what happend to my rosy?

[Smaug]

My rosy boa, who I've had for just over a week, passed away this afternoon.
Husbandry:
Basking side 85 degrees with herpstat, cool side about 70 was a little too cold, small cave, half log, climbing branch, small water dish, aspen bedding.

Behavior:
She seemed calm but alert explored her new home but not anxiously trying to escape. I only handled her for a couple minutes when I got home then not at all for the rest of her life.
She ate a f/t pinkie on Tuesday.
When I fed her, She "constricted" it then did something really odd. I put the lid back on which startled her and she dropped the mouse and flipped her first two-thirds of her body upright, then left her last thirdish upside down, and then her tail was upright from about the vent. Really quick twist not a gradual transition. She stayed like that for awhile and I could see Her breathing really hard right before the first twist. Then I left her alone and she went back two eating the mouse.

She had some discolored scales on her chin when I found her but they were tan not black and she just looked dirty so I don't think they were mites. I found coiled upside down under her climbing branch with her mouth gaping open.
What do you think, as I would hate to kill any more snakes?

[Bogertophis]

Aww, I'm so sorry for your loss...& from what I can tell, nothing you did or didn't do caused this. I would contact the source you got her from & let them know-
see what they have to say about it. IF they offer to replace her, be SURE you keep the replacement snake in quarantine for a good 6+ mos. from all others, ok?

I hope you got some sort of a survival guarantee, but since breeders have no control over what ppl do once they get animals home, I can also see where this is
not something they all want to promise. (-thinking in terms of kids handling & dropping snakes, etc- and I'm not saying that's what happened here, not at all, but
this would be their perspective.)

The behavior you described is not at all normal, and while it might be too late (futile) to have a necropsy done, I would think twice before replacing her with
another snake for a while, as this could be something another snake could catch. PLEASE tell me this rosy boa was quarantined from your other snakes???

Again, you did not cause this... May this little one rest in peace. And hugs to you.

By the way, I've kept rosy boas for a few decades, & I've never had one pass this way. I've bred them & raised 6 litters of them, & still have one in my collection.
I'm sorry I didn't see this post yesterday, had a very busy day. Did you buy this snake locally (breeder, pet store or expo?) or online? (was she shipped to you?)

[Bogertophis]

Do you know when this snake was born? I'm assuming she was quite small/young, & if so, keep in mind that one reason snakes are cheaper to buy when very
young is that if there are any birth defects that affect their longevity (things like internal malformations that occur more frequently when snakes are inbred but
which can occur anyway) it's more likely that they will occur early on like this, and it's one reason that when you buy a neonate/hatchling snake, that you make
sure they have a feeding record...the longer the better, as that gives you some assurance that everything is working OK internally. This is but one possibility.

Another possibility from the strange motions you describe is that she was exposed (prior to coming home with you) to some sort of toxic chemical...even mite
treatments (if not dosed very carefully for the size of the snake) can have deadly consequences. The odd motions suggest a neurological issue, which could
also have been something contagious...no way we can say for sure "from here". The fact that she was willing to eat, though, suggests that she felt good enough
to have an appetite.

Again, sorry for this sad & sudden loss.

[Bodie]

What do you think, as I would hate to kill any more snakes?

Very sorry for your loss! Please do not let this set you back. As Bogertophis said, it wasn't your fault. Unfortunately not every critter is perfect as far as health and sometimes something like this happens no matter what you do. Once again sorry, keep your head up and keep moving on.

[Smaug]

Aww, I'm so sorry for your loss...& from what I can tell, nothing you did or didn't do caused this. I would contact the source you got her from & let them know-
see what they have to say about it. IF they offer to replace her, be SURE you keep the replacement snake in quarantine for a good 6+ mos. from all others, ok?
I let them know and they are thinking about it. Yeah, if I get another one I think I can keep it at my aunt's houe.
I hope you got some sort of a survival guarantee, but since breeders have no control over what ppl do once they get animals home, I can also see where this is
not something they all want to promise. (-thinking in terms of kids handling & dropping snakes, etc- and I'm not saying that's what happened here, not at all, but
this would be their perspective.)

The behavior you described is not at all normal, and while it might be too late (futile) to have a necropsy done, I would think twice before replacing her with
another snake for a while, as this could be something another snake could catch. PLEASE tell me this rosy boa was quarantined from your other snakes???
She was not. I really should have known better.
Again, you did not cause this... May this little one rest in peace. And hugs to you.

By the way, I've kept rosy boas for a few decades, & I've never had one pass this way. I've bred them & raised 6 litters of them, & still have one in my collection.
I'm sorry I didn't see this post yesterday, had a very busy day. Did you buy this snake locally (breeder, pet store or expo?) or online? (was she shipped to you?)

I got her from a local reptile store, the same one I bought all most all my others from.

Do you know when this snake was born? I'm assuming she was quite small/young, & if so, keep in mind that one reason snakes are cheaper to buy when very
young is that if there are any birth defects that affect their longevity (things like internal malformations that occur more frequently when snakes are inbred but
which can occur anyway) it's more likely that they will occur early on like this, and it's one reason that when you buy a neonate/hatchling snake, that you make
sure they have a feeding record...the longer the better, as that gives you some assurance that everything is working OK internally. This is but one possibility. She was quite young but I don't have a birth date. All I know is that she ate for the store the week before.
Another possibility from the strange motions you describe is that she was exposed (prior to coming home with you) to some sort of toxic chemical...even mite
treatments (if not dosed very carefully for the size of the snake) can have deadly consequences. The odd motions suggest a neurological issue, which could
also have been something contagious...no way we can say for sure "from here". The fact that she was willing to eat, though, suggests that she felt good enough
to have an appetite.

Again, sorry for this sad & sudden loss.

[Bogertophis]

I'm glad you spoke to them (the store) about this. I take it they don't breed them there at the store, do they? Really it's so hard to say what went wrong,
but it could even have been another customer or store employee that mishandled this snake, causing some sort of internal injury. There's just no way to rule
out something "contagious" though...too little to go on. I would give the cage a very good cleaning out, in case, but if a replacement comes from the same
place, it may have had similar exposure already. We'll just all have to cross our fingers for you...I do think they owe you a snake, & especially since you have
been their customer before. I take it that this is the first bad experience with snakes from this place? Was this the only rosy boa in their store? I would assume
they don't breed them, that they buy them from their supplier...that's why they didn't even have a birth date.

[Smaug]

I'm glad you spoke to them (the store) about this. I take it they don't breed them there at the store, do they? Really it's so hard to say what went wrong,
but it could even have been another customer or store employee that mishandled this snake, causing some sort of internal injury. There's just no way to rule
out something "contagious" though...too little to go on. I would give the cage a very good cleaning out, in case, but if a replacement comes from the same
place, it may have had similar exposure already. Really hope its not contagious We'll just all have to cross our fingers for you...I do think they owe you a snake, & especially since you have
been their customer before. I take it that this is the first bad experience with snakes from this place? yeah the others are very healthy. Was this the only rosy boa in their store yes, it was the only one. They breed bearded dragons but i think that's it. I would assume
they don't breed them, that they buy them from their supplier...that's why they didn't even have a birth date.

[Bogertophis]

It's up to you...I don't know what their guarantee (if any) is, but they are more likely to give you a replacement snake than a refund (mostly because they never
pay as much for their animals as they charge customers).

No way to know what the future brings as far as anything contagious, but if you quarantine you'll be a lot better off. Fingers crossed for you & your s.

[Bogertophis]

So have you sorted this out (gotten satisfaction) from the shop you got her from yet?

[Smaug]

Yes, They gave me a Mojave ball python. He's eight months old.
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