My second oldest snake died

[ESP]

I'm in some serious shock/loss. I went away for the weekend and came home and was handing out water when I noticed my black pastel champ didn't move when I opened the door to his cage. The glue on the tape holding the thermostat probe on apparently stopped holding and the probe fell out and he didn't move off the hot spot. At least that's what I think happened as his stomach seemed to be scarred up. Everything was fine Friday when I left... Or maybe it was an infection? I don't really know. I'm not really sure what to do...

I don't know who else to talk to since most of the people I know don't really get snakes. But I'm pretty devastated and feel terrible.

[KMG]

That sucks. I have lost animals and its never easy.


Where was the probe?

[ESP]

I have a couple T8's stacked with a some flexwatt taped up the side. I had it taped on the inside of that.

[KMG]

Im sure you have but I would replace all the tape.

I have had really good service from using the aluminum duct tape. It handles heat well and is super sticky.

https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Alumin...inum+duct+tape

[ESP]

I'm also worried that maybe he had an infection? His mouth was pretty red and his cloaca looked messed up, but I mean if he was burned, I don't assume it would look healthy. It also doesn't really look like burn pictures on Google. I've checked my other snakes and they all seem fine. Any recommendations on what I should do?

[KMG]

I would think that if the snake was burned to the point it caused death it would be fairly easy to see especially if the snake then remained on the overheated location.

So the flexwatt runs along the wall and then under the cage?

Do you have any thermometers that store temps or does you tstat store the highs and lows? My Herpstats and if yours do to it may help narrow things down.

If you really want to know store the snake in the fridge, not freezer as the freezer destroys tissue, and have a vet perform a necropsy to find the cause of death.

[Albert Clark]

Really sad to hear this. My condolences for sure. My recommendation would mirror KMG and call for replacing the glue with a quality foil tape. Was the probe inside or outside the enclosure? I'm not clear on that.

[ESP]

Yeah it runs under it and up the side. The tstat I use doesn't store the highs and lows, but I had an accurite in the one next to his on the same tape and it didn't register that high in the last 24 hours, but I've read plenty of places that heat tape can be inconsistent. I just moved him from the freezer (he was only in there 30 minutes or so) and I'll call the vet about the necropsy tomorrow. I took a picture of his belly to see if this looks like a burn?

https://imgur.com/a/8Yk2K

[ESP]

The probe is outside the enclosure on the heat tape itself. I have it run like a rack: under the bottom enclosures, up the side, under the top enclosures. I have the tstat set to 90. Where the heat tape goes up the last part of the wall, near where the wires connect it, I have it taped up against the side. I taped the tstat probe there on the heat tape and then taped the heat tape against the side of the enclosure.

I used some "strong" duct tape, but apparently the heat made it less sticky. I've put in the order for the foil tape and will use that for everything going forward.

[Albert Clark]

It doesn't appear to look like a burn to me. That doesn't mean it truly isn't. Was the probe glued to the heat tape or taped to it?