Louie's story

[Blubb]

It all began in the morning. I did my daily check on my snakes, just to see that everybody was okay. I got to my ball python Louie's cage, my 6 months old ball python, but I couldn't see him. "He is probably under his hiding place" I said to myself. But no, he was nowhere to be found.

I started to panic a little, but at the same time I knew that he was in my room somewhere. So then, the search was on. This wasn't completely new to me, I have lost my corn snake once but I found him pretty quickly.

I searched every corner, every nook and shelf, under and on top of furnitures, but no no, he was gone.

My room is split in two half, one where I live and one where my folks store stuff they may or may not use in the future. It is a mess, I never use that room for anything. Although, Louie may have crawled under the door.

I opened the door and I felt a very strong smell. I smelled like something have died in there, like a rat or something. I glanced down at the floor and moved some kind of pot or whatever, and there he was, my little Louie. He was completely cold, so I immediately putted him back in his enclosure on his hot side. After about two hours of searching I finally found him. But still, what about the smell?

It couldn't be the snake that smelled like that. And it did come from the storage-room. I walked back to find the source, and I found it. There it was, a dead mouse, just besides where I found Louie. I saw that it was half eaten, because alot of fur was gone. It has to be Louie that have killed it and left it.

Some hours later, when I was watching TV, I heard alot of noise in Louie's enclosure. He was totally freaking out, like rolling around and whipping his tail on the glass. It all lasted some seconds,then it stopped. It was quiet, and he was not moving. I picked him up, but still he was not moving. Forever. Rest in peace, Louie.

So what could it be? I was thinking that it might have been the mouse he chewed a little. Maybe he was sick because of the mouse? I am still confused. What do you think?

[dragonboy4578]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I am not sure what happened. Could the mouse got into some decon or rat poison? How cold was the room where you found Louie?

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Was it a wild field mouse? You'll probably never know what happened but maybe he was hungry, caught the mouse, it put up more of a fight if it was wild, he was too cold to be able to eat it or get it down properly, and it caused some sort of trauma?

[Blubb]

It was a wild field mouse, yes. It might have been rat poison, my closest neighbor tends to use it sometimes.

The room could have been around 70-75 degrees. I am still shocked about this whole occurrence. May better days come...

[J.Coils]

that's sad..im sorry for your loss

sounds like a tainted mouse to me but im no expert in any way

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Then that makes sense.. If the mouse ate some poison and came in your house, it would have been dying by the time your snake found it. The snake may have attempted to swallow it but got some bad secretions in it's mouth from the tainted mouse that caused it to spit it out. The poison would have caused the convulsions as well.

I'd just be sure you have an inescapable enclosure for your herps so there is no next time.

[Blubb]

Thanks all, I really appreciate it.