My python Died

First sorry for yur loss

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Originally Posted by spiritbear857

I had a therm in the tank and kept the temp between 78 and 82

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I would suspect RI

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Originally Posted by spiritbear857

every two days

recent he started to spend alot of time in his water bowl, does thet help

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I would also suspect might infestation, and stress due to the lack of hides, overfeeding.

I am afraid it is likely a combination of everything that killed him.

I am not sure you are planning on getting another BP for your son but if you do you need to do a lot of researches and the best place to start is here http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59 because a pet store is not the place to get an animal from nor to get advice on husbandry.

Anyway if you really want to know what killed him for sure I would suggest a necropsy by an herp vet

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Originally Posted by GA_Ball_Pythons

First sorry for yur loss



I would suspect RI

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Yep. I think so too.

Thank you all so much for answering some of my questions. I will check the care sheet and keep coming back to help our next snake have a better chance.

Hon I just went through this with my 5 year old (who has still not accepted that the snake that escaped is likely passed away by now *sigh*) In the end it's best if you talk to your son and tell him the truth and let him vent out his anger and sorrow. It's happened and most likely due to the pet store not properly informing you on care and you not understanding that more research needed done on these exotic type pets. You unfortunately found BPNet too late for this snake but what's done is done. All you can do now is learn from this awful experience. You and your son (assuming he has computer access) could make a project of learning together about proper ball python care. Then at some future point you could go together next summer and get a new snake when you are both better able to care for one.

Nothing is going to make this right but I know as a parent I had to face it too and it's not easy but it's a learning experience (even though a tough one). Your son will experience loss in his life...grandparents, a friend moving, etc....you can use this experience to help him learn that mistakes happen, bad stuff happens, we face it and we learn from it.

I'm really sorry about your loss. I guess the best thing to do now is just see what might have went wrong and go from there. There's alot to learn about these snakes and this is a good place to start. If anything be weary of what the petstores tell you. There's alot of misleading information that they will tell you...

back to the original topic though, Again I'm sorry about you and your son's loss. Maybe you could go ahead and check out the caresheet on the site, gain a little bit more knowledge and give it a go again... :)

Best of luck to you in whichever route you go. ;)

First off, I'm so so so sorry for your's and your son's loss. If you're gonna give it another go please go with a well known breeder, it will cost a little more than a pet store but it is more than worth it!!!!! When I got my bp she was covered in mites and very large scars (my guess is from fights with other snakes, she was in a 5 gl tank with at least 15 other snakes) she still has the largest one on her belly a year later. He told me my female was a male and when I asked what she ate he said frozen fuzzies, I said you mean f/t he said that I didn't NEED to thaw them! Most pet stores , that I've seen, don't have the proper temps, humidity, hides (if any), and knowledge to care for such a fragile animal. Again I'm so very sorry for your loss and I hope your son will be ok. Good luck

I am sorry about your family's loss; it could have been a pre-existing condition..
I liked what Steve said a few posts back:
"Back to the original topic though, Again I'm sorry about you and your son's loss. Maybe you could go ahead and check out the caresheet on the site, gain a little bit more knowledge and give it a go again... "

I'm sorry for your loss. I lost a snake after only having it for one week due to existing conditions, and I cried a lot :(
I think the thing to do in this case is to tell your son. If he is a major animal lover, it's probably best he learn early that his pets will die, his pets need specific care, and that the petstore rarely correctly informs you about specific care.
It's important for you and your son to know that pet stores frequently have low-quality, unhealthy snakes and will push to sell a snake they know is unhealthy or unfit for the person looking to buy it. Do not feel like it is only your fault.
That being said, now you're at a new beginning. If you stick arond here and read a lot and ask a lot of questions you'll learn what you need to know in no time flat! You can get started with a well-bred snake that wasn't stolen from a nest in Africa, wasn't sent over in a shipping crate and wasn't improperly cared for.
I hope you still get another snake after this sad experience. Snakes are a joy to keep and a great pet for an 8 year old!

This might sound awful, but:

When's the last time your son saw the snake? If it's been awhile, and he's not due to see it again until the summer, then you can get another and he'll likely be none the wiser. If you see a snake every day, then you can tell the difference, but for kid that goes months without seeing it, well...

That said, ONLY get another snake if you can afford to care for it properly. You don't say where you live. If it's in the Midwest or northern climes, be prepared for substantial utility bills to keep the snake healthy and alive. By substantial, I mean a minimum of $50 extra per month in the wintertime to keep a space heater running. You can't skimp on this: If it's cold outside, the undertank heating pad and any other heat source for the tank alone won't be enough. At a minimum, you'll need to keep the room at 75 degrees, 24/7. Figure on doing this for 20 winters or so, because that's how long ball pythons live.

If you can afford the utility bills, the next step is a proper enclosure. There are excellent care sheets on this site that describe exactly what you'll need. Figure on spending at least a couple hundred bucks. DO NOT SKIMP on stuff like thermometers and thermostats and humidity gauges. That would be like putting you in the middle of North Dakota in the winter with no source of heat, or in the middle of the Arizona desert in July with no way to cool down. Heat, a way to measure it and a way to measure humidity are not luxuries, they're critical. And if you try going without, you're guilty of animal cruelty/neglect. It really is that simple.

I don't mean to be harsh or to scare you away, but keeping snakes is an expensive undertaking that requires a much longer commitment than keeping a dog or cat. If you're prepared, great. Ignore everything a pet shop tells you and come here for advice on what to do and buy. Do that, and you'll have a healthy pet for many years to come.

But...

If you are not prepared to keep a reptile, then please don't get another snake. Acquiring the animal itself is, by far, the cheapest and easiest part of the endeavor--you can usually get them for free on craigslist or from the local want ads, evidence that a lot of folks don't know what they're getting into when they get a snake. Don't be one of those people.

Very sorry to hear about the loss of your son's snake. :(

Anyway(even though everyone else has pretty much covered it,) I would reccommend doing your research before looking into buying a new snake. What you should do is tell your son: it's important for kids to learn about death and loss, because not telling him and then him possibly finding out later could end up being worse than telling him right away.

Good luck on events to come! :yes: