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deleted
3 Posts |
 Posted - 19/04/2010 : 13:17:18
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My first and only corn snake died yesterday morning 
I know that without a PM I'll never know why he died, but just wondered if any one else has had a similar experience of snakes dying with no obvious cause, or if there is a known snakey equivalent of sudden adult death syndrome!
We don't know for sure how old he was, as he was given to me by a friend of a friend who could no longer keep him, and she had acquired him in similar circumstances a few years earlier, but I was told he was about 5 or 6years old. He was about 5'6" long, and looking at the morph guide I think he was a charcoal. When I got him he was in a 2foot viv, so I moved him into a 4foot one, with a heat mat covering half the length, a hide in each end and some other bits of cage furniture about. He had been kept in wood chip substrate, but I bought a couple of zoomed repti carpets so I could always have one in the viv whilst the other was being cleaned. I sterilised all the cage furniture once a fortnight using milton, and soaked the carpet in recommended reptile friendly disinfectant solution whenever he'd pooed on it. I always made sure I rinsed off the carpet and the cage furniture really well afterwards.
He shed 3times since I got him in december, about every 2months.
He fed on 1 small rat/large mouse every 1-2weeks, but had his last feed on 1st March - I was told that they can comfortably go for a couple months without feeding so I wasn't overly concerned, especially since he was still active - if anything more so than usual, and I was told that it's mating season, and this would also explain why he is not eating.
On saturday night he was still active, maybe a little less so, but still moving around the viv and was rubbing his nose against the cage furniture - again i was told this is mating season behaviour.
When I got up on Sunday, I noticed that he was curled up at the back of the viv, so I thought he was just asleep, but usually if I watch him for a while I can see him breathing, but i couldn't see any movement at all. So i touched him, and usually he'll kinda shuffle a bit if I disturb him when he's resting but he didn't move at all, and so i tried to pick him up and he was just completely limp and lifeless, he didn't move at all!
I am totally devastated, and I guess I'm just hoping someone can give me a possible reason as to why this might have happened, or tell me if I was doing something wrong so that I won't make the same mistake again if I get a new corn. He showed none of the signs of illness that I've read about, and didn't have mites or anything.
Any advice would be much appreciated!!
Thanks guys x |
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HannahB
The Corn Snake Moderator
United Kingdom
5491 Posts |
Posted - 19/04/2010 : 13:27:47
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am really sorry about your snake passing unexpectedly
jsut a few questions though..
since his last feed was he pooping ok? there wasnt any swelling anywhere along his body at all?
what temps was he being kept at?
was the last mouse he ate from the same batch as previous ones?
and finally when he fed last was he fed in or out of the viv? was there any way some of the beech chippings could have become ingested with the mouse?
sorry for all the questions but it may give us an idea of what caused him to pass
dont blame yourself though, after living with you for a few months id be surprised if it was anything to do with how you were looking after him |
2.0 Normal Royal Pythons - Q and Little One
1.0 Chihauhaun Mountain Kingsnake - Simba
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deleted
3 Posts |
Posted - 19/04/2010 : 13:42:30
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Thanks!
the tank was between 24-28 at the hot end and a bit cooler at the other end, depending on how much our heating had been on!
He had pooped 3 times since his last feed, 4days after the feed, about a fortnight after that, and then last week when he shed. There wasn't any swelling anywhere, so I don't think it was constipation. It's possible he may have swallowed some bark on his first feed with me in december, but after that he always was on the bare cage carpet when fed.
The mouse was from a different batch, but from the same supplier I always got them from. |
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HannahB
The Corn Snake Moderator
United Kingdom
5491 Posts |
Posted - 19/04/2010 : 14:16:43
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temps seem ok, if you get another snake it may be an idea to keep the hot end around 27-29*s,
hmm i thought he may have swallowed some beech chippings and it may have gotten lodged in his gut and caused some issues but if there wasnt any swelling and still pooping then i doubt it would have been that,
hmm i would have thought that if it had been a 'bad' mouse then he would have regurged it or something not long after feeding..
hhmm i will search the internet and see what i come across,
maybe talk to your rep shop and see if they can suggest any reasons as to why it happened?
am sorry iv not been able to help much! |
2.0 Normal Royal Pythons - Q and Little One
1.0 Chihauhaun Mountain Kingsnake - Simba
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mozacchio
Sub Adult
Greece
1135 Posts |
Posted - 19/04/2010 : 15:30:59
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| I'm so sorry for your loss.. |
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
Posted - 19/04/2010 : 18:40:36
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I'm sorry for your loss... I'm afraid this just happens as it does with so many other animals. He could have had an illness or something wrong with his organs from when he was born or anything I' afraid. The only thing I can think of is maybe he was older than you thought.
This might sound a bit morbid but did you notice any strange markings on his belly after he passed away? |
  
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
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n/a
deleted
286 Posts |
Posted - 19/04/2010 : 22:35:27
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| What an awful thing to happen, i'm really sorry for your lose. like the others have said sadly it happens and i doubt it was anything you could have prevented. your record keeping shows the level of care you gave it was very high(i'm a bit ashamed mine are no where near as detailed!) i hope you can find some comfort in all our words and you can move on a maybe in the future a corn will be lucky enough to be in your care. :) |
corns
0.1 Maizy, carolina 05
0.1 violet, anery 09
1.0 Smithy, amel 07
0.1 Nessa,amel 07
0.1 Lois normal/hypo motley 02
1.0 Dr Heinz Doofenshmirtz anery 00
1.0 Fry normal 08
0.1 Dora amel aztec 09
1.0 Red bloodred 08
0.0.1 Conker kastanie 10
house bunny
1.0 rex, 09
kittys
2.1 tom,jerry 09 Mittens 10
kids
3.1 Charlie-jane 98, ethan 99,coby 06,adam 07
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stoney2143
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
22 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 09:51:10
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| Im really sorry for your loss but I wouldnt beat yourself up over it. If he was showing no signs of illness then it was probably just his time to go. |
1 Amel corn 0.0.1 ( name soon )
1 boxer dog, maisy |
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crazy JJ
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
2326 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 13:28:01
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| awww sorry 4 ur loss hun... but dont blame yaself... maybe it just was his time to go :( |
2.5 corns 2.0 cali kings 1.0 tange hondo milk 1.0 apricot pueblan milk 1.0 royal (overgrown slug) 0.1 tarantula 1.0 chinchilla chico, 0.1 goldfish tigger 0.0.4 minows 0.2 cats fudge and porsha and 0.3.2 tarantula’s that are my mummys
r.i.p to the lil ones that i and mummy have lost recently |
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kdlang
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3556 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 14:15:07
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| so so sorry to hear about your snake. I'm not sure how much post mortems cost but would this be an option for you to set your mind at rest that it was nothing you had done wrong. |
4.1.0 corns - Izzy (Carolina) Alice (Amel) Peanut (Butter Motley) Swayze (Ghost) Carmellia (Butter Motley)
0.1.0 cat - Kizzy
1.0.0 Dog - Dobbie
Location - Chesterfield, Derbyshire
www.support-dogs.org.uk |
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Mouse
Yearling
United Kingdom
958 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 14:22:20
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| *hugs* I'm so sorry :( Maybe it was his time. Are you going to have a PM done? |
 
1.0.0 - Gobo - Snow Corn (RIP)
0.1.0 - Sprockett - Normal/hypo/het snow Corn
2.0.0 Anery Hatchlings
0.1.0 Amel Hatchling
0.1.0 Normal Hatchling
*Location - Southampton, UK*
http://www.weneedcake.co.uk |
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deleted
3 Posts |
Posted - 20/04/2010 : 21:43:51
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| Thank you to everyone for ur lovely kind messages! In answer to sum questions-i didn't notice any different marks on his belly,and i decided against pm as he looked so beautiful and peaceful i felt it was wrong to hav him chopped up for my own peace of mind :-( gonna giv him a nice burial! Thanks to everyone again xxx |
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deleted
124 Posts |
Posted - 21/04/2010 : 20:31:52
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Really sorry for your loss - I can't imagine how hard that is to deal with. From what you've told us it doesn't sound like you've done anything wrong - as others have said, maybe he was older than you thought.
***hugs*** |
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 23/04/2010 : 04:08:30
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I have only just caught up with your thread Josie-Ellen, and I was appalled to read it. I cannot begin to imagine the shock you had when you found him dead that Sunday morning, especially considering he had been active the previous day and had eaten and pooed fine, so no signs of any illness.
I had a scare with my Silvesta last week, he had gone blue and cleared up but was literally not moving from under his warm hide and I hadnt seen him out and about for over a week. When I lifted his hide up his body was all flat, as though it was melted into the floor and his head was also lying flat. I touched him gently and he didnt move, I was so scared....but then I stroked him and he lifted his head up and looked at me. I was so relieved.
I can understand your uncertainty about why he died, but you hadnt had him long so it may be that he actually came to you with some illness or parasites or something wrong with him internally that you had no idea about....or maybe it was just his time. Nature has a way of making Her will happen, no matter what we do to try and stop it.
PLEASE dont let it put you off getting another corn. It sounds as though you worked really hard to look after this one well and you could give another corn a good home. You have also found a place, here on the forum, to help support you when you do decide to take that step.
My thoughts are with you.
xxx
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corn snake sudden death
