My second oldest snake died

I'm in some serious shock/loss. I went away for the weekend and came home and was handing out water when I noticed my black pastel champ didn't move when I opened the door to his cage. The glue on the tape holding the thermostat probe on apparently stopped holding and the probe fell out and he didn't move off the hot spot. At least that's what I think happened as his stomach seemed to be scarred up. Everything was fine Friday when I left... Or maybe it was an infection? I don't really know. I'm not really sure what to do...

I don't know who else to talk to since most of the people I know don't really get snakes. But I'm pretty devastated and feel terrible.

That sucks. I have lost animals and its never easy.


Where was the probe?

I have a couple T8's stacked with a some flexwatt taped up the side. I had it taped on the inside of that.

Im sure you have but I would replace all the tape.

I have had really good service from using the aluminum duct tape. It handles heat well and is super sticky.

https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Alumin...inum+duct+tape

I'm also worried that maybe he had an infection? His mouth was pretty red and his cloaca looked messed up, but I mean if he was burned, I don't assume it would look healthy. It also doesn't really look like burn pictures on Google. I've checked my other snakes and they all seem fine. Any recommendations on what I should do?

I would think that if the snake was burned to the point it caused death it would be fairly easy to see especially if the snake then remained on the overheated location.

So the flexwatt runs along the wall and then under the cage?

Do you have any thermometers that store temps or does you tstat store the highs and lows? My Herpstats and if yours do to it may help narrow things down.

If you really want to know store the snake in the fridge, not freezer as the freezer destroys tissue, and have a vet perform a necropsy to find the cause of death.

Really sad to hear this. My condolences for sure. My recommendation would mirror KMG and call for replacing the glue with a quality foil tape. Was the probe inside or outside the enclosure? I'm not clear on that.

Yeah it runs under it and up the side. The tstat I use doesn't store the highs and lows, but I had an accurite in the one next to his on the same tape and it didn't register that high in the last 24 hours, but I've read plenty of places that heat tape can be inconsistent. I just moved him from the freezer (he was only in there 30 minutes or so) and I'll call the vet about the necropsy tomorrow. I took a picture of his belly to see if this looks like a burn?

https://imgur.com/a/8Yk2K

The probe is outside the enclosure on the heat tape itself. I have it run like a rack: under the bottom enclosures, up the side, under the top enclosures. I have the tstat set to 90. Where the heat tape goes up the last part of the wall, near where the wires connect it, I have it taped up against the side. I taped the tstat probe there on the heat tape and then taped the heat tape against the side of the enclosure.

I used some "strong" duct tape, but apparently the heat made it less sticky. I've put in the order for the foil tape and will use that for everything going forward.

It doesn't appear to look like a burn to me. That doesn't mean it truly isn't. Was the probe glued to the heat tape or taped to it?

It was taped to it using duct tape.

Regular duct tape is great stuff but is usually only great temporarily. Over time it will stretch and soften. This happens much more quickly when you add heat.

The aluminum duct tape does not stretch and is designed for long term use in harsh environments. It will be a much better choice for you.

The pic does not appear to show a burn. If your Accurite isn't showing anything out of the norm and your other snakes are fine I would say it sounds like it may have been illness or defect of some kind.

If it was an infection or illness I think it would be best to find out so you know if it is something that may be able to reach the others.

In the morning, I'll switch the others from reptichip to paper towels to watch for signs of spread infection and have a necropsy done on the poor guy. I didn't notice any symptoms of labored breathing and I looked him over a couple of weeks ago and he seemed fine. He refused food, but I thought that was a seasonal shift.

A tip when taping the probe with the aluminum tape is to not tape the probe itself and only place the tape on the cord directly behind the probe. Sometime a small piece on the very tip of the probe is needed to ensure contact but it is important to not cover the probe with the tape as it can cause you to have inaccurate readings. Placing it on the cord and tip (if needed) will get you what you need.

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Originally Posted by ESP

In the morning, I'll switch the others from reptichip to paper towels to watch for signs of spread infection and have a necropsy done on the poor guy. I didn't notice any symptoms of labored breathing and I looked him over a couple of weeks ago and he seemed fine. He refused food, but I thought that was a seasonal shift.

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Sounds like a good plan to me.

I don't know whether that looks like a burn or not... but a burn on a dead animal might not look like a burn on a live one. No inflammation response or circulation, etc, for starters. Maybe it's also possible that the snake didn't get a belly burn so much as just overheat?

Anyway, I'm sorry for your loss. Losing pets is just devastating.

I just want to say I am very sorry. I love my snakes, too.

Sorry for your loss. :oops: Seems like you know the reason for the death and can remedy the cause to prevent more problems which is good.