Sudden death of young ball python

I have to agree with Major League based on the information given. My list would have added options:

1. intentionally smashed head (human)

2. unintentionally smashed head (human)

3. accidental smashed head with an object in cage, snake got free/ nerve twitches released it

4. head got caught between lid and cage, snake panicked and thrashed, damaged own head and died

5. snake died of something painful, mouth was gaping, jaw unhinged (giving caved in appearance), and 'goo' came from the mouth and simply collected on the head



Basically what we need to know is:

Show us the habitat, what was in it, how the lid is attached and anchored

Was the goo coming from the head coming out of an open wound or could it be the mouth? How obvious / pictures of the 'head trauma'

Who has access to the room

thanks for everyone's opinion

to clarify a few things, his head was not smashed, it had half caved in, as if from the inside it had melted, I know how crazy that sounds but really, half of his head, including his skull had gone soft... I have no explanation as to why or how.

he was housed in a tank, not a tub, with glass sliding doors nd a lock, I am the only person who deals with my snakes and th only person with keys to th tanks... his tank was simple as after his scale rot incident the vet gave me strict instructions becos he would always be prone to scale rot. he was therefor kept on newspaper, had a water bowl, two cardboard hides nd a single branch that cannot have fallen on him. I do not suspect fowl play as I am the only one who would handle him or anything...

Thanks again
bobs

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Originally Posted by bobs

thanks for everyone's opinion

to clarify a few things, his head was not smashed, it had half caved in, as if from the inside it had melted, I know how crazy that sounds but really, half of his head, including his skull had gone soft... I have no explanation as to why or how.

he was housed in a tank, not a tub, with glass sliding doors nd a lock, I am the only person who deals with my snakes and th only person with keys to th tanks... his tank was simple as after his scale rot incident the vet gave me strict instructions becos he would always be prone to scale rot. he was therefor kept on newspaper, had a water bowl, two cardboard hides nd a single branch that cannot have fallen on him. I do not suspect fowl play as I am the only one who would handle him or anything...

Thanks again
bobs

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So his skull, aka bone, melted away from the inside?

Our bones last for centuries after we die...

His head had to be crushed somehow...

In any case, I'm sorry to hear about your BP.

I'm no vet or medicine expert by any means.
But a severe infection could cause enough pressure to break through a skull. At which point pressure would be released and the skull would collapse.

Again, this is a very long shot, but just to suggest a different theory to those saying there's no other explanation than human intervention.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

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Originally Posted by ivanb

I'm no vet or medicine expert by any means.
But a severe infection could cause enough pressure to break through a skull. At which point pressure would be released and the skull would collapse.

Again, this is a very long shot, but just to suggest a different theory to those saying there's no other explanation than human intervention.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

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People with brain tumors heads don't explode, bc the pressure would kill anything before it even remotely had the potential to break bone. That's why doctors cut open peoples skulls with power tools when people have brain swelling. No infection with soft tissue can break bones from my life experience, but maybe there is something I haven't heard of.

It sounds like you are describing an abscess. Are you able to asperate some of the fluid into a sterile syring? Talk to your vet and see if he'll do cytology for you. An abscess can come up very quickly especially in reptiles.

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Originally Posted by majorleaguereptiles

People with brain tumors heads don't explode, bc the pressure would kill anything before it even remotely had the potential to break bone. That's why doctors cut open peoples skulls with power tools when people have brain swelling. No infection with soft tissue can break bones from my life experience, but maybe there is something I haven't heard of.

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Soft tissue has nothing to do with the ability of breaking through bone or not.
Have you ever seen glass (or a wall) breaking under too much water pressure?

But I insist, I'm only offering an alternative theory. I'm not one to say I KNOW what happened.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by majorleaguereptiles

No infection with soft tissue can break bones from my life experience, but maybe there is something I haven't heard of.

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A soft tissue infection could have affected the bone causing it to become necrotic. That could potentially cause the bone to pathologically fracture brought on by the necrosis.

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Originally Posted by Wizard

A soft tissue infection could have affected the bone causing it to become necrotic. That could potentially cause the bone to pathologically fracture brought on by the necrosis.

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This. If the bone became infected (osteomyelitis) it could lead to what the OP is describing. The infection could have been there for some time, and since snakes can't say, "I have a headache," how would anyone know? If nerve damage was caused by the infection, the animal may not have even been in pain, which is why he was still eating and didn't appear unhealthy.

My vote is for a pathogen, not external trauma.

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I think at this point it's probably beyond anyone's ability to diagnose without pictures and/or medical tests.


Sorry for your loss :(