So VERY sad

queenbee0 · 05-17-12, 02:43 PM

I got a red blood python at our county reptile show on the 6th of this month and she would not eat, even though the previous owner told me that she ate every week! I went down and she is dead!!!! WTH??? I contacted the person who sold her to me and what are my next steps?? My little girls are just crying. We treat our snakes very well in our house and they become attached to them as well. I am so very sad. Any suggestions on what could have happened???

mykee · 05-17-12, 02:50 PM

Chances ar that it did not die due to not eating. Hate to say it, but the only things that could kill an animal that quickly would be pure fluke, or husbandry.
Not the sellers problem IMO.

Jenn_06 · 05-17-12, 02:51 PM

sorry for your loss.

Was there anything else that looked wrong with the snake? i never seen a snake die from not eating that fast. What did the breeder said will he give you back your money or send you another snake?

might want to take it to a vet and see what it died from so your other snakes dont get sick. hope you had the new snake away from your others.

alessia55 · 05-17-12, 02:52 PM

I'm sorry for your loss. How were you keeping the blood python? enclosure dimensions? temperatures? humidity?

StudentoReptile · 05-17-12, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Chances ar that it did not die due to not eating. Hate to say it, but the only things that could kill an animal that quickly would be pure fluke, or husbandry.
Not the sellers problem IMO.

I dunno...unless the OP was keeping the blood in an absolute desert habitat, I personally don't think it would croak outright in under a month.

Now, I'm not saying they're entirely faultless only because I do not know how they kept the snake, but still...that's less than 2 weeks. Something else was wrong with that snake at the time of purchase. Could have been existing parasites, or the seller was already keeping it in less than ideal conditions, etc.

Part of the risks of purchasing at an expo, I suppose. Several yrs ago, I purchased 3 different snakes from 3 different vendors at the same show. 3 months later, after doing and eating fine, one snake regurged a meal and died the next day. Couple weeks, another snake (at that point, kept at another location) regurged. That snake went straight to the vet! Never did precisely determine the cause, but it is my opinion that it was a common virus that infected both animals.

Kind of a related topic, but its always important to quarantine new animals for this reason.

mykee · 05-17-12, 03:16 PM

A virus is not like a bacteria in that if one of your snakes has a virus, likely your entire collection is infected and should be on lockdown (nothing in or out) until those animals die. Viruses are NASTY things in reptiles.

exwizard · 05-17-12, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StudentoReptile

I dunno...unless the OP was keeping the blood in an absolute desert habitat, I personally don't think it would croak outright in under a month.

Now, I'm not saying they're entirely faultless only because I do not know how they kept the snake, but still...that's less than 2 weeks. Something else was wrong with that snake at the time of purchase. Could have been existing parasites, or the seller was already keeping it in less than ideal conditions, etc.

Part of the risks of purchasing at an expo, I suppose. Several yrs ago, I purchased 3 different snakes from 3 different vendors at the same show. 3 months later, after doing and eating fine, one snake regurged a meal and died the next day. Couple weeks, another snake (at that point, kept at another location) regurged. That snake went straight to the vet! Never did precisely determine the cause, but it is my opinion that it was a common virus that infected both animals.

Kind of a related topic, but its always important to quarantine new animals for this reason.

IMO that IS the sellers responsibility, otherwise people could sell sick snakes and blame it on bad husbandry. That sounds like a coverup to me.

Terranaut · 05-17-12, 03:20 PM

Had to be pure fluke. I doubt even poor husbandry could have killed it in 10 days.
I would contact the vendor and see what they say. I wouldn't freak out on them about it. If they offer to fix the problem they are going above and beyond. Sometimes these things happen.

queenbee0 · 05-17-12, 04:00 PM

Hello everyone and thank you for the replies. I kept her in a 20 gal but sectioned off half because she was just a little baby. I had paper towel down, water dish, and a hiding place. The humidity was around 82% and the temp was 83. There was something off about her mouth though that concerned me. It was like shedding but only on her "lips" and no where else. There would be skin that would be right at the tip of her mouth by her tongue. So strange. I contacted the PO and told him. I am not blaming him at all. Sometimes these things just happen but I am still so very sad.

CDN_Blood · 05-17-12, 07:17 PM

The only thing I can input on this is not to buy a snake from a reptile expo. You're *much* better off finding a private breeder for such sensitive snakes as Blood pythons.

If I had to guess what cause the demise, I'd say stress. Bloods will *not* do well in a busy house and they certainly don't have any place around young children. All the activity in a family household most likely kept the thing into a constant state of shock, which started by being under the extremely stressful conditions of a reptile expo. It's total sensory overload for a Blood and this is an all too common scenario I hate to say.

marvelfreak · 05-17-12, 07:57 PM

How often where you handling it? As Todd said babies can get stress really easy and die really easy from stress. It's something you don't really hear people talk about. Bloods should be kept in a quite low traffic room of the house. Babies should also be kept in a cage with the sides and back cover and 2 to 3 hides. Handling for the first few month's should be kept to the bare minimal. It takes baby Bloods a lot longer to settle in and feel safe than other snakes.

jaleely · 05-17-12, 08:44 PM

All i can suggest is that, if you get another in the future, if there is anything weird at all...take it to the vet for a check up. Sorry and hope your kids feel better.

**millertime89** · 05-17-12, 08:56 PM

I'm really sorry for your loss, is there a vet nearby that could possibly do a fecal to see if parasites were to blame?