Sudden death of young ball python

[bobs]

Hey everyone

Tragically my young spider het. axanthic ball python male, Tweek, passed away, I really need to know what caused his death and I really need some help.

I found my young male spider het. axanthic ball python dead this morning, he looked as if half of his skull had caved in and his brain "goo" was leaking out. He was still supple when i found him, I don't think that he had been dead for long. I have absolutely no idea what killed him, he was a healthy boy and ate like a beast, his temps and humidity were correct and he was kept on clean newspaper. He ate a mouse 4 days before he died and ate it with his usual enthusiasm. I took him out of his tank 3days after eating (a day before he died) and he seemed completely healthy. Does anyone have any idea as to what may have happened to him? I am very worried as i have other snakes, one who is also young and was housed in the same room as him (separate tanks). His history has been very healthy except for when I first got him, about 1 year ago, he got scale rot due to an internal bacterial infection (his tank is always clean) He was given antibiotics at the vet and then the all clear to come home, since then he has been perfect, he has never even refused a meal. Please help with any information as to what happened to him, I am devestated, as well as worried about the safety of my other snakes.

I am unable to post a picture unfortunately.

Thank you for your help
bobs.

[Jamesv85]

Head Caved in? are you sure no one had access to him and intentionally killed him? ((

[anatess]

Is there anything heavy that might have dropped on him?

A necropsy may be needed to figure it out.

[4theSNAKElady]

Maybe something fell on him? And he tried to get out from under it?

sent from my incubator

[bcr229]

Put him in the refrigerator (not the freezer!!!) and take him to the vet for a necropsy. Otherwise we're just speculating.

You said he's in a tank, what else is in it besides his water bowl and hides?

[majorleaguereptiles]

I know how he died. His head was smashed...

Since he would been killed pretty quickly with the item that smashed him in his cage resting on his head and since you didn't find him like that, obviously an object didn't do it.

1. Someone smashed his head closing a lid,

2. Someone smashed his head on purpose and just left him in the cage.

So now my question for the OP is... Who did it?

[majorleaguereptiles]

Put him in the refrigerator (not the freezer!!!) and take him to the vet for a necropsy. Otherwise we're just speculating.

You said he's in a tank, what else is in it besides his water bowl and hides?

Take him to the vet? Serious? Are you implying his head randomly exploded spontaneously from some virus or disease?

His head was smashed. That is a fact. So now it comes down to who did it and why?

[Ladybugzcrunch]

OMG I am sooooo sorry for your loss. Terrible. I agree though, he was killed by another human, most likely when they tried to quickly shut the lid of the tank.

[majorleaguereptiles]

OMG I am sooooo sorry for your loss. Terrible. I agree though, he was killed by another human, most likely when they tried to quickly shut the lid of the tank.

Yes hopefully accidental.

[LooptyLoo]

Oh no I'm so sorry.