So sorry about the loss of your little guy. Even though you haven't had him very long, I can attest to the fact that you can get attached to a baby ball really fast. I hope you don't take any of these suggestions as me implying that you did anything "wrong," but there are a few things you could consider to make sure your next baby is healthy and strong.

First of all, spend as much time as you need to to find a good reptile vet. If there's a herp society in your area, they can more than likely point you in the right direction. Herp societies often have a good partnership with one or two vets who offer discounted services to the members. If there is a society in your area, by all means, join it. Even before you add a BP to the family, getting involved with a local society is a great way to learn from experienced keepers. It's also a GREAT place to adopt. If you can adopt a rescued BP, please do!

Before you bring a new little one home, make sure your setup is perfect. If you can't find a herp society, it's a good possibility that one of the members here is close to your area. Having someone with as much experience as possible guiding you in the beginning can do wonders for the health of a new snake. If at all possible, once you're ready to bring one home, take a more experienced keeper with you. They can help you determine whether the animal you like is healthy enough to start off well, and talk you out of bringing home the one that looks pitiful and in need of rescue. You're not wrong for wanting to protect a weaker one, but it's not only an uphill battle to get them back to health, it encourages bad keeping practices. If a dealer/breeder knows they can sell unhealthy animals that are not well taken care of, they have no incentive to take better care of their stock. I'm sure you'd rather support the dealers and breeders that are doing the best for their animals.

Finally, my last suggestion might seem a little extreme. Keep in mind that I'm not, nor do I claim to be, an expert. I'm also more than a little over protective of my animals, so if someone here disagrees with this idea, remember that this is MY opinion...

If it were MY choice, I would scrap the entire setup that was used with this snake. I don't know what caused his death, and it's not a simple matter to find out. That being the case, I PERSONALLY wouldn't take the chance that "crypto" or something similar wasn't the cause. I realize it's not cheap to put together the correct habitat for a python, so tossing everything and starting from scratch is definitely going to hit you in the wallet. Still, from MY point of view, I'd rather my snake be safe than sorry. Ultimately it's your decision how you want to proceed.

-Ryan-