Linda,

Thanks for posting all of this information over the last few days. I did see the X-Rays and I am glad that you posted them because I had never seen x-rays of follicles before. I am always thrilled to see stuff that I have never seen, especially if I can learn from it... so THANKS!!

As for the ultrasound info, I am glad that I could help with my recent personal observations as I think it also helped several others who read/post here on KS. Thanks to all of you who e-mailed about this stuff with comments and more questions, those of you who have not yet received a response... you will! I am trying to take the time to answer the questions as best I can. Also... I would like to thank Jeremy Stone for the information that he shared with me some months ago when I was "green" with my ultrasound. I was doing quite well with Ball and other pythons but I just didn't know how close these were to Boas and Jeremy told me the differences in detail. so... THANKS!

Linda, I know exactly how you feel as I debated the ultrasound purchase for the last few years only coming to the conclusion that our collection wasn't mature enough to justify it. Now that I have this one part of me is glad that I waited but the other part wishes I had it many years ago. I still have a lot of questions about my snakes that they will answer for me in time. I just want to keep watching them and doing it the "old school" way so that I can figure out these mysteries in my head. When I know more so will my friends and colleagues. So hang in there with your vet... sounds like he is a great guy. You will make the right choice for when/if to get your own machine and when you do you won't need much help because it is really quite simple.

As for the IBD thing... I have had SO many long conversations with Linda, Jeremy and MANY others including Vets, researchers and just regular ole boa lovers like us all and we always come to the same conclusion. It is a PROBLEM! I don't think that it is the end of the world but should be the end of ignorance. NO ONE with a Boa collection consisting of 1 to infinite numbers of Boas can say that their collection is IBD FREE! NO ONE! These animals could be lurking in any collection and be asymptomatic. The key is proper husbandry. NO MITES and NO FLUID TRANSMISSION. Be careful about fecal matter, water bowls, saliva and blood. But what about breeding?? We know it can be transfered sexually in Boas through copulation and we also know that it can be passed from mother to offspring. So what do we do? I think Jeremy has a good point with testing normal siblings to high-end morphs. This is a painful and depressing thing but it is for the "greater good" of all of us. Like Linda, I would like to have every animal tested. However the specimen in question may only have the inclusions present in the brain and spine and they may not have passed onto the other organs yet. It the test comes back positive you know for sure the animal has it if it comes back negative does the animal still have it? Did we miss it? Has it not had a chance to spread to the organs we had tested? Man... this stuff makes my head spin!

MORE RESEARCH! I would like to know WHO is accepting donations to this research. I would like to start participating in an IBD Research Fundraiser! This affects all of us not just those of us breeding these snakes for a living. We need to get this stuff out there... the initials I-B-D bring out fear in those who hear them in this community. The main problem is... very few of us really know the COLD HARD FACTS about it and how it affects US. Ignorance about IBD will RUIN this business. Lets all try to learn more...

Thank you Linda, Jeremy and others for your thoughts and knowledge on these subjects. There is far too much money changing hands in this business today to keep these issues idle and hidden. If we don't start learning then we as well as our boas will start dying.

Don't let IBD get ya down! Learn about it!!

Thanks everyone...
-----
Sean Bradley
Owner : EbN
www.ExoticsByNature.com
www.BallPythonMorphs.com
www.CornSnakeMorphs.com

[ Hide Replies ]

• The last of the scrolls re: breeding, ultrasounds, thanks, & IBD - LindaH, Mon Feb 21 21:38:47 2005
• Dead sea scrolls.........I'd call all this the old testiment. LOL! - JohnLokken, Mon Feb 21 22:16:05 2005
• The last of the scrolls re: breeding, ultrasounds, thanks, & IBD - hogglover, Mon Feb 21 22:56:36 2005
• I would have to say... - bthacker, Mon Feb 21 23:03:25 2005
• The last of the scrolls re: breeding, ultrasounds, thanks, & IBD - Jeremy Stone, Tue Feb 22 00:09:55 2005
• That is a great post from all of you.... - ajfreptiles, Tue Feb 22 07:04:07 2005
• RE: That is a great post from all of you.... - gmherps, Tue Feb 22 08:46:34 2005
• The last of the scrolls re: breeding, ultrasounds, thanks, & IBD - Jeff Clark, Tue Feb 22 00:22:42 2005
• Thank you Jeff...> - LindaH, Tue Feb 22 19:11:49 2005
• RE: Thank You Linda & Jeremy... more... - Exotics by Nature, Tue Feb 22 11:52:21 2005
• Thanks for the meaty posts.... - craig k., Tue Feb 22 13:35:16 2005
• They have been pretty meaty, lately, havent they?...> - LindaH, Tue Feb 22 19:07:54 2005
• Looking the other way - kirby, Tue Feb 22 12:58:44 2005
• RE: Looking the other way - Jeff Clark, Tue Feb 22 14:53:48 2005
• Hi Bill................>> - LindaH, Tue Feb 22 19:00:28 2005