Warning: Sickness in florida killing snakes

[rabernet]

Firstly, I'm not inexperienced, I just am new to the online world; I've never been an internet person. I understand snakes very well and their care. I'm saying snake bought at show with symptoms, died, unknown cause, vet didn't know much besides she thought it was contagious and possibly a parasite. Two other snakes showed symptoms then died. Decided to give a warning that if you see a snake who seems weak, avoid it.

Secondly, I don't see the problem with my use of the word, "circuit." I bought the snake at a show, therefore known as the reptile circuit, and I was just saying be wary, then if anyone else knew anything more. Not declaring it. I use to show horses when I was a child, and we said circuit all the time, so I might have less of a seriousness towards it. In that case, I'm sorry I misused the word.

Thirdly, I understand a freezer would basically not help me at all when it comes to a necropsy, but I did it not even thinking I had to do one until the other snakes started getting sick. I was just freezing it until I could find time to bury it (yes, I bury my snakes).

I'm just as frustrated as all of you when it comes to this. I really was just trying to help by seek more information while warn others of the symptoms. I didn't declare anything. I even said, "WARNING" not "EPIDEMIC."

Again, I'm sorry I even bothered to try to warn. Just forget about it.


P.S I'm not crying wolf, just saying that I heard something howling in the distance then saw yellow eyes in the forest, and decided to give a warning.

I'm really not trying to beat you up - but when you said:

I thought I would let people know that there is something going around the snake circuit in Florida.

it sounds like a much larger, much scarier issue, affecting many animals in the Florida reptile community. In truth - you only know for sure that it is something going around in your own collection, not necessarily in the Florida reptile community.

That's what we are taking issue with. That, and the fact, that you have no conclusive evidence as to what actually took your critters, since your vet hasn't even performed any necropsies to get to the root cause. Three animals in one collection does not equal something going around the snake circuit in Florida. If you remembered the name of the BIG breeder, then you could ask if anyone else had similar experiences with animals that they picked up at the same show.

Making such a broad sweeping statement unjustly puts all reptile breeders in the Florida reptile circuit under scrutiny. Hard working men and women now have been cast under a suspicious light - this thread has even been linked now as a warning in the Daytona show thread.