Quick question

[AlexisDarling]

This is my first snake. She's hibernating at this point and looks as if she's dead.
What happens to a snake when it dies? What are some signs that it is dead and not hibernating?
Also, how long can a boa live?

[Dom]

one .. what gave you the idea that it was "hibernating"?..boas do not actually hibernate!

.. Please research a bit more on the animal before u do something that is trully harmfull to them .. HMMM ... like Hibernating a boa.

two .. When the snake dies it dies .. It dies?????

Three.. and as far as it being dead?...PICK IT UP TO CHECK!


..even though he maybe in """"hibernation"""" it does not mean they don't need fresh water every couple of days .. You should check to see if its alive and give him basic husbandry..

No offense .. but I am seriously worried about this animal and his care

Dom

[asphyxia]

Is this a Joke, ok, I get it, a dead snake goes to snake heaven

...some one tell me this is a joke

........please

B

[moperri]

Well I sure hope it's a joke too

[Linds]

I'm with everyone else in that this post is making me very nervous :eek:. NO species of boas hibernate. Rosies can be brumated at 55 -60 degrees (this is a step above hibernation - still obviously not dead). You will know when your snake is dead. Pick it up and examine it, if there are no apparent signs of life, your snake is most likely dead or very near. Are you purposely trying to hibernate your snake at low temps? Are your temps what they usually are? If your temps are normal then your snake should not be exhibiting any signs of lethargy or anything else of the sort. If your temps are very low then your snakes whole system will have been slowed right down, hence your snake will be slowed down, but still a far cry from dead. As ofr your last question, most boids can easily live 25+ years in captivity. Hope your little guy is ok, please keep us updated!

[AlexisDarling]

First off most of your replies were rude. Yes I said hibernate but I didn't know what else to call it. I have done some research. I know that there are times of the year when certain species have lower metabolism and are less active and docile.
Second, when I asked about the death of a snake, it was not a joke nor did I have in mind that it goes to heaven. I was curious because I know that when rodents die they become stiff the same with fish, not to mention some fish texture does change after death. So I thought maybe that was true for snakes.
Third I take damn good care of my snake. I rescued her from poor housing and nutrition. She's beautiful, normal and happy.
Fourth, she is nice and warm. She's set up in the half bathroom. She's got direct heat plus two other heat light source, an infrared light that's 150 watts and a uv-heat bulb that's 100 watts.
Fifth, her water bowl is changed and rinsed out everyday.
Sixth, I don't know what kind of people are on this forum, some maybe avid reptile lovers, others may just think it's cool to have a snake, others maybe breeding to make money( I believe there are enough unwanted animals/reptiles in this world). I may not be the reptile queen but I can tell you this much, I love my boa. She's not a pet or something I have for show. She hangs out with me, we sit on the sofa, lay on the bed, she wraps around my desk chair when I'm studying.
Finally, I really like this site and don't want to start getting bad feelings and/or vibes from it. So please don't draw conclusions or make hasty remarks and remember we all had to start somewhere and these forums are here for support and guidance not criticism. Maybe some of you had more time to research before your purchase, I didn't have that luck. I got my snake from some girl who didn't realize how big they could and two years after purchasing her from a pet store she was planning on dumping her in the woods or taking her to the countryside.

[marisa]

What do you expect from people? You wrote that post telling people they should be this, or not be like that, but you asked a question (which is *great*) but gave so little info it alarmed people that this could be a situation where another pet is being mistreated. You never said anything about its conditions, you didn't give these people any info to go on. Everyone here is nice and you won't get a "bad vibe" once people can clearly judge your question! :)

Marisa

[Katatonic]

Perhaps if you love your boa so much, you should keep her in her enclosure, with the proper heat gradient and not out and about coiled around your desk chair in an improperly heated/humidified environment that could eventually lead to something such respiratory ailments. It's not a cat or dog, she does not get kicks from "hanging out" upon the sofa or the bed. Obviously she is a "pet", what else could you call it if you're slinging it around your house like aforementioned.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Relax. Sure, those posts were somewhat rude, and I know mine was also. We're enthusiasts. We love the animals and care about their well being, we don't like to hear about issues that seem to be jeopardizing an animal's standard of living or it's chances of survival. When you use an incorrect term like "hibernation" etc for a species that would only brumate or be cooled etc it worries us. Perhaps we jumped the gun on the matter, but with reptiles, there are enough "stupid and ignorant" keepers out there and we're mostly attempting to prevent our hobby from being shot down by other outside organizations. Breathe in. Breathe out... Veeeerry good. Relax people.

LATER

[AlexisDarling]

No boas are not like cats and dogs but there's nothing wrong with having them out once or twice a week. "Slinging it around," I don't sling her around , she chooses where she goes. Enthusiasts, All I was asking was what were some physical characteristics of a dead snake. Everyone else drew up their own conclusions/story, I was just responding back as to how it really was in regards to my situation.
"Snakes don't get kicks from hanging out", how do you know? Are you a snake? I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying I believe my snake enjoys hanging out.
One last thing, if everyone is an enthusiast, then I would have at least expected some understanding and guidance, since I did start my post with "this is my first snake."
By the way, I do thank you for your concerns, I'm concerned as well, that's why I come to this forum and ask questions.

[AlexisDarling]

To Marisa, they were rude before I did my second post/response. Sure they didn't know the whole situation, they didn't ask, instead they judged.

[zouleous]

When you post in a community of snake lovers you need to be careful how you word a post. People here don't take lightly to improper care. You came out and said your snake was hibernating. You did not ask if they do. Any Boa owner that has taken some time to read a bit about care for their boa would know this doesn't happen. That's why people react like this here.

To be quite honest, my first reaction when I read your post was "what the hell"? If you would have explained your situation in detail no one would have been upset. We're all human and people would understand and help you get through your problem.

Z

[marisa]

Were my thoughts exactly zouleous.

AlexisDarling you did seem to get an answer to your question though...I don't know anything about Boas but it seems people are saying that the low activity level could be caused by stress?? She could be too hot? You said "She's got direct heat plus two other heat light source, an infrared light that's 150 watts and a uv-heat bulb that's 100 watts. "

That's three heat sources which are high wattage (for those bulbs anyway) and I can't imagine it taking *two* bulbs that are over 100 watts to heat half a bathroom. My iguanas cage is as large as almost a whole small bathroom and she is perfectly heated (basking 100, ambient 80-85) with one 150 watt heat lamp and a smaller 60. And of course house temp which is almost 80 in itself. Are you taking temps? What are they at?

These are the things people are saying that need to be included....temps...cage dimensions, age of snake, feeding habits, etc. Because above are just two off the wall possiblities, out of many many others...but when you post and just say "This is my first snake. She's hibernating at this point and looks as if she's dead.
What happens to a snake when it dies? What are some signs that it is dead and not hibernating?
Also, how long can a boa live?"

Don't you see where that could seem to us that *you* think your Boa is dead but are afriad to touch it? And doesn't it seem that you think it *does* hibernate? You never said you didn't know the correct word, you said it like you thought she actually hibernated. That's all people were concerned about. The post was confusing because it didn't give any information but some that could possibly be harmful for a snake.

Marisa

[AlexisDarling]

I know I have a lot of heat sources but she's in a reptarium where it's very open. And don't worry, I've taken courses of action to make sure it's humid enough( misting and humidifier in room). And no she's not dead, she is beginning to molt though( I believe it's called molting). One last thing to add about the heating, her cage stands 6 feet tall, so not all the heat gets towards the bottom, that's another reason why I went for more heat sources.

[asphyxia]

Well see, now im a happy camper, I am glad to see she is alive
you might want to get her checked out by a vet.

What are the temperature she has to choose from?

can you send a picture I would love to see your set up

All the Best
B

[Ryan and Katie]

How big is this snake?

[Katatonic]

I could get into a huge pissing match of technicalities with you, AlexisDarling, but I prefer not to. The underlying point I was trying to get across to you is that when ignorance in regards to herp care rears its ugly head, we, the enthusiasts, become rather agitated, hence our not taking the initial post lightly. When I posted "Breathe in. Breath out..." I was in other words, saying to get over it. Sorry you got such a rude awakening in your introduction to the reptile world. Life goes on.
LATER.

[Pythonian]

AlexisDarling I will admit almost everybody's posts were a little bit rude. but i think it was the way you worded it. you went from "could it be hibernating?" then all of a sudden ".... what happens when snakes die?" I will admit it scared me a little bit too. But im glad to see it is just shedding and everythings cool :) GOod luck with it!

Mike

[AlexisDarling]

Well when I checked on her this morning, she was warm to the touch. The temperature of the room is around 78 degrees and it stays pretty constant. I am however, looking to increase the warmth to 80-82 degrees. I found a ceramic infrared heat lamp that puts out more watts than anything I've seen in the stores, specialty included. As for seeing a vet, she has an appointment in a couple of weeks.
As to the question of how big, she is a bit over five and a half feet. As far as age, I was told she was two years when I got her a year ago. She has not been weighed yet. However my guess would be around 20 pounds. I will know for sure by the end of the month.
If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please let me know.

[zouleous]

Post pics of your snake and setup =)

Z

[Lisa]

Originally posted by AlexisDarling
This is my first snake. She's hibernating at this point and looks as if she's dead.
What happens to a snake when it dies? What are some signs that it is dead and not hibernating?
Also, how long can a boa live?

About what happens physically to the snake when it dies, first it goes limp like a wet noodle, then it stiffens up then after that it goes limp again, i'm basing this on 2 snakes we've had die.

[Pythonian]

yea and RIGHT when it goes limp for the second time.. the stench is unbeareable :( RIP Vertigo (normal corn snake)

Mike