Why did my ball python die?

[Skiploder]

Snakes don't die because of one regurge.

The snake did not regurge because the prey item was frozen a little on the inside.

Until the OP necropsies the animal, the cause will be unknown.

Sometimes, RIs are the result of a more serious systemic illness. The immune system becomes compromised to the point where normal gram negative bacteria proliferate unchecked and an RI is born.

This systemic illness may be gastric in nature, renal in nature, protozoal in nature, viral in nature, etc. Without a necropsy, the OP will never know.

[whymengy]

Snakes don't die because of one regurge.

The snake did not regurge because the prey item was frozen a little on the inside.

Until the OP necropsies the animal, the cause will be unknown.

Sometimes, RIs are the result of a more serious systemic illness. The immune system becomes compromised to the point where normal gram negative bacteria proliferate unchecked and an RI is born.

This systemic illness may be gastric in nature, renal in nature, protozoal in nature, viral in nature, etc. Without a necropsy, the OP will never know.

Thanks, I think you are right. The exact cause of her death will not be known. Where I'm from, we don't have the luxury of a proper herp vet (exotic pets owners are not common as common here in Malaysia), a necropsy is out of question.

Being the only pet snake I have, I don't think she caught the illness from my other pets (blue tongue skink/malayan box turtle) as she was housed away from others and also i practice handwash before and after I touch any of my pets. I guess she might have carried the disease from day one, just not yet showing signs of illness when i bought it 4 mths ago.

I just realize one thing though, my BP frequently misses her prey (fresh thawed) when she strikes. I've asked my pet shop owner before and he says that it is nothing to be worried of. I always thought that because snakes hunt by sensing heat, a prey in room temperature might not be able to let her pin-point the exact location of it. Is this part of symptoms of Boid inclusion body disease?

[rabernet]

Thanks, I think you are right. The exact cause of her death will not be known. Where I'm from, we don't have the luxury of a proper herp vet (exotic pets owners are not common as common here in Malaysia), a necropsy is out of question.

Being the only pet snake I have, I don't think she caught the illness from my other pets (blue tongue skink/malayan box turtle) as she was housed away from others and also i practice handwash before and after I touch any of my pets. I guess she might have carried the disease from day one, just not yet showing signs of illness when i bought it 4 mths ago.

I just realize one thing though, my BP frequently misses her prey (fresh thawed) when she strikes. I've asked my pet shop owner before and he says that it is nothing to be worried of. I always thought that because snakes hunt by sensing heat, a prey in room temperature might not be able to let her pin-point the exact location of it. Is this part of symptoms of Boid inclusion body disease?

She probably missed because it was room temperature and not a strong heat signature.

It's "possible" that when she regurgitated, that she got some of the stomach fluids into her glottis that went down into her lungs. That's what they breath through when they eat, they also breath through it when they are regurgitating a meal.

Though I agree - anything we suggest is simply speculation, a necropsy would be the only definitive way to know what happened.