**graphic content**

Sorry for your loss. It must have been hard opening the tub and seeing your girl like that.

When was the last time you checked on her? Looks like it was long enough for the soiled/wet paper towels to mostly dry out anyway. My first thought from hearing of the smell and seeing the pictures was simply decomposition. You might be surprised at how quickly a dead body can buildup gases causing such a bloat.

I agree if you can't get a necropsy done by a vet, you should at least try to find out what happened yourself. When was the last time you checked on her before this happened? Going from perfectly fine to that in a short period of time, it looks to me like her whole system went septic. Other than sudden organ failure, I can't think of anything that would kill one that quickly with no other symptoms, and that doesn't look like a heart attack. I've seen systemic sepsis in possums before, and it's kind of reminiscent of those pictures and can kill in a matter of hours.
Based on the amount of blood and other fluids involved my guess would be that she had some sort of bowel obstruction that perforated the GI tract. That's the only thing I can think of that might cause blood to come back up through her mouth and down near the tail like that. Plus, it would explain her going off food and the hardening of her abdomen before this happened.
That being said, I'm just throwing out theories based on one picture, and even if those happened to be correct there could be a dozen causes behind it, some of which are contagious and some that aren't.

If I were you, I'd keep a VERY close eye on any other snakes you've got. Look for even slight lethargy or decreased awareness, as sometimes that can be the earliest sign of a bacterial infection (I kind of doubt that's what this was, but it's possible, and better safe than sorry).

The state of the snake looks like regular decomposition to me. Especially if it died on top of/next to the heat tape, it takes VERY little time for the body to bloat and begin to leak out.

I would only go on the symptoms you have from before you found her dead. She could have had a blockage, which would make her bloat some and look swollen.

Without a necropsy, and frankly at this stage of decomp, you'll probably find nothing useful inside, it's nearly impossible to figure out. If you found a large lump of urates/poo in the mess of decomposed flesh, that might indicate a bowel blockage.

My manager said looks like bacterial infection that caused fluid blockage and when the snake passed the fluid released

I'm sorry for your loss.
Could she have eaten a rat with poison in its system?

Sorry for the loss. Try not to dwell on it. Some things are just out of our control. Without a vet it really is much harder to get definitive answers. Stay in peace and not pieces. Good luck. :(

I am a member of another board called reptileforums.co.uk If you are not already a member you might consider signing up in hopes that someone on there lives in the same area as you and could make a vet recommendation. Even if you are not in a position to take this snake in, what the others have said about having a vet lined up is absolutely right. If you are still in a position to, and are willing to, get a necropsy done they might be able to point you in the right direction. Be advised, there is a "moderation" period for threads posted by new members and they do not appear until approved. I understand that you want to figure this out with as little delay as possible, so if you would like to tell me where in the UK you are I would be happy to start thread over to try to find someone who could help.

I am by no means an expert and I agree with the others that without a trip to the vet it would be impossible to know for sure what the cause was, but it is true that if there was enough delay between her passing and you finding her the swelling may be the result of normal decomposition. The bleeding does seem unusual, but I can at least say that I have lost fish to septicemea and it is a nasty condition known for causing bleeding. In fish symptoms of bloodshot lips and eyes were early warning signs. I don't suppose she showed any other symptoms besides the hard lump and food refusals did she?

Thanks for all the in put ppl! I have spoke with a vet who specialises in reptiles. And his opinion, after explaining on the phone and showing him photos is that it is a intestinal tract blockage! The neck is stretching from bloating which happens post-mortem! The snake was not left longer than 24hrs but was in top of the heat tape which make a necropsy out of the question. It is my honest believe (not just to make myself feel better) that this is a act of nature and nothing i did wrong.i had no idea that she was even sick or suffering! No other symptoms other than the ones i mentioned! Parasitic infection i ruled out because she lost no weight! And a bacterial infection you would expect to c so sign like RI or slow tongue movement or even limp or weak body movements. I saw
Nothing like this and i am very vigilant wiv my animals. Just one of those things i guess


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Glad you got some answers. All we can do is try our best at keeping our animals healthy. Cleaning enclosures , changing water containers as frequently as possible and changing out waste products on a daily sometimes twice daily basis. Then there is still things we can't control. Good luck.:)