08/27/2025
Official Statement from The Bio Dude:
We regret to inform our community that a confirmed python Nidovirus case has impacted a small portion of our collection. Despite our strict quarantine and biosecurity measures, the virus spread to two snakes within our showroom. This was confirmed by extensive testing, and it was discovered that the Nidovirus strain found was identical to Patient Zero delivered to us by the vendor. To ensure the well-being of our collection, two snakes that were affected were humanely euthanized on August 21, 2025. This decision was made both to prevent further suffering and to reduce any potential infection risk to other animals. Fortunately, our animals currently listed for sale were NOT affected by the outbreak.
Out of an abundance of caution, we are suspending all snake sales and showroom interactions with our snakes for the next 90 days. During this time, we will conduct additional rounds of testing to ensure the highest level of safety and transparency.
Customers who purchased snakes from us on or after August 1, 2025 will be contacted directly. We will cover the cost of testing these animals to ensure peace of mind and confidence in their health.
With the guidance of the Research Associates Lab and Dr. Dougherty at Red Bluff Animal Hospital, we have taken every necessary precaution to prevent further spread and to handle this matter in an ethical and responsible manner. Additionally, we are committed to transparency throughout this process. All snakes during this time, with positive and negative results, will be made available following the recommended 90-day retesting period. All animals that remain in the building have a negative test result as of August 21, 2025.
Due to the sensitivity of this matter and potential legal repercussions, we cannot disclose the identity of the vendor or their intentions of resolution at this time. At The Bio Dude, our mission is transparency and education towards responsible husbandry, so while we understand this message may be disappointing to some, please trust that the matter is being addressed with the utmost seriousness. My mission and priority to safeguard the health of our animals and the trust of our community remains. If circumstances change, I will be sure to share what I can, within legal bounds, with the community.
We deeply value the trust and support of our community; we wouldn’t be The Bio Dude without you. This situation has been difficult, but our focus remains on protecting the animals in our care and upholding the standards that our customers expect.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Joshua Halter, Owner/CEO of The Bio Dude Inc.
-THE DUDE ABIDES👍🏻
Location: The Bio Dude Inc Houston
15116 Highway 3 Bldg 4 Webster, TX 77598
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9am-4pm Sat: 10am-5pm
Phone: (717) 305-0684
Email: [email protected]
