Tragedy

[mikemcguire]

Man i dont know how to begin. Yesterday (7/29) i bought my weekly rats for my snakes. I have a boa and two burmese, or did have two burmese. my reg burm didnt eat yesterday and i didnt think anything of it. i kept the rat and went back to feed him today. Earlier, i turned his hide box over because it was upside down and he was fine. I went over just a little while ago to try and feem him and he was no longer alive. i dont know what happend, he was fine earlier today and when i wen to pick him up tonight, he felt normal but he was dead. So it had to have happend recently. I dont understand. He was about 3 months going strong. ate like a pig. I am treating all my snakes for mites with prevent a mite, but i have used it before and i am real carful. Man i dont know...

[Invictus]

I'm so sorry for your loss, Mike. You should probably take it to a vet and find out what the cause of death was.

[CDN-Cresties]

Sorry about your lost pet :(

-Steve-

[Katt]

I hate sudden deaths like that.

Sorry to hear about your loss.

[reptilez]

Interesting story.
Sorry for your loss. I would be quit interested to hear what the Cause Of Death was!?
-Reptilez

[mikemcguire]

Thanks. I mean, i dont know what happend. He was fine earlier today and i went back tonight and....well.. From my local pet store where i get my rats, a buddy of mine that works there said he has had lots of people with troubled snakes from the F.I.R.E show, in orlando. Thats where i got him. I have my albino that i got from there who just started eating after two months, he has eaten two weeks in a row, hope he stays healthy. I am going to keep an extra eye out, like i said, i am treating them for mites. I doubt thats the problem. I have them and there hid box in the cage is all. I take them out once a day for some water, and i wait for them to be completely dry, usually about 2 hours of them roaming on my bed will do it. then i put them back in, so i doub thats the prob......but you never know.

[SCReptiles]

Classic captive bornitus. These snakes are genetically week due to years of line breeding. Get you one from Burma.

[Colonel SB]

Chuck might havea point...I'm sorry to hear about you loss.

[Siretsap]

Sorry for your loss.
Inbreeding could be a cause but I doubt it is that. Seems more like parasites or infection. Have him checked by a vet. And, around here, a few years back we had a rat supplier who caused a lot of dammage to reptiles. His rats were infected with all sorts of disease. He would breed exotic birds and use the food left over (along with the s*** of the bird sruck in it) to feed to the rats. This caused the rats to have a lot of diseases that snakes could not tolerate. People lost snakes and had some of the rats examined. The breeder in question was removed from the market and his storage place where he bred them had to be rebuild (put new cement on the floors)... Anyhow, you might want to try and have a rat and your snake checked.

[SCReptiles]

Inbreeding could be a cause but I doubt it is that. Seems more like parasites or infection.
In breeding will not cause death, it only weakens the defenses so that parasites and/or infections case death. You are 100% correction, it was a parasite or infection that killed it, but would that same parasite or infection killed a genetically strong snake? I do not think so.

[Mike177]

i am sorry for you loss as well. but you should probly take you dead snake and you live one to the vet to get them cheacked out. the vet can do a otpsy to find the cause of death and see if the live one has any thing to be conserned about. especaly if you got them from the same breeder/clutch

[Jeff_Favelle]

Inbreeding had nothing to do with this snake's death.

Sorry for your loss. I hope the snake didn't suffer too badly and I hope things pick up for you in the future! :D

[BoidKeeper]

How clean is your food source? Are they kept on cedar, or feed food with chemicals and the like which may be toxic to herps?
Sorry about your loss,
Trevor

[mikemcguire]

First of all, thank you guys. Fortunatly enough i did not get them from the same breeder, they were totaly different. As far as i know, the rats are kept on shavings of some kind, i am not sure what they are, perhaps cedar. My other guys are doing ok, but i am going to question the guys at the pet store when i go in there again tuesday. Again, thanks for your condolences and i appreciate your guy's info.

Mike

[SCReptiles]

Inbreeding had nothing to do with this snake's death.
hogwash

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

MIKE:

Dude sorry to hear that. I think you should get it to the vet find out if its something that can pass onto other boids, protect your other boids.

Sorry for your loss.

Cya

Tony

[chas*e]

Inbreeding could have immunocompromized the snake whereas any protazoic/bacterial infestation could lead to death...then again until a Vet looks at the snake...?????

[BoidKeeper]

As far as i know, the rats are kept on shavings of some kind, i am not sure what they are, perhaps cedar.
This is very important to find out. Cedar can be toxic to reptiles. A lot of pet shops use it and sell it because it is so cheap. If they are using cedar they could be responsible for the death of your snake. Also find out what they feed their rodents. If they are using cedar I would suggest finding a new supplier.
Like everyone else has said it really is in your best interest to get a necropsy done to insure the protection of the rest of your snakes.
Good luck,
Trevor

[RachelS.]

My condolences... I know how it feels to lose a loved one :( I'm really sorry that happened. I just hope your other burm is healthy and you can find out the cause of death for the normal burm.