Dead BP

On 6-18 I got my first bp from a local reptile reptile shop. After weeks of trying to convince my parents and a few more weeks waiting for them to get some in stock, I finally had one! Then when wednesday came by I tried to feed it. It didn't take it. I knew bps are picky so I just tried again next week. Overall, the snake didn't eat in 5 weeks! So tonight I was going to feed it, so I picked it up to move to the center of the cage so that I could scent the area with a mouse and a blowdryer, but when I picked it up, it was dead. Did I mention my friends bp died last week? Same pet store, same clutch, same result. This was a real disappointment but I've definitley learned to by any animal from a reputable breeder. I also would like to put out a warning to all bp.net users in MI: Please don't buy from Stingers Exotics in Livonia...you're only setting yourself up for a waste of time, money and effort. You may ask yourself "its only 2 bps, why should we listen to gold217??" well after a few reviews and talking to a bp.net user, this place is fine for supplies, just not pets... :colbert: Thanks for reading.

You should have them move this to the Inquire form. I am also sorry for your loss. this is why it is best to always read before you buy. =[ poor animals.

did you talk to the pet shop and let them know what happened?
Then again you had the snake for 5 week, did you record the weight on the snake? did you see dramatic weight loss? Any attempts at a force feed?

Were your temps exact? or at all get crazy while you had the snake

I'm very sorry to hear this :( at least you tried.

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Originally Posted by pinkeye714

You should have them move this to the Inquire form. I am also sorry for your loss. this is why it is best to always read before you buy. =[ poor animals.

did you talk to the pet shop and let them know what happened?
Then again you had the snake for 5 week, did you record the weight on the snake? did you see dramatic weight loss? Any attempts at a force feed?

Were your temps exact? or at all get crazy while you had the snake

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Thanks...the temps were fine, and no I didn't have a scale and only noticed slight weight loss, really not a lot at all. No, I didn't try to force feed.

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Originally Posted by Alexandra V

I'm very sorry to hear this :( at least you tried.

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Thanks

what was your setup like and what were you trying to feed? do you know where the store got them from and when they were born? Sorry for your loss. i hate hearing about these stories.

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Originally Posted by mpkeelee

what was your setup like and what were you trying to feed? do you know where the store got them from and when they were born? Sorry for your loss. i hate hearing about these stories.

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My set up was a 10 gallon tank, UTH, hides, heat lamp (when needed), water dish....your usual newbie setup, but this absolutley wasn't a husbandry mistake, just poorly bred animals. The store says they have their own breeders, and the snake isn't that old only like a month and a few weeks. Thanks, I hate this stuff too.

Did they have records of the baby eating while in their care ?

As terrible as it sounds, some unscrupulous people will sell a baby that has not eaten or has only eaten once, and when someone inexperienced gets that baby, things like this happen.

I made that mistake once, with a person I thought was a reputable breeder. Turns out he routinely sells babies that have only eaten once and doesn't see anything wrong with it. If you can't get the baby he sold you to eat, then you are doing something wrong. At least, that's the story he gave me when I told him a baby I had recently bought would not eat. After 3 months of trying, and he finally admitting he didn't know why the snake would not eat, we found someone with experience tube feeding who was willing to take her. To this day that snake does not eat like it should.

I learned my lesson, reputable or not, I'm not buying any snake from anybody that hasn't eaten at least three times in a row.

Gale

I'm so sorry to hear about that!

I had an experience like this, but it was with a Rainbow Boa. He ate fine, drank fine... but I kept telling mum that something wasn't right. When I handled him, he'd curl around my fingers and just lie there. No baby Rainbow would do that - they're nippy and flighty as babies!

Not more than a month later, my gorgeous little Rainbow was dead. I know how you feel about losing your BP, and I'm really sorry. Definitely will never buy from that store. :/

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Originally Posted by gold217

My set up was a 10 gallon tank, UTH, hides, heat lamp (when needed), water dish....your usual newbie setup, but this absolutley wasn't a husbandry mistake, just poorly bred animals. The store says they have their own breeders, and the snake isn't that old only like a month and a few weeks. Thanks, I hate this stuff too.

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Did you have the UTH controlled by a thermostat?

Sorry for your loss, have you spoken with the shop owners?

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Did you have the UTH controlled by a thermostat?

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No rheostat

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Originally Posted by llovelace

Sorry for your loss, have you spoken with the shop owners?

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Thanks...they open at 12 today and I found it last night around 10:15, so I'll call them today.

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Originally Posted by gold217

No rheostat

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What were you measuring your temps with?

I've used a rheostat for a UTH before but it had temp spikes all the time over 100F. Temps over 100F could easily overheat the snake to death.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...elp-and-advice!!!

Same snake? Same set up that you were criticized on and then blew your stack when Alex pointed out that your ambient temps of 90 degrees on the hot side were to hot?

Is it coincidence that two snakes died from the same store? Maybe.

But some of us know that very young snakes can be very unforgiving if the husbandry is wonky. Many helpful people here tried to point out how to improve your setup and you responded by throwing yourself on the floor and pitching a fit.. When people recommended that you take the animal to the vet - you got snippy and nasty. If you and your friend were keeping those babies the same way, then I wouldn't be so quick to blame the store.

While I am not absolving the pet store of incorrect husbandry, I would advise you that before you go blaming someone else for that snake's death, you take a long hard look at how you handled this situation and maybe you'll see that you had 5 weeks to do the right thing and didn't.

Let's recap:

- Your husbandry was off and you argued with people about fixing it.

- It was recommended that the animal be seen by a vet and you argued about the cost.

- You kept it in a 10 gallon glass tank with the ambient on the hot side at 87 to 90 degrees and a cool side of 90 degrees. That cool side reading came from an analog thermometer which you did a hill-billy adjustment on and ASSumed was 10 degrees high. God only knows how hot that cool side really was.

From where I sit kid, that snake's life was in YOUR hands and you flapped your gums, argued and got diaper-rashy while people tried to help you save it. Let me state this for the record - your husbandry had major issues. When people tried to help you got all nasty and pouty and cried that it was perfect - even when it wasn't. I read that thread and you were doing just about everything wrong. The most important aspects in maintaining a ball and getting it to eat are temperature and security. On both fronts you failed.

Now you can throw a tantrum at me, or you can come correct, shut your flap and reflect on your part in all this. Not only would that show some maturity, but it will also help you later on in life when it's time to shut up and listen with something more precious than a snake's life on the line.