What Happened?

[Dwight Alton]

Recently, my Patternless Snow Corn, "Kujo" died. I had him for over 2 years and would really like to have some idea what might have killed him. Late last year he went through a "no eating" phase. He fasted almost 4 months and after a trip to a vet and some force fed medicine he started eating again. I was feeding him small to medium thawed mice. By the way, I do not know how old this snake was because I found him in my back yard in June of 08 in the process of swallowing a full grown Robin! He was an adult male about 40 inches long. Sometime in September of this year I noticed that even though he was eating, he appeared to be losing weight. At on point I offered him a mouse and when he took it he was very slow. The next day I took him out of his cage and could tell that he was pretty weak. Immediately went to the vet who had treated him before. His weight was quite a bit less than when I had him in before even though he had been eating good compared to his 4 month fast last year. The vet treated him with something directly into his gut but he died a couple of days later. The vet mentioned something about parasites which made sense to me. But I do not know where he would have picked up anything like that. I would like to get another corn snake but before I do I would like to have some idea about what killed Kujo. Anyone have any ideas?

[Lennycorn]

........ I do not know how old this snake was because I found him in my back yard in June of 08 in the process of swallowing a full grown Robin! He was an adult male about 40 inches long. Sometime in September of this year I noticed that even though he was eating, he appeared to be losing weight. .......................................... The vet mentioned something about parasites which made sense to me. But I do not know where he would have picked up anything like that. I would like to get another corn snake but before I do I would like to have some idea about what killed Kujo. Anyone have any ideas?

Did you treat the snake for parasites when you first found him.??
If not I'm guessing the vet is right!!

And on a side question..do you have other snakes

[Dwight Alton]

I did not treat him for parasites. Would they have lived in his gut for that long before they became active? Also, I live in northern Illinois and this snake must have been an escapee.

[Dwight Alton]

Oh, And I have no other snakes.

[Rdoyle]

it could have been the little bugs. it could have been a wild baby just from mother or father that was escapee. you will never know where he came from.

[Lennycorn]

I'm guessing the snake is no longer "available" to check for causes of death but I would go with parasites.

I hope doesn't deter you from getting another one. There are alot of great deals right now in the Corn Snake for Sale fourm if you want to get another.

Good luck.

[Nanci]

My guess would have been parasites, too. Any time a snake is brought in from the wild, it is virtually guaranteed to have parasites, which multiply and eventually may kill the host.

When you're ready, replace him with a captive-bred corn, who could live 20 years if well-taken care of. I'm sorry you lost Kujo.

[Dwight Alton]

Thanks for the input. I will look around for another "Kujo" and clean up the cage. Then I may have more questions. By the way, I put together a short video of my discovery of this snake and would be happy to share it if anyone is interested. Dwight.

[Haarstad]

I'd like to see the video :)

I'm sorry for your loss and i hope to see you get a nice CB Corn when you're ready

[Dreamsnake]

If you intend to reuse the tank, bleach it out a few times. Get new water dishes, hides, sticks, whatever you like for the furnishings. I know it can become expensive, I've reused tanks and stuff before, but with parasites you can never be too careful. If you want to get another big snake some breeders retire adults at a reasonable price.

[Susan]

My deepest condolences at the loss of your beloved Kujo.

I'm guessing that performing a necropsy on your snake is no longer an option. Parasites are one possibility, but I'm very surprised that your vet didn't give your snake a general dewormer just as a precaution. Since you have no idea how old your snake was, another possibility would be cancer. The symptoms you describe are typical of those I see almost every day in other animals with some type of cancer.

As mentioned, a thorough cleaning of the viv and a replacement of the water bowl, hides and any extras should be fine to prevent a new snake from potentially catching what Kujo had.

And Dreamsnake is correct about breeders having adults available at extremely reasonable prices. I have 2 adult males, one normal and one snow, that need a good home and I am very willing to send you your choice for the cost of shipping alone.

[rexracer]

I'm sorry to hear about Kujo. Loosing a pet is never easy. Hopefully being part of this great community will help you get through it.
And Susan, what a wonderful and generous offer! Getting to know another corn friend might be just what the doctor ordered.

[Ares2010]

I'm sorry to hear about Kujo passing on. It sounds like parasites to me too.

Don't let it put you off getting another corn snake. Just next time get one that was born in captivity and he/she should live longer.