Is it my fault?

[Makennasnider21]

I went out of town for a week and a half. I got 2 extra water dishes for my 1 year old bp but i was running late and rushing and totally forgot to put them in. They were sitting beside her cage and everything. I got home tonight and she was dead. I am really beating myself up and even considering selling by corn snake and lizard because i obviously cant take care of animals well enough. I know it was an accident but i cant help but feel like i killed her. Should i sell my animals to breeder and be done with my beloved pets or start all over again with a new bp? Rip Alice

[Eric Alan]

Should i sell my animals to breeder and be done with my beloved pets or start all over again with a new bp? Rip Alice

Sorry to hear about your Alice. Only you will be able to answer this question. Take all the time you need in order to do so and no matter what you choose, it will be the right decision. I wish you the best.

[redshepherd]

Oh shoot... so sorry for your loss That's so sad

I think you could definitely keep the pets you love. But a good idea next time you'll be gone for that long would be to have someone come in and check on your pets every couple days or so... to change water and just to make sure everything's still going fine. That way, even if accidents do happen (they definitely do), you'll have someone as backup to fix things.

[Craiga 01453]

So sorry for your loss. That's definitely the hardest part of keeping animals in the family. Loss is never easy. I recently lost two of my favorite fish, a Venustus cichlid and a Texas cichlid, in the same week and almost lost the Oscar and Green Terror that were in the same tank. I also felt responsible for their deaths. I know deep down I didn't kill my fish, but I almost gave up and sold off both of my tanks. I decided to not be hasty and take some time to think about what is best for the animals and what is best for me. I decided that parting with my tanks was not an option for me. I got back into keeping fish, as well as all my other animals, because I love them, I am passionate about them and I knew If I got rid of them I would miss them almost immediately. I love my fish, my ferrets, my snakes and my girlfriends cat (who has become my own after 4 years together and living together for over 2 years). I simply couldn't imagine them not being a part of my day. The enjoyment I get from them far outweighs the pain of loss, for me at least.

Now I know fish and snakes are a bit apples & oranges, but they are both animals we keep as pets, and I didn't have a relatable snake story...

And the decision was my decision, yours may be different and that's ok. Like Eric said, take your time, only you know what is right. I would just suggest not doing anything right away. Continue to love the animals you have and take some time to decide...You'll know what the right decision is.
Best of luck and my heartfelt sympathy.

[CALM Pythons]

Theres no way not having a water change for 1.5 weeks killed your snake. They go for long periods of time without food or water. There was obviously a underlying issue that you were unaware of...
Thats to bad but give another BP a good home...

[Reinz]

Theres no way not having a water change for 1.5 weeks killed your snake. They go for long periods of time without food or water. There was obviously a underlying issue that you were unaware of...
Thats to bad but give another BP a good home...

My thoughts exactly as I read the OP.

If not an underlying condition, my next guess would be that the heat went way out control(too hot).

[Sonny1318]

I'm sorry you had that happen. I do see what the others are saying, but I still would like to know what effect having no water might of played? Was the snake completely without water, or just extra water? Sincerely would like to hear from some others also. Pit you out there?

[zina10]

I'm sorry for your loss, but I agree with the others. Even without any water at all for a week and a half. That wouldn't kill an otherwise healthy Ball Python. They can go far longer then that without water.

Either something else went wrong, like the heat spiked, or the snake had underlying issues that ended up killing it.

If it appeared completely healthy prior to your leaving and would eat regularly, I would double check the heating.

Being to cold will make a BP sick in the long run, but not kill it quickly. To hot on the other hand, certainly can..

You sound like a caring pet owner. Just double check all the husbandry, then deeply and thoroughly sanitize EVERYTHING with either a product like F10 or a bleach solution. If bleach solution, rinse and dry everything. (F10 you just wipe off)

Once everything is sanitized, aired out and double checked, get another Ball Python. It will have a good home with you.

[CALM Pythons]

[QUOTE=zina10;.
You sound like a caring pet owner. Just double check all the husbandry, then deeply and thoroughly sanitize EVERYTHING with either a product like F10 or a bleach solution. If bleach solution, rinse and dry everything. (F10 you just wipe off)
Once everything is sanitized, aired out and double checked, get another Ball Python. It will have a good home with you.[/QUOTE
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Good idea L...Never thought of that.... Clean the heck out of that enclosure along with any hides ect.. sterilize it all incase their is a bacteria or disease present...

[DLena]

I'm so sorry. It's awful to lose one of our pet family members. Absolutely clean everything really well then go looking, see if anybody calls to you. I'm sending you a pm.