My red-tail this past May (2007)

**Raven** · Site Admin Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 217

Here is a photo of my Red-Tail, Cowboy sitting on my head while I hold one of my domestic cats.

enjoy,
Raven

**Eric** · Site Admin Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 333 Location: Pa

Sweet is that cat a future food source? LOL sorry I couldn't resist nice looking snake.

**Raven** · Site Admin Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 217

No worries! I have a pretty good sense of humor!

Lol!
Raven

ZEKE · Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 436

is that the boas cage in the backround? how big is it? it looks huge!

nice kitty and boa!

**Raven** · Site Admin Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 217

He's a lot bigger now, a little over 5 feet long. The 2 enclosures in the back housed my rosy boas, one of which died from IBD this past spring. The enclosure that you can only
see in part to the side is my Red-tail's enclosure. I need to upgrade him to a bigger enclosure since he has gotten much bigger.

cheers,
Raven

ZEKE · Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 436

what is IBD? there is 2 enclosures in the back? it looks like just one but that must be because your head is where the 2 meet.

Sokoke Dad · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 14

IBD is an auto-immune disease found only in snakes. It is basically "snake AIDS". The bad thing about IBD is that it can be without symptoms for up to 8-10 years. The only way that it is correctly diagnosed is by taking a biopsy of the liver. This means that those people doing snake rescue can have an effective protocol of 6 months quarantine, yet still infect their snakes. Our snakes were infected in such conditions. The person who did the rescue followed all the proper quarantine protocols.

It was sadly discovered when one of our red-tail siblings went into a very large and expensive collection of snakes and snakes started dying. When I say expensive, I mean to the tune of thousands of dollars worth of rare snakes.

Liver biopsies were conducted and it was discovered that one of the rescued snakes contaminated a bunch of snakes, many non-rescued, much loved pet snakes purchased as babies.

This is tragic for us, because once our snakes die we will have to wait at least a year and get all new enclosures to have snakes. We have already decided to enjoy the life left to our pets and once their quality of life goes into decline they will be euthanized by our snake vet.

best wishes,
Sokoke Dad

ZEKE · Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 436

oh. so it effects all your snakes because one of them had it? why do you haveto wait a year and get all new enclosures? you cannot just sterilize them all? wow that must suck. sorry that happened to you.

**Raven** · Site Admin Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 217

Hi Zeke,

My hubby is working on music right now and only one of us at a time can be on the forum. I was told that the virus that causes IBD is quite tenacious and not to get any more snakes. Once my snakes have passed beyond, I have to wait to make sure that all of the virus is out of the house. I handle my snakes, which means that the virus can be shed all over.

I use chlorhexidrine as part of my cleaning protocol and this usually deals with most sanitization issues, but I do not know exactly why that I have been advised to not keep snakes in the infected, but sterilized enclosures.

IBD does not effect any other herp, except snakes. So, if I want to have frogs, lizards, or non-snake herps, I've been advised that this is okay.

cheers,
Raven