Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My vet thinks my baby...even though she's six years old, MIGHT have either IBD or Cryptospiridia. I've read up on IBD and most times, it's 100% fatal but other people have been telling me a snake CAN live with IBD. The only cryptospiridia info I've found is for livestock. Does anyone know WHAT it is other than a protozoa?

Your vet should be telling you what these possibilities mean for your boa, and also be giving you a firm diagnosis pretty quick too. If you vet isn't doing this you need to go to a herp vet. What's you boa look like? Is it looking alright? Is it manifesting neurological problems like contorting itself (laying in crazy positions) or stargazing (looking up staring)?

As a rule cryptosporidium is an opportunistic infection. I know people with compomised immune systems (like cancer, AIDs, those who take immunosuppressive drugs like for RA or transplants) can get "crypto" infections from tap water sometimes. I don't know if it means this in boas. Maybe your boa has a compromised immune system for some reason? I would certainly use distilled water if your water supply is in question. You can call the health department and ask if there is cryptosporidium in your water too.

IBD is a very serious matter. In case of IBD, move that boa as far away from the rest of your collection as possible. Don't share anything between that boas and others, always wash up good after handling that boa or anything else it can contaminate before doing anything, epecially touching your other animals. Follow the vets orders. According to de Vosjoli et al (the Boa Constrictos Manual) IBD is a retrovirus (same catagory as AIDS) and is "usually fatal". That means it can be dormant in a carrier for a long time too, so you may never be able to bring that snake safely back into your snake room.

Caden

This guy is my reptile vet and I think he was neglecting to tell me what crypto was because he didn't know for sure if she had it. He only told me it's a protozoa and can be passed to other animals and humans. This guy is a VERY good vet, the best I've had so far. He gave me his home phone number and told me to call if anything came up or if I had any questions. I did ask what both diseases were but he always changed the subject. I know he was doing it more for me since I love my snake more than my family. She's the reason I'm not on anti-depressants right now and even though I've only had her for a year, I'd die for her. I know it sounds corny but my snake is the best thing that ever happened to me.

I NEVER use straight from the tap water. I always treat it with something that Zoomed offers and I load it with calcium and other vitamins since she doesn't like the powdered stuff. SInce we have a well, we're relatively free from contamination but the city we live in was banned from drinking water from the tap since health officials found ecoli in the treatment plants.

I appreciate your help and I'm calling my vet at ten to see what exactly came up on her tests. I'm terrified that this is something REALLY bad but I suppose the only 'good' thing is that if it is IBD, she can't give it to my other reptiles since I only have one snake.

Sorry to hear about your snake and hopefully she will be fine. I wanted to say a little about Crypto, it is a parasite that inhabits the intestinal tract. Crypto causes regurgitation and weight loss.
Cryptosporidial disease can kill snakes slowly, up to two years.
As far as I know the disease is incurable. It is more common in corn snakes, than in boas.
Again I hope everything will be ok. Keep us posted as to what the vet has to say.
Chuck

Are you serious? Both of these things are incurable and fatal? She regurged last monday and she's definitely thinner, lost a pound and some girth which is why I brought her in. I lost two Columbians in 04 and 05 so I'm not taking any chances with her. Now I wish I just played ignorant but that would have been irresponsible but still, I wouldn't be chain-smoking and taking my frustration out on my friends and family.

This sucks...how do snakes get either one? I don't have any other snakes as my last Columbian died in June and I think Kaali would have started showing symptoms before now. Is it possible she got one or both from something she ate or worse, could I be responsible for it? While I adore my vet, he kept me in the dark mostly out of fear I'd freak out and I have an emotional breakdown. It was a good call on his part according to my mom but I still feel slightly cheated that he didn't explain these things more to me. I'll still take my reptiles to see him but I'm going to be more forceful in getting my questions answered.

I am sorry you're going through this. I know it is very stressful to you. I love my boas so much too, it's hard to even express it. I feel for you, I know you are scared. Until the vet gives you the definitive diagnosis though, try to put it out of your mind, it will only make you more miserable. When you get the diagnosis then you will know more. Maybe the vet is wrong. Wait until you get that info before freaking out. You didn't say how your boa looks. Is your boa showing neurological symptoms like laying all crazy or looking endlessly at the top of the cage?

You need to stop giving your boa the well water though for now. It could be your problem. Have you ever had your well water tested? For now you might get distilled water, and give the boa just pure clean water. Boas don't like drinking water with stuff in it, and your snake could get dehydrated from not liking it's water. Boas don't need calcium they get it from the bones of their prey. Snakes eating rodents don't need vitamins either, everything they need is in the rat. If you insist on giving vitamins, you should inject the prey to get it into your snake, or get spray on vitamins, but don't "dirty" your pets water. Like every living thing boas need pure clen water. Water is more important than even food, certainly more important that vitamins and calcium. What kind of vitamins are you feeding this boa? Most are only chemical fractions of real vitamins which are whole complexes the way nature intended them...in food.

What did your previous boas die from? Is there any possibility that you didn't clean up well enough and you boa was exposed to the same problems your others had? The retrovirus IBD is thankfully like AIDS in that it isn't likely casual contact can infect someone, be it snake or human.

Man, I feel for you. I know you are doing everything you can. Sometimes life hands you bad stuff. All you can really do is try to hang in there, and ask all the questions you have to the vet first. Make your vet unserstand that you have to know the bottom line.

The very best of luck to you,
Caden