# Site General > Rainbow Bridge >  Sully was a newcomer

## mthompson82633

My daughter got a ball python for Christmas.  She had spent months researching snakes,  care habitat.  We had talked to an uncle who owns a snake,  friends who own snakes.  She had worked hard.  Before .she had Sully,  I made her,  required her to care for other animals.  She had fostered kittens by bottle feeding.  At 14, .she was and is a great mom.  When Sully came she did great.  He didn't eat well.  We had to force feed him pinkies.  His first shed didn't go well.  We tried humidity boxers, baths, recommensations from the vet.  my daughter kept a weight log, we called and talked to vet and veteran snake owners.  But Sully died. He was lethargic one day and dead the next.  Today is her fifteenth. She lost her snake and we euthanized our dog  who had cancer. She is so sad. i think she was a great mommy too that snake.  he's IN the fridge. I'm hoping our vet can send him for q necropsy. She keeps asking what she did wrong.  And I don't know what to say...

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## Lord Sorril

> She keeps asking what she did wrong.  And I don't know what to say...


Where did the snake come from?  If it was from a reputable breeder then it was probably an issue on your end.  If it was from Petco or Petsmart I can think of at least a hundred possible issues.

Tell her you will get another snake. Get it from a reputable breeder. Tell her to check the BP.net Forum stickies on Husbandry and Feeding and make sure she has the correct setup and handling rules before you do.

Make sure you disinfect/sterilize the old BPs setup/equipment.  (I prefer high concentration Hydrogen Peroxide in a well-ventilated area)

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*Bogertophis* (05-11-2018),Craiga 01453 (05-11-2018),_tttaylorrr_ (05-11-2018)

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## hilabeans

Hi mthompson, welcome to the forum!

I am very sorry for the loss of your first snake.  I know the feeling well and your story is very familiar.

My 13 year old daughter had campaigned for a snake for months before I finally considered it.  I found this forum and the two of us began researching ball pythons.  We decided we didn't want the "pet rock" snake bps had a reputation of being, so we opted for a Russian Rat after several members here sang their praises.

We welcomed Bonsai into our home and fell instantly in love.  For 2 months he was the sweetest thing and everything was going well.  Then he stopped eating.  Not a big deal for ball pythons, but a little unusual for colubrids. For weeks I started tweaking things here and there with his temps, got him to take a couple of live mouse pinkies, asked the advice of experienced owners and Russian Rat breeders, thought I was doing everything right by him - and then one day we found him stiff in his enclosure.  He died in my hands.

I still remember my daughter sobbing in a heap on the floor, holding him in her hands and begging me to wake him up.  It absolutely broke my heart.  We felt sure it must have been something we did wrong, as new owners.  We had a necropsy done and it ended up being a massive infection in his liver and kidneys.  Those infections are slow growing and it's hard to know how he got it.  Could've come from a bad feeder or he could have come to us sick from his breeder.  Who knows.

We grieved his loss hard.  But I knew if I didn't get another snake, my daughter would forever feel like it was something she did and like she couldn't be trusted with the responsibility of another snake.  She was a WONDERFUL snake mom, and dang it - so was I!  We were not irresponsible and I knew it, deep down, even though I felt so guilty.

So, after about a month, we dusted ourselves off and bought a ball python from a great breeder.  Now we feel like the world's greatest snake parents that ever lived because Neptune has been absolutely perfect.  Perfect eater, perfect shedder, perfect temperament, exactly what a happy & content little ball should be.  We didn't change, we just got a healthy snake.

*********

That's a long story, but I wanted you to know you're not alone.  That said, husbandry is the *#1* reason why snakes don't thrive and die.  So you have to know that everything is perfect there.  With my ball python, I followed this - TO PERFECTION.  He's in a 16 qt tub instead of 6, but that's the only deviation.

Spend a lot of time here.  Read all of the stickies on husbandry and care.  Ask tons of questions.  Then, when you are ready, ABSOLUTELY get another snake!

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*Bogertophis* (05-11-2018),_tttaylorrr_ (05-11-2018)

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## Craiga 01453

Welcome to the forum.  I'm sorry to hear your first snake experience ended so sadly. Based on what I read it sounds like the animal came to you unhealthy and there wasn't much you could have done. 
If the snake came from a big box store, it's unfortunately fairly common. If it came from a reputable breeder, I would contact them. Depending on necropsy results they may be willing to replace the snake. 

I know this must be a difficult and heartbreaking time for you and your daughter, but I hope it doesn't discourage her from staying in the snake hobby. Snakes are fantastic, fascinating creatures and make great pets. 

My only critique would be the force feeding of pinkies...

A) force or assist feeding should ONLY be done as an absolute LAST RESORT. For some reason, it's a fairly common mistake that new snake keepers will make. But, it really should only be done in extreme cases and typically only with snakes that have never eaten a meal.

B) pinkies are WAY too small for a BP. BPs eat hoppers right out of the egg and typically for only their first 3-5 meals. They quickly move up in size after that.


Anyway, I hope you and your daughter aren't too discouraged and will get back in the snake game soon. I send my most heartfelt condolences to you and your daughter and wish you the best of luck moving forward.

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*Bogertophis* (05-11-2018),_Lord Sorril_ (05-11-2018),_tttaylorrr_ (05-11-2018)

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## GpBp

Hi mthompson82633, I'm so so sorry to hear about this.
I too think it might've been something that wasn't in your power, sometimes things like this just happen unfortunately. My best advice to you is to get a new snake (once you and your daughter have healed, of course), and become an active member of this forum! It's a family-friendly place, and we really help each other out here. I fully believe that without the help of this community, my snakes wouldn't be where they are today! I've made so so many mistakes, but they only helped me learn how to take the best care possible of my animals. If you got Sully from a pet store like PetSmart/Petco, I would NOT recommend doing it again! A lot of those stores don't know what they're doing, and it's best to just get a healthy animal from an online breeder or a local reptile expo. Again, I am so very sorry for this loss. Just don't let this bring you down! Snakes can be very rewarding if they are healthy and cared for properly  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-11-2018),Craiga 01453 (05-11-2018),_Lord Sorril_ (05-11-2018)

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## Bogertophis

Welcome to the forum...I'm so sorry for your losses.  I know how badly that feels...but I've lived with many pets all my life, and I'd never trade the joy they 

bring to my world for the pain of losing one.  Yes, there are things you could have done better, but that's true for all of us in the beginning, when we were

still learning.  And there's also a possibility that it's not so much anything you did wrong but that the snake already had issues when you got him.  He may 

not have survived even in the most experienced of hands, & even with a necropsy, you may never know exactly what went wrong.  

So I'd urge you not to give up...to keep reading & learning, and when you're ready*, to try again.  Snakes are worth it.  (*but do assume the possibility that 

your late pet had something contagious to other reptiles and thoroughly disinfect everything he touched, just in case, and wait just a bit before bringing home 

another reptile, just to be safer)  The second snake I ever had only lived about 6 months, and I fought hard to keep him alive:  but while I lost the battle, I 

also learned the skill of tube-feeding a sick snake, which I've put to good use & by which I've saved others in the many years since that first loss.  (I don't 

recommend ever force-feeding actual prey items, but you aren't the only one to try that & you did what you thought best.)  Our pets, be they snakes or dogs 

or whatever, enrich our lives in much the same way as our human companions...so don't quit.  And don't be shy about asking questions here...you're among 

people who care & understand.

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Craiga 01453 (05-11-2018),_GpBp_ (05-11-2018),_Lord Sorril_ (05-11-2018)

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