Lost Amora :'(

[candyraver69]

Well I went to water everybody today and Amora (Nicaraguan Boa) was in the cool side with all the bedding pushed out of the way, whole body in an S shape, head was the only part not visible buried in the bedding. It didn't look right, so I gently poked her with my hook... nothing. Pulled her out of the bedding and she was dead. :'(

I don't know what could have happened but in hindsight she was acting odd about her last meal. She usually strikes within seconds of me poking the prey in her tub, but this last time I had to leave it with her for a good hour before she ate it.

Looking at her, it looks like she hadn't digested her last meal very much. Her lump was still high in her body as if I had fed her hours ago.

She has been pooping at the right intervals. Temps should be fine because she was moving back and forth between sides depending on the day. About 78 cool side, basking spot of 93. So all of that seemed fine.

I feel bad for not noticing a problem earlier, maybe I would have been able to do something, maybe not. Because I don't pester my snakes on a daily basis besides washing the water bowl, I had no idea anything was wrong. Had I have been lifting the hides up daily and actually looking good at them I would have seen the lump still up high like that.

I am trying not to beat myself up too bad about it, and figure out as much out as I can to prevent something similar in the future. It's not easy though.

[SpOoKy]

Sorry for your loss. Don't beat yourself up for it, sometimes these things happen. :(

[Lankyrob]

Sorry for your loss - try not to beat yourself up about it - these things happen :)

[CK SandBoas]

I am so sorry for your loss:(

[Lankyrob]

That was spooky Spooky - same thing posted at same time!

[alessia55]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear this :( Losing a pet can be so hard. Don't beat yourself up about it... It's already in the past. Focus on the ones you still have! Just wondering, how old was Amora?

[Strutter769]

OMG, I am so sorry. Please don't feel guilty, as it is not your fault. Could it have been that food item, possibly? Do you have any remaining, or was it from a different source perhaps? Whenever something happens so soon after a meal that is always my first thought.

Again very sorry for your loss, but please don't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure you provided the best life possible.

[SpOoKy]

That was spooky Spooky - same thing posted at same time!

Tell me about it. Great minds do think alike :)

[candyraver69]

She was a 2011 hatchling, only a few months old. Let's see, I think I got her in August? So at least 4 months old. It very well could be she was just a weak one not meant to make it, but she seemed very healthy. 193 grams, put on weight steadily since I got her, she started at 86.

As far as the food, she's been eating f/t rat pups that I personally bred. I labeled the bag when I froze it, they are from early October and kept in below 0F freezer. She is the only one eating out of that particular bag, so I'm not sure if there could be a problem. I can't imagine what the problem would be though. My rats are disease free and kept very clean. I put them to sleep with co2, air them out for 15 mins to get co2 off, put them in a freezer bag and freeze them, so I can't imagine a bacterial problem. Rats are fed Harlan Blocks and fresh foods like veggies and fruits daily. No red dye in rat food. It's not impossible it's the food, but unlikely.

So any feedback would be appreciated. I don't want the same thing to happen again.

Thank you everyone for your kind words :)

[Gungirl]

Sorry for your loss..I am like you I don't bother my snakes but water changes I would feel the same as you do if it happened to one of mine. It wasn't your fault.. things happen.

[Norm66]

My condolences.

[infernalis]

My sincere heartfelt condolences for your loss.

Slither on in the sky Amora.

[youngster]

My sincere heartfelt condolences for your loss.

Slither on in the sky Amora.

x2

So sorry

[Jay]

WC, CB or CBB ?

[Wolfus_305]

Aww I'm so sorry to hear what happened, don't be too hard on yourself

[ineedsoap16]

Sorry for your loss. It could have been a dehydration issue wiith the meal so fresh in the belly. I lost a snake to that once. They need to be very well hydrated to process meals.

Wayne, didn't you have other thread around here on that?

[spots]

So sorry for your loss, especially it being so young. These things do happen.

[Terranaut]

Very sorry to hear about that.

[candyraver69]

CBB.

The dehydration could be worth looking into. I don't know past getting a professional necropsy how I would know for sure. The humidity level was good in her tub and she had water, but that doesn't mean she was drinking enough of it. Would I see any visual signs of that? Post-mortem she still looked fantastic- no shriveling to the skin like I would expect dehydration to cause. Shiny and smooth as usual.

[unknownclown]

Thats terrible :( Im so sorry

[jarich]

Thats really too bad, sorry for your loss. Its so hard to say with little ones what went wrong. They're so fragile when they are small like that.

[Will0W783]

Oh no, I'm so sorry for your loss. It's always hard to lose an animal, but I'm sure it's nothing you did.