In reality cases of IBD are very rare! There are a multitude of healthissues that create IBD like symptoms! For Example, I had a female boa back in 03 that was purchased a year after I had bought three of the her siblings. All the siblings were doing great, when I got the female she was quite a bit smaller than the rest of her siblings I had bought a year ago. I basically turned her into a rodent dumping ground, feeding her whenever she would eat. About a year and half later I went to feed her and she didn't react in her usual way. After I moved her I realized she was having a balance issue I removed her and her tub from the rack picked her up and attempted to see what was going on. She started to flop and a roll not out of control, but she definitely was having a hard time controling her physical functions. I called my vet immediately got her in there to him and he check her out. By now the symtoms had gotten a bith worse and she now starting to have not pupil movement. The vet ran blood work on her and determined that she was in kidney failure and was building up fluid on vital organs. Since no one has done kidney transplant surgery or dialysis on snake. I took her home a quarintined her and she lasted about two more weeks before she died. After she died I had a biopsy done on all her organs! When the vet did the necropsy he noticed that her kidneys where half the size they should have been. To make this long story shorter all the biopsys came back negative for IBD. I had basically burned this females kidneys out from the constant feeding and her kidneys failed her, which caused her to have fluid on her brain, which then resulted in her death. I still have all three of her siblings that were fed on a regular schedule all healthy as horses and excellent breeders. they are all about seven years old now.

In reality I wouldn't be scared of adding another BRB for the reason of IBD. Just make sure you get you BRB from a good source I know there are a few really reputable breeders of BRB out there, Brian Hummel, Dave Colling and Brian Sharp just to name a few.

Hope this helps and good luck with your search for your new BRB!

Al Brown/Brown's Boas

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