Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 2,671

1 members and 2,670 guests
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

Ziggy31984 (40)

» Stats

Members: 75,014
Threads: 248,474
Posts: 2,568,391
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, DetectiveIcarus
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 26
  1. #1
    Registered User mandymg86's Avatar
    Join Date
    12-03-2018
    Location
    Belleville, IL
    Posts
    100
    Thanks
    104
    Thanked 76 Times in 44 Posts

    RIP Freya & Ghost

    My boyfriend and I purchased two very young, very small ball pythons in October 2018. I joined this forum, and worked on learning everything I could. About 3 weeks before Christmas, I noticed bubbling from Freya's nose. I knew that it was RI. I took her to a highly recommended exotics vet immediately (Dr. Craig at Best Friends Animal Hospital in Swansea, IL) and we started her on antibiotics. She seemed to be getting better. Ghost then started showing RI symptoms the week before Christmas. I called and set up an appointment with the vet on December 26, the same morning of Freya's follow up appointment. Christmas morning, we check temps, change water, everything is looking good. Seriously, no issues at all with the snakes. We get home and Ghost had passed away. We were DISTRAUGHT. Freya was still seeming okay, so I left a voicemail with the vet and said that we'd be in with Freya the following morning. The next morning, I found her deceased in the tank. I called the vet in tears. Looking back, I should have had a necropsy done on both, but having been our first snakes, I was too distraught to do anything than give them a nice burial in my yard.

    The last two months I've spent anxiously tearing apart our husbandry in my mind, trying to figure out where we went wrong. I've gone over everything a thousand times. I was scared to post here out of fear of judgement. My boyfriend and I completely redid our snake enclosure with better heat and humidity sources. We converted a spare bedroom in my house to be our "snake room". All of our snake housings and accessories have been scrubbed down with F10. We're extremely focused and paying attention to every tiny little detail.

    Losing our babies was so insanely hard, but I hope that our story will help other people. We just purchased a new (a bit older and quite a big bigger) female ball python yesterday. She's perfect, and we are working very hard to make sure her home is perfect for her.

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to mandymg86 For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (01-25-2019)

  3. #2
    BPnet Veteran KevinK's Avatar
    Join Date
    09-16-2011
    Location
    The Land of Beer and Cheese
    Posts
    954
    Thanks
    704
    Thanked 973 Times in 453 Posts

    Re: RIP Freya & Ghost

    Did your vet diagnose this as RI?

    ...and what were your humidity levels/temps you kept them at when you noticed the symptoms?

  4. #3
    BPnet Senior Member MR Snakes's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-25-2018
    Location
    Rockbound coast of Maine, USA
    Posts
    2,667
    Thanks
    1,258
    Thanked 477 Times in 379 Posts
    So sorry to hear of your loss. I'm looking at juveniles just so I can make sure they are a bit more established. I know my limitations and am worried about hatchlings and their fragility. Good luck with your new girl.

  5. #4
    BPnet Veteran FollowTheSun's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-15-2018
    Posts
    674
    Thanks
    1,351
    Thanked 1,101 Times in 460 Posts
    So sorry! :-( It sounds like you did everything right, and just had bad luck
    2 BP's, one ratsnake, 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 small caged birds, 7 chickens, and a toddler in a pear tree

  6. #5
    BPnet Senior Member MR Snakes's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-25-2018
    Location
    Rockbound coast of Maine, USA
    Posts
    2,667
    Thanks
    1,258
    Thanked 477 Times in 379 Posts
    By any chance were they housed together?

  7. #6
    Registered User mandymg86's Avatar
    Join Date
    12-03-2018
    Location
    Belleville, IL
    Posts
    100
    Thanks
    104
    Thanked 76 Times in 44 Posts

    Re: RIP Freya & Ghost

    Quote Originally Posted by KevinK View Post
    Did your vet diagnose this as RI?

    ...and what were your humidity levels/temps you kept them at when you noticed the symptoms?
    Yes, the vet diagnosed as RI. Our warm side was thermostat controlled at about 94-95* and we also used a heat gun to read the temps and they were rarely below 92* on the warm side. The cool side and ambient temps were low 70's at the time, which we did work to correct. Humidity hovered around 50%. I know now that our ambient temp was too low at the presentation of symptoms. We've completely corrected that with our new setup (ambient temp of 80*, warm side read 92* on the gun this morning).

  8. #7
    Registered User mandymg86's Avatar
    Join Date
    12-03-2018
    Location
    Belleville, IL
    Posts
    100
    Thanks
    104
    Thanked 76 Times in 44 Posts

    Re: RIP Freya & Ghost

    Quote Originally Posted by MR Snakes View Post
    By any chance were they housed together?
    They were. When we bought them (local, well-known exotics store) they had probably 20+ baby balls in a tank so we made the assumption that two baby balls would be fine to house together. I learned after the fact, from this forum actually, that they should not have been housed together. We will definitely NOT be housing together ever again. We bought a second tank and setup to use for quarantine/living quarters should we get a second snake.

    I hope all the new owners read this and my mistakes can spare them the heartbreak we went through.

  9. #8
    BPnet Senior Member MR Snakes's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-25-2018
    Location
    Rockbound coast of Maine, USA
    Posts
    2,667
    Thanks
    1,258
    Thanked 477 Times in 379 Posts
    My guesstimate would be that the warm side was too warm and the cool side too cold and that much of a difference lead to the RI. 88-90 on the warm and 80 on the cool seem to be the norm. Humidity 60-65% as well.

  10. #9
    BPnet Senior Member MR Snakes's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-25-2018
    Location
    Rockbound coast of Maine, USA
    Posts
    2,667
    Thanks
    1,258
    Thanked 477 Times in 379 Posts
    Since they were hosed together they may have brought problems home with them also.

  11. #10
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,178
    Thanks
    28,069
    Thanked 19,730 Times in 11,794 Posts

    Re: RIP Freya & Ghost

    Quote Originally Posted by mandymg86 View Post
    Yes, the vet diagnosed as RI. Our warm side was thermostat controlled at about 94-95* and we also used a heat gun to read the temps and they were rarely below 92* on the warm side. The cool side and ambient temps were low 70's at the time, which we did work to correct. Humidity hovered around 50%. I know now that our ambient temp was too low at the presentation of symptoms. We've completely corrected that with our new setup (ambient temp of 80*, warm side read 92* on the gun this morning).
    Your high side sounds too hot also...but I'm not convinced this was your fault, at least not for both. Housing them together was a bad idea, you know that now?

    I think a necropsy would have been very advisable, and especially without having taken that precaution, I wouldn't get another snake for "at least 6 mos. -in case".
    You don't know what killed them...an RI can be a symptom, but not the whole picture, & obviously if your vet thought they were that sick (about to pass) they'd
    have done more themselves. I would personally not set myself up for another heartbreak loss if this is something nasty & contagious that remains in your household. Unfortunately, housing them together made for a double loss. Do disinfect everything to the max, then do it a few more times, before adding any, & wait!

    I'm so sorry for your loss. Rest in peace, Freya & Ghost.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 01-25-2019 at 12:03 PM.

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to Bogertophis For This Useful Post:

    dr del (01-25-2019)

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1