• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

How good can a pair of Boas be from Craigslist?!

JenC

JenC

Missin her snakes
Damn you CRAIGSLIST!

Decided to cruise craiglist because god knows miracles happen on that website.

And i came across an add for a pair of Hypo 50% het albino boa yearlings.

I could not resist. I got an INCREDIBLE deal on them, so much so, you could accuse me of stealing. haha

So anyway, pictures arent the greatest, but here they are.

Male:
100_1023.jpg

100_1024.jpg

100_1030.jpg

100_1032.jpg

100_1033.jpg


Female:
100_1038.jpg

100_1041.jpg

100_1037.jpg

100_1036.jpg


......$250 for the pair. not bad.
 
You saved enough to afford to get them checked for IBD. That's always my concern with boas and not knowing where they came from.
 
I don't trust anything on Craigslist. And having been through a close call with IBD through snakes that were rescues, I'm always a little paranoid when it comes to boas and not knowing their origins.
 
I didnt just meet them in a parking lot and take the snakes and run...

I went to her house. She gave me a tour, her whole family was there, they were all very friendly. They had a few more boas. All housed perfectly, nothing out of the ordinary. They probably had themm in better set ups than i do actually. She got them from a breeder in Connecticut. Im not worried at all about IBD. But of course it wouldnt be a bad idea to check.
 
They are beautiful, you got a deal!!!
I'm sure you are quarantining them away from your collection?
 
dionythicus said:
You saved enough to afford to get them checked for IBD. That's always my concern with boas and not knowing where they came from.
Click to expand...


checking for IBD on a live Boa is nigh impossible... even if the tests are negative you're still far from being off the hook- there is no real viable way to test for IBD at the moment.

From what I gathered from many veteran boa keepers- it's all about quarantining and checking + doublechecking the origin of the snake- making sure you never have mites, of course.

Those are neat looking hypos… the price's good, congrats 
 
Kokopelli said:
checking for IBD on a live Boa is nigh impossible... even if the tests are negative you're still far from being off the hook- there is no real viable way to test for IBD at the moment.
Click to expand...

Liver biopsies done under sedation are a reliable method of determining if a snake has IBD or not. I've just seen too many boas come through rescue groups with IBD. Quarantine is good, but a biopsy is better.

I'm not trying to derail this thread, because those are stunning boas, especially the female. I'm glad you were able to meet the family and get some history.

I hear too many stories of people getting snakes on Craigslist and they have no idea of who bred it or where it came from originally, they're just rescuing a snake in need. Just look at the pics that have been posted from Craigslist ads on here. It makes me shudder.

Now, back to more snakie pics, more of the female! Love her tail pattern.
 
dionythicus said:
Liver biopsies done under sedation are a reliable method of determining if a snake has IBD or not. I've just seen too many boas come through rescue groups with IBD. Quarantine is good, but a biopsy is better.

I'm not trying to derail this thread, because those are stunning boas, especially the female. I'm glad you were able to meet the family and get some history.

I hear too many stories of people getting snakes on Craigslist and they have no idea of who bred it or where it came from originally, they're just rescuing a snake in need. Just look at the pics that have been posted from Craigslist ads on here. It makes me shudder.

Now, back to more snakie pics, more of the female! Love her tail pattern.
Click to expand...

It is an extremely invasive procedure.
The risks of anesthesia on an animal are extremely high for reptiles- especially boas. their slow metabolic system takes ages to shrug off the anesthetics... I can say from personal experience that I had to nurture a BCI back from anesthetics- it took almost a week and in it's end the Boa -died- (Spiritus' case of prolapsed Hemipene- the surgery itself was far from complicated).

I don't consider it a safe procedure and will only do it -if- a Boa showed symptoms.

As far as I recall ( though I may be wrong )- the biopsy itself could still miss the presence of inclusion bodies.

You suggest a safe route... and I dig that, but to endanger the animal by possibly killing it to check if it's going to die or not... to me, that does not make sense. Anesthesia holds serious risk for snakes- if you are uncertain of the snake's origin, don't buy it.
 
Actually guys, you cannot trust anyone in this hobby. Nobody can say they are free from IBD unless they have had every single snake in their collection biopsied and quarantined away from everyone and everything. How many breeders are going to do that?

I have only ever bought snakes from trusted and VERY reputable breeders in the UK and America. And I still ended up with IBD in my collection...

My first thought too was oh dear... cheap boas on craiglist. Cheap things are always cheap for a reason... They are beautiful boas though, and they look to be in good physical condition, externally :)

As for the biopsies, well I am in the process of getting all my boids biopsied. It's worth it when you have had a confirmed case. In fact it's ridiculous not to do something... And I think making a decision and having such passionate opinions about procedures surrounding this disease is only something you can truly form when you have crossed paths with IBD.
 
Dumb question, but what if you didn't anesthetize the snake? Is it possible? I mean, they do biopsies on humans all the time, not under general anesthesia. Just asking.
 
Yes, they are quarantined.

They were cheap because she didnt have time for them (she has school and work) and felt she was "neglecting them" by not holding them everyday. So she wanted a good home for them, wasnt looking for a profit.
 
Tula_Montage said:
Actually guys, you cannot trust anyone in this hobby. Nobody can say they are free from IBD unless they have had every single snake in their collection biopsied and quarantined away from everyone and everything. How many breeders are going to do that?

I have only ever bought snakes from trusted and VERY reputable breeders in the UK and America. And I still ended up with IBD in my collection...

My first thought too was oh dear... cheap boas on craiglist. Cheap things are always cheap for a reason... They are beautiful boas though, and they look to be in good physical condition, externally :)

As for the biopsies, well I am in the process of getting all my boids biopsied. It's worth it when you have had a confirmed case. In fact it's ridiculous not to do something... And I think making a decision and having such passionate opinions about procedures surrounding this disease is only something you can truly form when you have crossed paths with IBD.
Click to expand...

If you have a confirmed case- I agree, action is not only recommended, it is required.
However, I disagree that these tests should be conducted as a preventative measure when there is no reason to suspect IBD.
 
They are very pretty. Sounds like a great arrangement to me!

This is off the topic of IBD, but Humphrey is a CL snake. And again, the seller did NOT want profit. She was going away to college & felt that her family wouldn't handle Humphrey enough.

I was not, at the time, aware of the existence of IBD, let alone that colubrids could carry it. I am now aware of these things, and worry that Humphrey could be a carrier, but I guess all I can do is be fastidious about hand cleaning & mite avoidance.
 
Kokopelli said:
If you have a confirmed case- I agree, action is not only recommended, it is required.
However, I disagree that these tests should be conducted as a preventative measure when there is no reason to suspect IBD.
Click to expand...

In my case, it was necessary. I have a highly qualified herp vet, one of the best around, and I trust his opinion and knowledge. The problem with waiting for symptoms is that by the time you see them, it has already spread and you will likely lose your entire collection, not to mention any snake you've sold or loaned to another for breeding, which means contacting everyone who has ever bought from you or bred to your snakes and on down the line. There is no cure and it is out there more than anyone realises. I am paranoid about it. That's why I only have one other boa and will probably never have more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top