Dead. =[

[ColbyKun]

Could anyone tell me any reasons why a Corn Snake would die? Hes 5 months old. Very friendly, Had his tail fallen off on day but seemed fine and vet said it looked okay a couple weeks back, his nose and left side of mouth had a scab on it from rubbing so much and a healing cut on his back. I gave him a bath and he loves baths, and i dried him, put himin home, 2 hours later hes dead and his tophalf is stiff and wavy shaped. Please, someone tell me any reasons. ='[

[Will0W783]

First of all, I am so sorry for your loss. It's terrible to lose a pet, no matter how old he/she is and how long you've had him/her. My heart goes out to you. Second of all, it's often hard to tell what exactly caused death in many cases with reptiles. There are many reasons why a snake could die, including organ failure, inadequate husbandry or nutrition, temperature problems, diseases, injuries, etc. I'd gather from your saying his top half is "wavy" that he died all kinked up. I was surprised and dismayed that your vet did not put him on a course of antibiotics to help him after you found the black tail tip. One possible scenario is septicemia caused by the toxins from the dying and dead tissue on his tail tip creating an infection that got into the bloodstream. Did you see any signs at all of neurological deficits in the last day or two- like uncoordination, star-gazing, paralysis, anything? I would assume, if your husbandry is ok, and from your previous posts it sounded like it was, that his death is related to the tail problem. It sounds as though you did everything you could, but I would have had that snake on antibiotics as soon as I saw dead tissue, regardless of what the vet said. That's why it's very important to have a good herp vet. I would honestly look for a new herp vet, as your current vet did not take the tail dying seriously it would seem from her lack of treatment. Necrosis is nothing to mess around with.

I would also next time try to get a corn snake that is a bit older, like a yearling or sub-adult, or an adult, so bad sheds won't be as likely to kill the tail tip. All my corns are adults and I have no problems with bad sheds, but I watch them like a hawk now that I've read several horror stories like yours.

[ColbyKun]

Thank you for advice, it is deeply appreciated. His takil tooked fine whenit fell off, no infection or anything. But it couldof traveled up with the blood as you said. =[ Poor thing. Miss him so much.Thankyou again!

[Will0W783]

No problem. I feel for you; that's a horrible ordeal to have to go through. I hope you feel better soon and find another snake to replace him. The tail thing is the only thing I could think of, but who knows? It's hard. Snakes hide illness very very well.

[citysnakes]

too bad about your snake.

a scabbed up face from constant rubbing will lead to the belief that there was something wrong inside the enclosure that the snake was trying to get away from. could possibly be security or heat problems such as lack of hides or extreme temperatures.

your snaked seemed to be in pretty rough physical shape and the husbandry problems as well as the stress of bathing probably didnt help much.

if you get another one make sure to get a good book on the species you are planning to purchase, read up on it and have the enclosure properly set up and running before your bring it home.

good luck.

[gonesnakee]

So what was the temp of the bath water?
Chances are it could have been too warm & sent it into thermal shock?
Could be a result of infection as stated as well? Mark

[Wolfus_305]

I really am sorry to hear of your loss. My first snake was a corn and it passed within a month of me getting it, I was absolutely devastated so i know what you're going through. I'm really not sure what it could be or I would definitely off up suggestions.
Best wishes
Kendra

[ColbyKun]

Definetly not set up. I spent over £150/$300 on him. Got him the best stuff. Bath water was fine, he never tried to escape and enjoyed them and i know it was at right temp, heat mat was fine as well. Apparently the face rubbing can be due to a internal disease. Not sure. He seemed happy though, always so friendly towards me. Thank you all. gonna get a new one. i got that one off breeder with set up so it wasnt messed upor anything.Breeder been doing it for 20-30years so hes trustworthy.

[citysnakes]

Definetly not set up. I spent over £150/$300 on him. Got him the best stuff.

money and "best stuff" really mean nothing. you cant assume "fine" temperatures so with your next snake please invest in a couple digital thermometers and monitor the temperatures of the enclosure and of the bath water if you must bathe him.

[siz]

Definetly not set up. I spent over £150/$300 on him. Got him the best stuff. Bath water was fine, he never tried to escape and enjoyed them and i know it was at right temp, heat mat was fine as well. Apparently the face rubbing can be due to a internal disease. Not sure. He seemed happy though, always so friendly towards me. Thank you all. gonna get a new one. i got that one off breeder with set up so it wasnt messed upor anything.Breeder been doing it for 20-30years so hes trustworthy.

It's more than just buying all the best stuff and setting it up. You have to maintain it, keep up the right temperature, clean water, clean substrate... You can't just guess at temperatures. This is important. The human body is warmer than some snake's heat requirements, so when you put your hand on a heatpad, it may feel cool to your touch but is perfect or maybe even too hot for your snake. This especially goes for bath water, you really have no way of knowing how hot it is and could be burning your snake. The water temp should be even lower than basking temps. You need a digital temperature gun or thermometer to get an accurate reading.

[Will0W783]

Yes bathing water should be only about 85 degrees Fahrenheit, which will feel slightly cool to the touch. But it's important because too hot will kill the snake. My vet had me bathe my adult carpet in 92-95 degree F water when he had a respiratory infection, but that was to heat him up more so his immune system would be stronger to fight the infection. Unless the snake is ill and is an adult, you don't want the water hotter than 85. Younger snakes are far more delicate and can tolerate a much narrower range. I don't think you cooked your snake in bath water, but I would recommend that next time you get a corn, hold out for an adult or sub-adult. It will be a bit hardier and well-established as a feeder already for you.

[BP_okay]

I am soooo soooo sorry to hear about your corn. I feel so sad for you, as I have my corn for about 7 months, and I would absolutely feel sick if he passed. I am truly sorry and I hope this doesn't discourage you from owning another snake in the future. As you know, they are amazing pets, and I love mine like crazy. Everyone's advice has been wonderful, and I hope you are doing okay.

Btw, it's so wonderful you are a part of this forum now, as you will have an amazing knowlege base to draw from when you do decide to get another snake.

Sincerely,
Traci

[ColbyKun]

Yeah. Im not as ******** as I made myself sound by saying the best stuff. Off course I clean it and I check the temperature a lot and clean his water everyday. Yes, the bathing water was that temperature. thanks Traci, i get a lot of advice from you and the Willow person[Sorry:)]. I just bought a ghost corn and a amel stripe. So excited. I bought a LX vivarium and new thermometer. Im not as whatever about my snakes as I sound cos its all I think and care for except guitar. I spend most of my nights studying them. =] Thanks for the advice everyone. By the way, I'm guessing if the snake sits still calmy in the water that its okay and not too hot and when you dip there tail in they dont go crazy or move away. The waters meant to be tepid right?

[Will0W783]

and the Willow person[Sorry]

:laugh: my name is Kim.

[ColbyKun]

haha sorry Kim, I guessed but didnt say just in case. ill remember now. =]

[Will0W783]

lol. no prob.

[BP_okay]

Sure thing - I knew absolutely nothing when started in February, and still have sooooo much to learn. That's what we're here and it's so nice to know you are trying to learn about them...so many ppl just get a snake and don't do any research whatsoever. Regarding the water being tepid - i have heard that it's a actually best to measure it w/ a thermometer. I am not 100% sure about this, but I have told by several people that around 75-80 degrees F is about right, but just make sure before it doesn't feel cold, and definitely not warm. You are 98.6 degrees, and I am guessing water that feels fairly warm to you means it's actually hotter than that. I hope that helps, and someone please correct me if I am in error.

Traci :-)

[Will0W783]

Yup. A digital thermometer/temp gun held just above the surface of the water will give you a pretty good reading. You should measure it just to be safe, and 80-85 degree water will feel slightly cool to you as you are 98.6 degrees. We normally take baths in water that is close to 100 degrees.

[MegF]

I find it hard to believe that simply having a tail tip come off was the cause. Cornsnakes lose tail tips all the time from stuck on sheds. It's probably one of the more common problems. I even had one that lost a tip when I didn't notice a piece of shed on there. usually it just comes off with no bleeding. Happens in the wild as well. I have two wild caught snakes...an amazon and a snail eater with half their tails missing. I would be more concerned about all the other scratches and injuries that he had. Rubbing is almost always associated with a snake attempting to escape. Males during breeding season will also rub trying to get out of a cage to get to a female, but your snake was too young for that. Did you have a thermostat regulating the heat pad? I can't remember in your post if you said you had one. If not, heat pads can get up to 120 degrees-excessively hot for the snake. There could have been some other issue, but I'd make sure that the cage is completely sterilized and that you wait a while before getting another snake. You'll want to make sure that if you had some disease that can be spread, you won't give it to your new snake. Some diseases like crypto will stay alive even with bleach. Your snake didn't sound like it had crypto though. They generally start regurgitating and then become more ill.

[ColbyKun]

Hmm my two new snakes are fine, but the ghost bloody escaped so im getting someone to rip my skirting boards a part carefully so i can get. Im really upset. I was holding him and he did one across the room and got under a gap that i never knew was there. i was pissed with myself. Damn upset. Trying to feed them up. Only got one at the moment. a gap between the skirting board and the floor. I am so unlucky or just thick. I havent slept all night cos i keep checking if hes come out. Left mice on the floor with my hoody yand his enclosure with heat mat and aspen bedding around the area he went in. =[

[kellen]

Sorry to hear about your loss. There are a few good tricks in here to help find lost snakes. Lost a snake? Wanna know how to make a trap? - Reptile Forums UK (http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/snakes/73850-lost-snake-wanna-know-how.html)

And as previously said, a thermostat is a must. Read this if you don't think it's worth the money:Do i REALLY need a thermostat? - Reptile Forums UK (http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/snakes/174166-do-i-really-need-thermostat.html)

I hope you find your snake soon.

Oh, and one more thing. I'm not saying that you didn't buy from a reputable breeder, but time in the trade doesn't mean they're respected. You probably know yourself, but some UK shops that have been open years can give out some of the worst information, the same goes for breeders. Again, I'm not saying that the breeder you used isn't reputable or respected, just that you can't always take someone's word as gospel

[ColbyKun]

thanks. Im saving up for a thermostat.