythons carry diseases and should not be around any other reptiles. I have 2 balls and 3 corns on opposite sides of the room- will they be ok? And of course, I wash my hands before/after handling any of them.

Thanks.

[Maize411]

I haven't heard about that but then again I haven't needed to do much research on ball pythons...but as long as you don't handle them together and as long as you wash your hands with a good anti-bacterial soap..I'm sure things should be fine :0)

[Plissken]

My cornsnake's vivarium is on top of my ball python's vivarium and has been for some time. There have not been any problems and I've never heard of BPs presenting a danger to colubrids in that way.

[TWGarland]

maybe its because of higher levels of wild caught specimens in ball pythons in the pet industry :shrugs:

[@__@]

i have 2 ball pyhtons and their cage exactly next to my cornsnakes, and seems that they just fine (both of them)...

i agree with TWGarland, maybe the diseases from the wild caught ball python,,so when you get a ball python i think you need to isolate it for a while, about a month maybe...

please correct me if i'm wrong :D

and sorry if my english is bad :(

--Bram--

[deuce]

i have 2 ball pyhtons and their cage exactly next to my cornsnakes, and seems that they just fine (both of them)...

i agree with TWGarland, maybe the diseases from the wild caught ball python,,so when you get a ball python i think you need to isolate it for a while, about a month maybe...

please correct me if i'm wrong :D

and sorry if my english is bad :(

--Bram--
Thanks everyone, that really makes me sleep easier!

[CLB1]

You would more so wanna keep boa's away from other snake's since they can carry IBD.

[Plissken]

You would more so wanna keep boa's away from other snake's since they can carry IBD.

So can pythons...

If possible it's best to quarantine any new snake away from your existing stock, regardless of whether it's a BP or not. There are a lot of CB BPs in the pet trade now, so as long as you pick a CB carefully, I don't see there's any problem with them.

[tyflier]

It is my understanding that IBD has not yet been shown to infect colubrid species, though I could be wrong, or this info may have changed recently.

With that said...it is also very rapidly fatal in pythons, whereas boas can carry the retro-virus with no signs or symptoms for some time. If you have other boids, you should definitely isolate and quarrantine for as long as possible. Boas can carry the retro-virus for a number of years before displaying signs of infection...all while still being contagious. Ball Pythons usually die very shortly after contracting the disease...

[Plissken]

Indeed Chris, but I've heard of IBD suddenly presenting itself after periods of 18 months or more of apparant good health. Should we all be quarntining our boids for two years? :shrugs: I agree we should quarantine, of course, but I think it's hard to rule out IBD.

[Velvet]

For us non-boa people..what the heck is IBD? :)

[Plissken]

Inclusion Body Disease. Here's a link to read:

http://www.anapsid.org/ibd.html

[Velvet]

Thanks! lol

[tyflier]

Indeed Chris, but I've heard of IBD suddenly presenting itself after periods of 18 months or more of apparant good health. Should we all be quarntining our boids for two years? :shrugs: I agree we should quarantine, of course, but I think it's hard to rule out IBD.
I really don't know. It's a question each person needs to consider on their own.

Luckily for me, I only have 1 BP and 1 Boa...They are housed in display cages in 2 seperate rooms of my house, specifically because of my fear(coupled with a lack of working knowledge) of IBD.

I have tried reading up on it, but still don't completely understand what it is and what it entails. All I know is that boa species can be non-effected carriers, python species are usually killed fairly quickly after contracting it, and(as far as I know) colubrids are not infected by it. Other than that, I really have no idea, even though I have read many links about it, various boa and python manuals and handbooks, and even the Merck Veterinary Manual for Reptiles...they all assume a basic knowledge of the disease, and without that, useful information is hard to obtain.

Granted, I don't believe I have read the link you provided, yet...but I will...

[edit]I just read the anapsid link you posted, and while it provides a large amount of information...it still assumes at least a basic knowledge of boid biology, viral biology, and a basic knowledge of the virus itself. Or perhaps I am simply looking for information that doesn't yet exist...I know it is a "relatively" new discovery, and perhaps more information will be forthcoming...