My Bummblebee ball died over the weekend. Please advise

[Stromne]

I'm absolutely emotionally destroyed, but I have to know...

I got a juvenile bumblebee ball python 3 weeks ago. He shed on wednesday, ate on friday, we left on Saturday morning, and when we came back Sunday night, he had thrown up the rat and died under his cool side hide. He was about a year and a half old. The previous owner is a good guy who I know I can trust who had him in a rack who regularly breeds BPs. The temps were good (89 hot side and 77 cool side) and I know they didn't dip because the digital thermometer I got records the highest and lowest temp and it never dipped below 87 hot side. The lamp bulb was 4 inches away from the screen. He would calmly put-put between the hot and cold hides once or twice a day, no darting around or trying to find a way out. The shed went fairly well, it came off in 3 pieces (one big one and 2 small pieces) and I checked his eyes and nose for any stuck shed with none to be found. He was about 2 and a half feet and ate frozen/thawed small rats. He never had any problem swallowing/eating. The humidity was 41 percent ambient with a humid box filled with damp moss. He had fresh water that I changed every few days. He never showed any signs of stress and was completely tame while handling every couple of days. I'm really worried, I got my first BP 2 months ago and my third one just last week. I spent probably 15 to 20 hours reading care sheets, forums, and video tutorials before getting my BPs. But none of that changes the fact that he is sadly gone now. Am I just a bad snake owner? Did I kill my snake? Should I be trying to find other homes for my 2 remaining BPs immediately before they die from something I did? Or was this just an unavoidable and horrible accident. I don't want my BPs to go anywhere, I love them already, I haven't had them long, but they're already my babies. I just sat on the floor crying for a good half hour after I found him, and I am not an emotional man.

Please advise honestly. Am I a bad owner who should accept my heartbreak and re-home my BPs for their safety, or was this not my fault and something I don't have to expect with my other BP babies? I need to know honestly, I can't be responsible for more BP deaths if it is my fault. I'll hate myself forever. I love animals, I have had multiple species of pets my whole life, but this is my first time keeping reptiles.

[blk02ssmonte]

The only true way to know is a necropsy. Other than that sounds like you have everything ok. It might be a fluke thing and it was his time. Others might mention a few things also but it doesn't sound like you did anything wrong.

[Solarsoldier001]

I don't think you were doing anything bad. You sound like you read and was informed. Sometimes snake pass out of the blue. You can always have a vet run test on why he passed away.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Penultimate]

Everything sounds ok to me. Hot spot could have been a little low at some point, but not enough to cause any huge problems. Just curious, was the rat frozen thawed or live? It's possible that a thawed rat may not have been completely ready to be fed and could still have a cold spot inside, but a ball python probably wouldn't eat in that case. Very strange.

If I were you, I would put the body in the fridge (I have read not to use the freezer) until you can get a necropsy done. The necropsy will tell you if it was an accident or something you may have done. It's a good idea to do this because you have other snakes. If it was a disease of some sort or a husbandry error that you didn't notice, then you'll want to know so you can be sure your other snakes are safe. Sorry for your loss.

[Stromne]

I appreciate the input everyone. I hope it wasn't my fault, I want to keep my babies. I will look into the necropsy when the vet opens tomorrow.

[QUOTE=Penultimate;2376899] Just curious, was the rat frozen thawed or live? It's possible that a thawed rat may not have been completely ready to be fed and could still have ice in it, but a ball python probably wouldn't eat in that case. /QUOTE]

Frozen\thawed. I thawed it for about 4-5 hours then put in in a ziplock and in a tupperware of warm water for about 30 mins.

[BCS]

It could have been so many things! The problem with snakes is you hardly ever know when they are sick. They cannot limp or whine like a dog when in pain. The do not make facial expressions and the only sound they make is a hiss when upset. For all you know he could have had kidney or heart failure. Perhaps a collapsed lung or a digestive tract parasite (which would explain the regurgitation).

Out of all my snakes, right now one could be sick and I would not even know it... that's a sad thought but something us snake keepers have to be prepared for, even if you only have one.

You could get a necropsy done, especially if your concerned about it being viral and passing on to your other snakes but I really doubt this is going to be a problem.

Sorry to hear about your ball python. I wouldn't give up hope on your other snakes though. Good luck.

[Bigfish1975]

That really does suck and I'm sorry to hear about the loss. It really sounds like you did your homework and things sounds relatively normal. I've had a couple pass away over the years without any explanation. Necropsy may give you an idea but unfortunately won't bring the little one back. I would advise to do a thorough cleaning of the enclosures just in case. I don't think you're a bad snake owner and your babies are in good caring hands. Unfortunately these things do happen at times. One last thing, in the future, practice good quarantine habits.

[Albert Clark]

Yeah, quarantine practices are a good way to monitor the health of new additions to your collection. Very sorry for your loss but try to make it a learning experience. Don't let it consume you bc your other animals are depending on you .

[bcr229]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Put the snake in the refrigerator - not the freezer as freezing destroys tissue - and get the necropsy done if you want an answer. That's the only possible way to learn if it was something you did, if the snake was sick, or if it had some undetected congenital problem that could have killed it at any time - and even then the vet may not be able to tell.

[pbyeerts]

I am so very sorry for your loss..... It sounds like there was something wrong that had nothing to do with you. Years ago, I had a kitten jump off of the couch and poof! he died - it turns out that the kitty had a defective heart - who knew?

Cuddle your other snakes, shed some tears, and see what the vet report says. Hugs


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk