Quote Originally Posted by Egapal View Post
I was wondering the same thing. Keep in mind that rigor mortis goes away. So it takes a little bit for it to set in and then it dissipates over time. With humans rigor sets in after 3 hours and you stiffen till about hour 12 and then it gradually dissipates for the next 60 hours. The advancement of rigor is hastened by heat. Its possible the snake had gone into rigor and come out of rigor by the time it was found.
I don't think rigor mortis would have gone away that soon if it had been able to set in.

I'm really sorry for your loss though, and thats bizarre about the rat losing hair. While they may not be able to do a full necropsy, if there is some serious viral infection or something of the type, would they not be able to test for it with the remains that are left?

While you may not be able to do anything if your other snakes are also affected, you may still want to at least speak with a vet and see what they may recommend.