Diseases that Retrovirus Causes in Snakes

Let's discuss about diseases that retrovirus causes in snakes.If you have a pet snake you will want to know about the most common viral disease and how snakes get it. If you are looking for information on diseases that retrovirus causes in snakes then this is the article for you. This article will inform snake owners about this serious disease.

The most common viral disease in snakes is inclusion body disease. IBD is the result of a retrovirus. The retrovirus that causes IBD is usually spread to other snakes through bites, mites, breeding, and contaminated feces.

As with most infections and diseases in reptiles, snakes that are stressed and have weakened immune systems are the most susceptible to getting a retrovirus and IBD.

What is IBD? It is a viral disease that mostly affect pythons and boa constrictors. This disease is very serious. It affects multiple organs and systems in a snake's body. It is usually fatal.

Symptoms of inclusion body disease include weakness, vomiting, skin ulcers, loss of appetite, weight loss, and bacterial infections. These symptoms usually appear to be sudden however they are often dormant in a snake for years prior to the symptoms.

In cases where IBD has been in a snake for a long time their condition will become more severe as they experience neurological symptoms. These symptoms include muscle spasms, seizures, stargazing, and abnormal tongue flicks.

Boas tend to live years with IBD while the disease kills pythons fairly quickly. There isn't a treatment for IBD. Snakes cannot be cured they just have to be quarantined so that they don't spread the disease to other snakes. Symptoms of IBD can sometimes be managed in order for a snake to live out the rest of its life in an acceptable manner. If your snake has severe symptoms of IBD, your veterinarian will probably recommend that you make the decision to euthanize the infected snake. Nobody likes to see their pets suffer. 

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your veterinarian or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment.