RIP Mean Girl

My Eastern Cottonmouth passed away and its been
weighing heavily on my mind this early morning...
It was a freak accident how it happened. She wasnt
the least bit aggressive to me. Everytime id come in
the room she would come up to the glass and just
watch me.
Well one evening she was acting like she was
hungry so i told
her that id get her a rat or 2....(yeah i talk to my
snakes). I went and got her feeder and came back
in the room. She saw me with the rat and got really
excited like she always has. Im 28...she was my 1st
hot snake. I caught her as a neonate when i was
11. I opened the cage and dropped it in there. She
followed the rat around and finally struck at it. The
rat moved and she ended up with a big splinter
piercing her tongue! I freaked out and didnt know
what to do! She thrashed around in pain and i was
helpless. She stopped and looked at me with her mouth open and i could see the blood and splinter. I didnt know what to do. About a half hr later she was dead. She depended on me and i failed her. 17 yrs she was with me and i couldnt protect her. I failed her... Aftee i examined her, i saw the splinter
pierced the roof of her mouth and pierced her brain.
How do you recover from that?
She was there before going to Iraq and after i got
back. Taking care of her kept me sane for yrs. Now
shes gone ...

Thats my story about a common Eastern
Cottonmouth named Mean Girl

17 yrs of having her she struck at me maybe 2 times right after i caught her. I interacted with her many times a day for yrs and yrs. Hard to believe i know. But she actually got excited everytime she saw me. Not every snake is like her...

Sorry to hear and thank you for sharing the story. Made me realize of how my past animal had to leave all of sudden as well. Rip

sorry for your loss......

Sorry to hear that. My condolences. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of substrate were you using?

That's sad. I'm sorry. I am now taking the decorative log with attached vines out of my ghost girls tub!

I am sorry for your loss! Don't feel you failed her, you looked after her perfectly for 17 years! You should be proud of that!

Very sorry for your loss. There are things that happen sometimes and it just isn't fair. I lost my hognose to a freak feeding accident as well. She always got so excited about food and was eating her rat from the middle. She'd don't this once or twice before and while it was a stretch, it always turned once it got down. I've tried getting it to turn in her mouth before but never wanted to hurt her rear fangs etc. And the more you tried to mess with her the faster she engulfed the rat. But it aways worked out. Except this once. We figure the rat did not turn and ruptured her gut. I found her later dead with a regurgitated rat fuzzy in the tub and some blood. I guess she could have just regurged because it didn't turn and then aspirated. Either way, freak accidents are the worst. I am very sorry for your loss and it sounds like you and your snake had a great relationship.

I definitely agree, freak accidents are the most traumatic. It's comparable to losing a loved one in a car accident as opposed to cancer. Both are awful, but cancer gives you time to grieve and say goodbye. Accidents don't :( God bless, I am so sorry this happened.

What a touching story. I am sorry to hear about your loss bud.