Snakey died. What did we do wrong?

We got Snakey in the end of March, 05. He was then about 1-2 months old. During the time we had him he was in a 20 gallon tank with papertowel on the bottom and the temperatures were between 73 and 87 degrees in the tank.
He had a waterbowl, huts in both cool/warm end and for extra humidity we put in a small wet towel in the cage. He was eating quite OK. We fed him every 5 days with 1 pinky mouse and in case he did not eat we waited a couple of days and tried it then again and he usually ate then with a good appetite. Then we went on vacation for a week. Took him to a friends house and gave her all the care instructions. When my husband picked him up he seemed a bit slow and did not want to eat that evening at home (he had not eaten for 6 days). Next morning he was dead in his cage.
What did we do wrong? Was it too much for Snakey to be transported twice in a short time period or did he maybe have some other major problem since he did not really grow very much since we got him. He never shed during 3 months we had him and as far as I have understood they should shed every month! Did we feed him too little at a time (only 1 pinky in 5 days)? Has anybody heard of a snake not sheding at all?

So sorry!

Unfortunately I have no answers for you since I'm new at this also, but I am so sorry!!

There are a few things IMHO.
- humidity too high - waterbowl AND wet towels? A little overkill for me. I keep my snakes on towels too and if I see wet one I change it.
- parasites - since he hasn't grown and wasn't shedding. Did he regurge?
- transportation - I highly doubt that was the reason, but there is small chance, that it was the thing.
- accident that friend doesn't want to tell about. I would go to her and ask if something happened.

sorry

I also am new at this but want to say I'm sorry. It's not easy when something you care for dies.

I'm so sorry~ unfortunatly this happens sometimes. It is not normal for a strong feeding baby (every 5 days is strong feeding) to go three months without shedding. I have three theories~ but they are only theories~ if you get a necropsy done you can be sure.

1. Could be internal parasites of some kind. This would explain the lack of growth even though he was feeding strong.

2. Could be environmental. Are there a lot of pesticides used in your area? What about the water source? I had this happen when I first began keeping snakes~ I lived on a military base in OLD housing at the time. After we moved~ it stopped happening. You may want to check the environmental issues~ clean completly, rinse extra well, and consider using bottled water.

3. Sadly~ Mother Nature just does not intend for them all to survive. Sometimes a baby will simply "Fail to thrive."

So sorry to hear your news.

Parasites is certainly one possible cause as I would expect shedding on that feeding schedule.

A necropsy would be the only way to tell for certain, and even that may not give the definitive cause, although it would rule out a variety of options.

If you decide to get another snake, please do take the time to thoroughly disinfect all the equipment you used with this one.

Best Wishes,

Snakey died.

Thank you all for your advice. We are thinking about taking a new corn and when we do so, we'll disinfect the old cage and buy some new stuff for the new baby in case Snakey had some parasites.

About the humidity in the cage; it was a 10 x 10 cm little washcloth that dried out in 24 hours and I put it in there because I read somewhere that it might help them shed since I did not have any moss.

About the water; we used bottled water for the waterbowl as well as for the wash cloth.

Thanks again for all your answers and I will let you know when we have got a new baby!

Anita

When reading your post, my first thoughts were that something happened while in your friends care (and probably NOT anything your friend did or didn't do). Then I read about the lack of shed. If the wet cloth is drying out fully within 24 hours, there may have been a humidity problem...not enough, which could account for the lack of shedding. Your feeding schedule seems right on the money, as does your temps.

I would add another water bowl for your next snake and try other methods to increase the humidity. Also, a weeks time really isn't that long and I would just leave your snake at home the next time. The trips, plus moving the viv (which may have upset the set-up, changing the temps, etc.) may have been an issue in your snake's death. Having a friend come to your house to check on the snake, feed and water, may be a better option. My own snakes do well for a week when I go on vacation without being "snake sat". I just make sure the vivs are clean, they've been fed and the water bowls are completely full when I leave.

As mentioned, there may have been an actual health problem involved and a necropsy may help determine that. I am very sorry for your loss. And as also mentioned, not every snake is meant to survive. We've all had to deal with losses and it always hurts. You have my sympathies.

Thank you Susan for your input. I do think that the lack of humidity might actually have been a big part of Snakey not shedding. That was the reason I put the towel in there in case it was too dry in the viv. It probably was not enough. With the new snake I will put in two water bowls like you suggested. And I will leave the snake at home for a week by itself when on vacation.

Anita

Something i'm suprised no one has mentioned here is getting a digital thermometer/hygrometer unit. For less than $15 at wal mart you can get an indoor/outdoor unit which has a probe so you can monitor temps on both the warm and cool side of the viv. It will also tell you the humidity. This will take all of the guess work out of keeping proper conditions for your little guy. They are around all of the other outdoor thermometers, near the paint and hardware section. Good luck with the next one!

1st thing that jumped out at me was you got him March, 05, and he was only 1-2 months old? That would mean being born/hatched in Jan/Feb. I'm sure it's not impossible, but not exactly a normal time-frame, if you ask me? Did you know for a fact he was only 1-2 mos, or was that just what you were told? If just what you were told, maybe the seller knew there was an issue (due to lack of growth), but didn't want to let that out, so covered by claiming the snake was younger than it really was. Again, just what jumped out at me. Whatever the cause was, I'm very sorry to hear about your loss.