Horrible News

My snake died. I noticed Monty hadn't moved at all since I woke up early this morning, he was just kind of curled up in a corner of his tank and I thought he was sleeping. So I kind of touched him just to see if he was okay and he didn't react. So I picked him up and he was all limp. Definitely dead. I have no idea how this happened. He hadn't eaten since I got him a month ago, but I thought that was okay. The vet checked him out when I got him too, and said he was okay. My temps were fine, I don't know what went wrong. I got him from a pet store, so I guess he must have been sick or something. Or did I do something wrong? I am so crushed. :cry:

wow, I am sooo sorry. That is horrible.

Sorry to hear that. That really sucks :cry:

That is horrible news. Sorry for your loss. Just hope that it does not deter you from owning any herps in the future.

So sorry to here the news Gen. I know I'd be devastated if it happened to me. I hope that when you're ready, you'll keep another snake.

From what I recall of your posts, it sounded like you were right on top of your husbandry, so don't nlame yourself. These things happen.

Ken

I'm sooo sorry for you. I know what you must be going through. I had the same experience when I got my first snake, a cornsnake, which I think died of starvation and stress. I've heard that corns are very picky eaters. With the store that I bought it from, they have a 7 day money back promise that if the animal you buy dies within that time, you can get another one free. It didn't eat at all during that time so we notified the store on the seventh day that I had him. It died the next day. Becuse we called in, I was able to another one. The same thing happened to him. It was 2 years later and I got my bp which I still have today.

Again, I'm very sorry for your loss...

I'm so sorry, Gen! That really sucks. Like the others here have said...I really don't think it was anything you did. From everything I've read from you, it sounds like you were doing everything just right. He could very well have been sick with something caught at the pet store. IBD is very contagious and the stores aren't known for keeping their herps isolated. From what I understand, IBD can kill a python quite suddenly.

Please don't feel like you have to leave us...you're a valuable member of our community!

:cry: :cry: :cry:

Gen:
Man I feel so bad, as if one of my pets had died. I doubt highly it was anything you did or didnt do as I know youve been posting here and learning as much as possible and BPs are pretty forgiving of husbandry errors.

I know this may seem difficult to do but my personal advice is to jump right back in, order a BP from a good breeder like NERD or Alex Hue. Keep asking questions, and keep that chin up. Youll get another healthy BP, and you will have success with him/her for a very long time.

Do you know if he ate at the store?

Thank you so much for your replies. It helps to hear your feedback. Iceman, he did see him eat at the store. I saw him eat the day before I brought him home. But he was still pretty thin, I don't know how regularly he was eating. I don't even know what to think. It helps to know that you guys don't think it was anything I did. I WILL get another snake. I just don't know where and how soon. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my dead snake. What do you do with a snake when it dies? Oh I feel so terrible.

{{{HUGSSS}}} I wish I knew what to tell ya, hon. I never know what to do with pets when they pass on. If you have some money to spend and you really want to know what happened, you can take him to a reptile vet to have a necropsy (an autopsy for animals) performed. It's not uncommon. Otherwise, maybe a little funeral or quiet reflection might help you say goodbye and feel a little better.

i was gonna recomend the same...

gen, i am so sorry to hear about Monty. That is terrible. I know how hard you worked to get everything just right for him. There is very little that you could have done short of cooking him that would have killed him so quickly and without any visible signs, so it's almost certainly something he already had when you got him, and probably something the vet doesn't normally test for, like IBD or crypto.

I agree with the others that we don't want to see you go, and if you feel up to getting another bp I think that would be great, but I do think it's a good idea to thoroughly clean anything Monty used before using it for another snake as some bacteria can live for months without a host. We're all here for you.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss :(
I also have read most of your posts and I dont think you did anything wrong.
I hope you listen to the advice and dont let this keep you from getting another bp.
I know it's hard and I am really sorry but please don't blame yourself sounds like the bp already had something prior to you getting it.
Keep your chin up!

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Originally Posted by gen

Thank you so much for your replies. It helps to hear your feedback. Iceman, he did see him eat at the store. I saw him eat the day before I brought him home. But he was still pretty thin, I don't know how regularly he was eating. I don't even know what to think. It helps to know that you guys don't think it was anything I did. I WILL get another snake. I just don't know where and how soon. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my dead snake. What do you do with a snake when it dies? Oh I feel so terrible.

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Consider buying from a reputable breeder like LLL or Nerd. You will not be sorry and it will definitely save you heartache in the future. As for monty, I would give him a decent burial like it were a friend of mine.

Dang Gen sorry to hear bout Monty.

Gen I've read everything you wrote and you were right on the ball! I am so sorry to hear about monty, I've been thinking about it all day and I'm really really sorry it wasn't your fault though poor monty was likely sick to begin with. I hope things are improving and again I'm really really sorry - I'm new to all of this just like you so I know how exciting it is and everything and I kind of feel like you were the leader of us newbies so I'm really sorry and I hope you are doing okay. It wasn't your fault at all though.

Also please don't leave us you are a great member of this site!! And a nice person at that!

When my corns died, I put one in a little container and burried it in the front yard. I believe I did the same for the other one.

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Originally Posted by JamminJonah

I'm new to all of this just like you so I know how exciting it is and everything and I kind of feel like you were the leader of us newbies so I'm really sorry and I hope you are doing okay.

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The leader of the newbies, huh? Thanks Jonah, that put a smile on my face.

And don't worry guys, I 'm not going anywhere.

I'm feeling somewhat better today. I've accepted the fact that he was just sick, and that it wasn't my fault. (With your help of course.) My boyfriend's been telling me that since it happened, but it helps to hear it from other snake owners.

I guess I'm going to bury Monty today. I didn't know how I could do this because I live in a condo so I only have a patio, not a yard where I can dig. But I think my parents will let me bury him at their house.

My boyfriend is going to call the pet store today to tell them what happened. I don't know what good that will do, and I'm glad he's doing it instead of me because I don't really want to deal them. But I guess they should know that their snakes could be sick.

I just really want to thank you guys so much for your support and reassurance. Now more than ever I'm glad I'm part of this community. You guys have really helped me through this. I'm going to start looking into getting another BP soon, maybe even tomorrow. I just want to wait until I bury Monty first.

Gen...so so sorry to hear about Monty...my thoughts are with you. *snake hugs*

Gen, My condolences on your loss that definetly sucks. I don't know what I would do if I lost Bob or Nanners. It's amazing how quickly they become a major part of our lives and we become so attached to them. I hope that you will get another BP or another Herp and I look forward to seeing you on this forum in the future. Again I am sorry for your loss. :(

Like everyone else, Im sorry to hear the news. Hopefully the little guy just fell asleep and dreamed his way to BP heaven!!! When you get another one, (real soon) call the vet and ask if they would give it a free checkup since this happened so soon after a visit

I am definately sorry to hear about your BP. I had my first one, The B, die when my friend left the cage opened accidentally, and the snake ended up escaping and freezing in the basement. I was devastated, but I got a new one. it never did replace The B, but it makes me feel better now to see the ones that I do have, living and being happy.
Maybe it was some kind of unpreventable virus? Or maybe a "runt" of its litter? I do not think it's your fault at all. Maybe you could get another BP when you're ready.

I am going to get another BP asap, but I don't want to rush it either. I want to do everything just right. Even though I'm still upset about Monty, it's actually helping to think about getting a new snake.
I'm starting with burying Monty. I talked to my dad, and he's going to dig a hole in his front yard for me so I can bury him there and say goodbye to my little guy.
Then my next step is to clean and sterilize EVERYTHING. I do not want my next BP to catch whatever Monty had. I just ordered some Nolvasan Disinfectant. They reccomend a 1-3 oz per gallon of water solution. Do you think that will be sufficient in getting rid of whatever bacteria/virus might be present?
Then I am going to look into what breeders I can order from. I am NOT taking the pet store route again. What breeders do you guys reccomend? I'm in California, should I be worried about shipping? And with the breeders, do you get to see a picture of the snake or something before you purchase it?
Thanks for your well wishes. They really help. I'm feeling a lot better today, and my eyes are just about back to normal. (When I woke up today they were just about swollen shut from all the crying I did yesterday.) :(

gen, glad to hear you're taking this so well. It's nice of your dad to help you bury Monty. I'm also glad to hear you're going to thoroughly sterilize everything. I think using the Nolvasan as directed will be fine, but for my peace of mind I think I'd probably overdo it and go over it again with Lysol or bleach water as well, just on the theory that one might catch what the other didn't.

As far as breeders, there are a number of good ones to choose from, including Alex Hue, Alan Bosch (none available right now), the Sutherlands (a bit more expensive than the first two but a big name breeder), or Rick Denmon who visits here from time to time (no normals currently available). Whatever breeder you choose, definitely ask about his/her/their reputation here or by searching the BOI before ordering your snake. You shouldn't have any problem at all with those I listed or with several others, but there are some who have bad reputations for dealing with customers poorly or having unhealthy snakes, etc.

Thanks for the advice, and the links Marla. As far as using bleach water to disinfect, how much bleach do you put in the water?

Wow sorry to hear that - best wishes. Don't let it deter you or sour you on herps - nor from having read your posts did it sound like you did anything to contribute to it so please don;t beat yourself up. I know that is a lot easier advice to give than to take to heart.

Bleach to water is usually a 1:10 ratio. 1 cup of bleach for 10 cups of water.

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Originally Posted by JLC

Bleach to water is usually a 1:10 ratio. 1 cup of bleach for 10 cups of water.

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What she said. By the way, Alex Hue is due to get in a shipment of imported BP's in a few weeks, so if you want to order from him (and I'm certainly not saying not to do that, by all acounts he's a great guy to deal with), make sure you know whyether you're getting WC, FH, CH, or CB. Also, I've met Alan Bosch personally and he's a very nice guy, so if you want to wait a month or so, he sould have CBB hatchlings available.

I looked at the Sutherlands' website, and it looks like they have some nice ones available. They're in California too, like me. I'm going to look into it. They are a bit more expensive, like you said, but I don't mind paying extra. I think it would be worth it. So you've heard good things about them?

I'm leaving in a little bit to bury Monty at my parent's house. Then I'm going out to a comedy club for my sister-in-law's birthday. Maybe some laughs will do me good.

I think that's a fine plan, gen. And I am sure that you can't go wrong buying from the Sutherlands. If they're close enough, you could pick up your snake and save the money and stress of shipping, in which case the price works out more evenly. Hope you have a good evening.