My baby snow corn passed away today

I bought a baby snow from a petsmart location on May26th I noticed she had a black spot under her chin which ended up being mites, I treated her several times but she only ate once on June 1st. I woke up today to find her dead:'o( I am heart broken is it possible the mites could've killed her? I am sick with worry as I got a baby BP from the same place over the weekend and I'm scared I will lose him too. I have checked him over and over again and can't find mites of any kind and booked him a vet appointment for Saturday just to get him checked out. Any advice is greatly appreciated
Very sad snake mommy today

Yes, mites can kill a hatchling. I'm sorry...She probably had them for a while, since she died so quickly. Poor baby. I think a vet check on your new guy is warranted. Did you treat the whole area that housed the snow for mites? Carpet, walls, everything? I'd really isolate your new snake from that area until you are sure mites are gone completely.

I am sorry for your loss You said you treated her several times. How often and how did you treat her? We lost a baby one time because we couldn't tell that it was in shed and we treated it for mites and she died. Think the medication acts too strongly when they are in shed and you treat them. Live and learn.

Again, sorry for losing your lil one.

Sorry for your loss, hope your other baby stays healthy,
Marsha

Im sorry for your loss. I would recommend you to find a local breeder and buy your snakes from that person because alot of snakes that come out of petsmart/petco are not well treated and can have some fatal consequences. You said you treated your snake alot of times with mite treatment. That could have also been a reason your snake died. Treatments can sometimes harm the snake, and the snake can become lethargetic.

I'm so sorry you lost your baby. Hopefully your new one will remain healthy. Don't give up on corns! There are are lot of wonderful breeders who would be happy to help you connect with a healthy new corn.

Again, I'm sorry for your loss.

I'm sorry for your loss.

I am so sorry! Babies are fragile & mites can kill, just like fleas can kill small puppies or kittens. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your BP, and I think it's a GREAT idea you are taking him to the vet. Is he eating for you?

Don't be afraid to try again with corn snakes, but I agree, buy from a breeder, maybe at an expo. There are Canadian breeders here who have BEAUTIFUL snakes.

Sorry for your loss. I hope your BP gets a clean bill of health. Have you talked to anyone at the Petsmart about the mites? There's a show coming up at the end of August in Red Deer and one in Edmonton at the beginning of October if you'd like to meet some breeders.

Thank you everyone for your compassion. I only treated her about 3 times I think and left atleast 3-4 days between treatments. I also used a betadine water soak to treat her and mineral oil as I was advised by a vet. The last time I treated her was 4 days prior to her passing so I'm thinking it probly wasn't the treatments unless maybe she was going into a shed if she was I couldn't tell:nope: I had called and talked to Petsmart in person prior to her passing and they weren't concerned by it at all and tried to make it like it was my fault she had mites even tho the first one I noticed in the store and asked about it and they said it was her coloring. I called back yesterday when I found Teekah(my baby corn) and the lady was incredibly rude, told me most they'd probly do is give a discount if I wanted to buy another! Needless to say I was extremely aggravated by this and called the head office and still waiting for a call back.:angry01:
My BP hasn't ate for me yet I tried him sunday and he wasn't interested at all, I tried him with a live today and same thing he didn't want it. However I noticed this evening his head is slightly blue so I think he may be going into a shed so I'm going to just leave him be for a few days.

You should definately chase the call from head office. Sounds like you shouldn't go to that store again!

newtosnakes07 said:

Thank you everyone for your compassion. I only treated her about 3 times I think and left atleast 3-4 days between treatments. I also used a betadine water soak to treat her and mineral oil as I was advised by a vet. The last time I treated her was 4 days prior to her passing so I'm thinking it probly wasn't the treatments unless maybe she was going into a shed if she was I couldn't tell:nope: I had called and talked to Petsmart in person prior to her passing and they weren't concerned by it at all and tried to make it like it was my fault she had mites even tho the first one I noticed in the store and asked about it and they said it was her coloring. I called back yesterday when I found Teekah(my baby corn) and the lady was incredibly rude, told me most they'd probly do is give a discount if I wanted to buy another! Needless to say I was extremely aggravated by this and called the head office and still waiting for a call back.:angry01:
My BP hasn't ate for me yet I tried him sunday and he wasn't interested at all, I tried him with a live today and same thing he didn't want it. However I noticed this evening his head is slightly blue so I think he may be going into a shed so I'm going to just leave him be for a few days.

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Yeaup. I really recomend buying from a breeder or an expo. Sometimes the caretakers for the snakes in those petshops dont know what they are doing or talking about. I luckily bought a healthy snake from the petshop. But now, if I ever get another one, I will buy from a breeder, or an expo.

I think almost every pet owner made their first purchase from a petstore. Online searches have made it a lot easier to find clubs, shows and breeders, but not everyone looks there first, even nowadays. My first corn purchase was from a reptile & fish petstore. He had some kinks along his tail which they insisted was not something to be concerned about and would probably work itself out - he eventually lost movement in his tail and I've had to help with every single shed for the past 7 years.

Unfortunately, a lot of pet stores, even some of the small ones, are not as concerned with proper care as they have so many species to house and sell. It would be nice to hear for once a store acknowledging that they have a problem, thank the informer, and deal with their problem while helping the customer. Sadly, they'd rather deny the problem which in the end only fuels negative opinion. I think you'll be lucky to get a possitive reply from their head office, if you get one at all.

Though you're less likely to get an unhealthy pet from a reputable breeder or at an expo/show than at a chain petstore, there's always that chance. But you'll at least get better after care and support should the situation arise from a breeder that cares about their animals.

It sounds like you did the best you could for your little snow, and now you need to focus on giving your BP the best care and attention you can until you're certain he's healthy.

What you can also do, if you dont feel comftrable buying from breeders, is ask the carekeeper a series of questions like; When was the last time it ate?, Has it ever refused a meal?, How do its sheds usually come out?, Is it a boy or a girl? Has it had any health issues over the past month or so?
And just attack them with alot of questions, just to make sure you get a healthy snake.

Hi)

Well theres been alot of change since my last post.... First and most important my BP Titan is fantastic!!! He still refuses mice unfortunatly but I got him to eat rat pups!! He will not eat thawed AT ALL but I've got him to the point he will eat a freshly killed which I prefer over live.
Funny story with the Petsmart the actual store manager called me back the girl I had spoke with both times was NOT a manager and was dismissed from her position as a result of her conduct not only with me but others who had made complaints. And I was offered a job in the Pet care portion of the store which I did accept and have been there now for over 2 weeks and am already being promoted!!!! I am in charge of the snakes and reptiles I am the only one who does the feedings and its been going fantastic! I have gotten everyone to eat atleast 3 times since I started.
I also adopted a Oteekee corn and named him Chubbs he is wonderful so sweet and LOVES to eat which makes me happy as I worry when they don't.
So things are getting better anyways I still miss my Teekah and as gross as it may sound I still have her in my freezer I just can't let her go( I am thinking of having her cremated I will be finding out this week the details..
Thank you all for your concern and compassion I appreciate it.

Just now seeing your thread, and want to say I'm sorry for Teeka passing.
Glad that you are in position to make some reptiles' lives better before they go to new homes! Also want to say "Hi" and welcome you to the site and hobby. It's always a learning experience with every snake, whether having kept them for years, or just starting.
I remember losing a baby who never did eat for me despite trying all sorts of things and glad to hear the young BP is doing well for you!

And good to know you've got your BP switched to p/k. Good for you!

Sorry for your loss.

I lost my first snake too before he was a year old. That was hard to go through; I feel your pain. As for the python; they can be very fussy eaters as babies. I would have suggested rat pinks; but you got that on your own. Good luck on your new job, I don't think pet stores are all that bad as long as the animals have someone who cares for them and their needs and not some slacker. Enjoy the new corn and the ball python.