my ball python died what happend

[atown]

hi im new to this site and im in need of anwsers i had a baby bal python for 4 and a half months for the last 3 weeks it was having troubles shedding and would not eat for the three weeks and i tryed feeding him 2 days ago and he ate but i came home tonight and he was hidden in his hiding spot and wasnt moving i could tell he was dead its very upseting but does anyone know why he couldnt shed or wouldnt eat and do u think it could be stress from having a king snake in the same room but not near each other any info will help thank you

[Marrissa]

Temps, humidity, general setup? No one can give you any clue without knowing exactly what your husbandry was.

[ROACH]

hi im new to this site and im in need of anwsers i had a baby bal python for 4 and a half months for the last 3 weeks it was having troubles shedding and would not eat for the three weeks and i tryed feeding him 2 days ago and he ate but i came home tonight and he was hidden in his hiding spot and wasnt moving i could tell he was dead its very upseting but does anyone know why he couldnt shed or wouldnt eat and do u think it could be stress from having a king snake in the same room but not near each other any info will help thank you

Did you mean to say he "was dead"? If so WOW Im sorry to hear this!!!! Maybe a little more info on this may help....How old was he? What was his temps on the Hot and Cold sides? How was his humility like? What did you house him in? So on!

[treeboa]

It's kind of difficult not knowing about your husbandry or the background of the snake. If I had had to guess from your description I'd say dehydration, based on trouble shedding, loss of appetite, and not being able to digest when it finally did eat. The only way to know for sure is to have a vet do a necropsy (animal autopsy).

[KMG]

Trouble shedding is a humidity issue. The death is not related to stress from your other snake.

Its good you found this site. Its time to use it to study up and learn what you did wrong so you can have success in the future.

[atown]

well i had a 20 gal tank set up for 92 degrees on the hot side and 82 on the cold side with 55 0 percent humidity a water dish that was filled with clean water everyday and he soked in it often i had two hiding spoys on half lug and under my lil tree like set up a 100 watt heat bulb and recamended heat lamp aspen bedding and muss grass if thats how its spelled on the heated side that i would mist to keep the humity levels rite and thermus on hot and cold side and a humity level stat any other info you guys need plz let me know

- - - Updated - - -

well i had a 20 gal tank set up for 92 degrees on the hot side and 82 on the cold side with 55 0 percent humidity a water dish that was filled with clean water everyday and he soked in it often i had two hiding spoys on half lug and under my lil tree like set up a 100 watt heat bulb and recamended heat lamp aspen bedding and muss grass if thats how its spelled on the heated side that i would mist to keep the humity levels rite and thermus on hot and cold side and a humity level stat any other info you guys need plz let me know

[Archimedes]

If he was soaking, he probably was dehydrated. Could have come from parasites or an RI, did you see any symptoms of illness before he passed? Clicking/whistling noises, sitting with his mouth open, limp grip, etc? 55 is a bit high fora steady humidity level. What about his stool, were his evacuations particularly liquidy at all before his time came?

[atown]

his stool was normal but the mouth opening has been happening for about 3 days we didnt know what it ment and the closes vet to me didnt look like he knew what he was doing and told me its fine and the 55 percent was only for 4 days trying to help him shed question tho are younger snakes harder to take care of heath wize bc iv never had a problem with my king snake and shes turning 11 next spring...

[Archimedes]

Well, there's no way to be sure what led to his death without a reliable necropsy, at this point. If you plan to use it again, I would double and triple check your humidity gauge, it may have been malfunctioning and fluctuating wildly, if he was both having trouble shedding and portraying symptoms of an RI. I'm very sorry for your loss.

As to whether young snakes are more difficult than older more established ones, with the right conditions they should thrive. The weather fluctuations recently could have led to any of his environmental factors to decline rapidly.

Again, I suggest a necropsy, if you haven't already disposed of the body. It'll tell you exactly what went wrong and what to consider next time. He may have had something else going on that you couldn't see or help.

[atown]

well to all that has help me so far thank you and im glad i found this site. as for getting the body checked out i really wish i could but i dont have any money to pay for that rent killed me this month but i am plaining on getting a new bp but i will get new thermo stats and hofully nothing else gos wrong one other question should my lamp be centerd or on one side ive had this argument with plenty of ppl and i would like to here other ppls responses to this thank you again