Warning: Sickness in florida killing snakes

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Originally Posted by Don

I'm sorry for your loss. I don't want to sound critical when you are suffering a loss, but there are some things that would really help.

You bought a snake from a big breeder, but don't remember the name? You don't keep records of your purchased animals and where they come from? Is your vet doing any pathology work or did she do a necropsy? You are hitting a major panic button here without giving any details. I think if this is as serious as you claim, a few more details would be helpful. You say that it is hitting the circuit in Florida, but don't tell us how, who or where in Florida this is spreading. All of this just days before Daytona.

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I really hope I haven't scared anyone, and I was not trying to do a widespread panic, I'm so sorry. I was just saying that something is happening to me, just as a friendly tip. Heck, it could be nothing at all. Might be just a weird coincidence. Could be a bad diagnostic on the vet's part. The breeder might not even be at Daytona. If I knew what exactly was happening, I would of posted it.

I'll talk to my veterinarian today to see if she can try to see if there is anything more I can do and get her perspective. I've frozen the bodies of one snake to try to preserve it and I have a couple other snakes potentially exposed that I can maybe use to find more about this. There are plenty of reasonable diseases and health issues that it could be.

I really wish I knew the breeder's name, and yes, I usually do keep records, but I bought the snake sort of last minute, put the receipt in my pocket (but I usually keep my receipts in a pocket in a snake bag), then that is the last I saw of it. Horrible luck and stupidity on my part... Again, I'm sorry.

And as said before, I hope I didn't upset anyone. I really meant no harm.

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Originally Posted by Don

I'm sorry for your loss. I don't want to sound critical when you are suffering a loss, but there are some things that would really help.

You bought a snake from a big breeder, but don't remember the name? You don't keep records of your purchased animals and where they come from? Is your vet doing any pathology work or did she do a necropsy? You are hitting a major panic button here without giving any details. I think if this is as serious as you claim, a few more details would be helpful. You say that it is hitting the circuit in Florida, but don't tell us how, who or where in Florida this is spreading. All of this just days before Daytona.

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I am going to have to agree here. Claiming that there is a "spreading disease" without proof or any type of data to back it up other than your personal experience is irresponsible. There are a number of potential negative outcomes from such a unsubstantiated claim. If there is proof of this, then please provide it so people can be properly educated and people won't be pushed to make a decision on buying or not buying an animal at an expo based on a wild claim. That being said, I am sorry for your losses, that is terrible. But please give us more information. If there are more cases of this, can those people please share their information?

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Originally Posted by ReptileJenna

I really hope I haven't scared anyone, and I was not trying to do a widespread panic, I'm so sorry. I was just saying that something is happening to me, just as a friendly tip. Heck, it could be nothing at all. Might be just a weird coincidence. Could be a bad diagnostic on the vet's part. The breeder might not even be at Daytona. If I knew what exactly was happening, I would of posted it.

I'll talk to my veterinarian today to see if she can try to see if there is anything more I can do and get her perspective. I've frozen the bodies of one snake to try to preserve it and I have a couple other snakes potentially exposed that I can maybe use to find more about this. There are plenty of reasonable diseases and health issues that it could be.

I really wish I knew the breeder's name, and yes, I usually do keep records, but I bought the snake sort of last minute, put the receipt in my pocket (but I usually keep my receipts in a pocket in a snake bag), then that is the last I saw of it. Horrible luck and stupidity on my part... Again, I'm sorry.

And as said before, I hope I didn't upset anyone. I really meant no harm.

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See, in your initial post you said that this is making the circuit in Florida, but your post here says the only cases you know of are the three snakes you lost. Who else in the Florida circuit is experiencing these same symptoms and losses? Your initial post sounds as if it's a much larger widespread exposure than your own animals.

Freezing actually is the last thing you want to do with a body for a future necropsy - refrigeration and submission to the vet within a day or two is best.

I don't think you were intending to cause mass panic Jenna. Just keep us updated on what you find. Let me know if you want to send anything up to UF for testing or even an email contact or whatever. I can bring it up with me from Daytona and take it wherever.

I would much rather find out something like this sooner than later with a "Stay Tuned Folks" approach to more information.

Nothing like someone coming forward with the big boogie man without anything to back it up.

Am I sorry for your loss? Yes

Do I think this post is appropriate at this point? Absolutely not.

If something similar happened to me here is what I would do.

1# Know the breeder I purchase the animal from.

2# Have the body refrigerated and have a necropsy done and tissue samples sent to the University of Florida.

3# Wait for the results

Posting about a possible epidemic in Florida without proof to back it up will do nothing but create a mass panic and possibly have you labeled as the boy who cries wolf if nothing comes out it.

Firstly, I'm not inexperienced, I just am new to the online world; I've never been an internet person. I understand snakes very well and their care. I'm saying snake bought at show with symptoms, died, unknown cause, vet didn't know much besides she thought it was contagious and possibly a parasite. Two other snakes showed symptoms then died. Decided to give a warning that if you see a snake who seems weak, avoid it.

Secondly, I don't see the problem with my use of the word, "circuit." I bought the snake at a show, therefore known as the reptile circuit, and I was just saying be wary, then if anyone else knew anything more. Not declaring it. I use to show horses when I was a child, and we said circuit all the time, so I might have less of a seriousness towards it. In that case, I'm sorry I misused the word.

Thirdly, I understand a freezer would basically not help me at all when it comes to a necropsy, but I did it not even thinking I had to do one until the other snakes started getting sick. I was just freezing it until I could find time to bury it (yes, I bury my snakes).

I'm just as frustrated as all of you when it comes to this. I really was just trying to help by seek more information while warn others of the symptoms. I didn't declare anything. I even said, "WARNING" not "EPIDEMIC."

Again, I'm sorry I even bothered to try to warn. Just forget about it.


P.S I'm not crying wolf, just saying that I heard something howling in the distance then saw yellow eyes in the forest, and decided to give a warning.

Tell the little boy with the finger in the :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: (apparently no matter how one spells a certain word that means the big thing between you and the water, it's censored)we said hello.

Then try REALLY hard to remember which BIG breeder you got it from. I'm sure you can do that if you put your mind to it.

Then, you may want to find another vet. One who maybe won't guess what's wrong with your snakes, maybe even going so far as to have a necropsy done.

Then, you may want to find out what quarantine means and follow proper procedures. It may well have been one of your snakes that gave it to a stressed out new one who then had it blow up and gave it back to your other snakes. Or your other snakes may have already been infected and just coincidentally died after your new acquisition.

I'm also unclear if you bought the snake knowing is was not healthy or just noticed it later.

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Originally Posted by ReptileJenna

Again, I'm sorry I even bothered to try to warn. Just forget about it.

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The information is appreciated, it's your delivery that could use some work.

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Originally Posted by ReptileJenna

Firstly, I'm not inexperienced, I just am new to the online world; I've never been an internet person. I understand snakes very well and their care. I'm saying snake bought at show with symptoms, died, unknown cause, vet didn't know much besides she thought it was contagious and possibly a parasite. Two other snakes showed symptoms then died. Decided to give a warning that if you see a snake who seems weak, avoid it.

Secondly, I don't see the problem with my use of the word, "circuit." I bought the snake at a show, therefore known as the reptile circuit, and I was just saying be wary, then if anyone else knew anything more. Not declaring it. I use to show horses when I was a child, and we said circuit all the time, so I might have less of a seriousness towards it. In that case, I'm sorry I misused the word.

Thirdly, I understand a freezer would basically not help me at all when it comes to a necropsy, but I did it not even thinking I had to do one until the other snakes started getting sick. I was just freezing it until I could find time to bury it (yes, I bury my snakes).

I'm just as frustrated as all of you when it comes to this. I really was just trying to help by seek more information while warn others of the symptoms. I didn't declare anything. I even said, "WARNING" not "EPIDEMIC."

Again, I'm sorry I even bothered to try to warn. Just forget about it.


P.S I'm not crying wolf, just saying that I heard something howling in the distance then saw yellow eyes in the forest, and decided to give a warning.

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I'm really not trying to beat you up - but when you said:

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I thought I would let people know that there is something going around the snake circuit in Florida.

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it sounds like a much larger, much scarier issue, affecting many animals in the Florida reptile community. In truth - you only know for sure that it is something going around in your own collection, not necessarily in the Florida reptile community.

That's what we are taking issue with. That, and the fact, that you have no conclusive evidence as to what actually took your critters, since your vet hasn't even performed any necropsies to get to the root cause. Three animals in one collection does not equal something going around the snake circuit in Florida. If you remembered the name of the BIG breeder, then you could ask if anyone else had similar experiences with animals that they picked up at the same show.

Making such a broad sweeping statement unjustly puts all reptile breeders in the Florida reptile circuit under scrutiny. Hard working men and women now have been cast under a suspicious light - this thread has even been linked now as a warning in the Daytona show thread.

What Robin said.

At this point you don't even know that it was the snake you bought at the show if you have no diagnosis as to what was wrong with any of the three dead snakes. You did say it did not appear sick, which would make sense because I doubt anyone would buy a snake that looked sick.

Since you lost 3 snakes, of two vastly different species, I would look closer at your quarantine area. Is there any possibility of someone spraying something too close by(a neighbor spraying their lawn or bushes could cause a drift of pesticides/fungicides/etc)?

I don't understand how you losing one snake(then two others) equates "something going around the snake circuit". And not to beat you up, or imply anything, but nearly every person who posts about losing snakes, no matter how mundane the cause of death turns out to be, says things like "I've got lots of experience."

It's great to want to warn people of some sort of possible illness... but to imply that it's "going around" an entire state when you've got not even one other case outside your own quarantine, is not only stretching it, it's snapping it and flipping the pieces at breeders/dealers.