I don't know what happened??!!

[gracefullbytch628]

Ok.......can someone please tell me what might have happened?? :shrugs:
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS REDICULOUS STORY LOL AND HELP!

I had just gotten my first corn snake in December 2004 at the NY white plains show from a very informative vendor. It was a Really SWEET albino.

{mind you} I am terrified of snakes, but was slowly getting a little braver b/c I stayed at my friends house and slept in a room with 45 snakes that he owned. He knows A LOT about snakes and reptiles..but we just can't seem to figure this out.:headbang:

After I moved to my apartment.{january 28th}..I put him in his VIV and left him alone for a week to get accustomed to his new home. A week after that, I fed him a pinky and he ate it..and everything went well, however 2 days later, he threw it up....:-puke02: No, I hadn't picked him up by then..and I left him for 3 MORE days after he threw up. Everything seemed ok...and he still seemed healthy....I would soak him everynow and then so that he could just absorb the moisture..and that was fine as well. He drank water all the time...he was the friendliest baby snake and I loved him so much.

But then.....a week later, I tried feeding him a smaller pinky..like a day old pinky...he wouldn't eat...then just the head of the pinky..he still wouldn't eat.....then...I asked for opinions and everyone said to just keep trying.

a week after THAT..........He developed a mushy...soft....squishy spot in the middle of his body..almost as if there was nothing there at all....He has always felt solid and all of a sudden...its like..there was nothing there. Also, when I held him....he would kind of sag to the side.......:awcrap:

I would stay up late at night...check up on him every hour....wake up in the middle of the night to make sure he was ok...............
...He was also weezing I think...but I thought he was just yawning........but...I'M SO CONFUSED!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?


Then.....a few days later....I wake up and went straight over to check up on him...and he died :cry:


I WOULD HOLD HIM EVERDAY FOR 1/2 HOUR..AND BOND WITH HIM...AND HE WAS AWESOME....THE SWEEEEETEST SNAKE EVER!......... :confused:

what happened to my baby??

[Spirit]

Can you explain how your tank was set up?

What were the temps?
What did you use for heat (lamp or UTH)?
Did you mist at all? (Misting is often unncessary in my opinion/experience, and can sometimes lead to RI's if done too much and the temps are too low)
What was your substrate?
How many hides?
How large was the enclosure (aquararium or sterlite)?
Etc.

As far as how to treat the regurg, a week might have been a BIT soon to feed, but if the snake was really small it should have been fine... especially since you knew to feed SMALL meals (just a head). It sounds like you did everything right in that aspect, but it also sounds like there was something else going on, and maybe even a respiratory infection (the wheezing)...

I'm really sorry this happened... hopefully we can help figure out why.

[Joejr14]

The soft mushy stomach is a give away.

However, I will mention a few things.

If you decide to get a new snake, try not to hold it as much during the first month or so. 30mins a day, while it might not seem like a lot, is.

Also, do NOT bathe your snake. Corn snakes do not like to swim. If you have a water bowl in the tank then they will soak if they want to.

I'd like to hear your setup, temps, etc.

[Azruial]

I'm so sorry to hear that :( I hope you get a new snake and have more luck.

[gracefullbytch628]

My snake was about 15 or 16 inches long.....I kept him in a 10 gallon tank I got from the snake show. I used a heating pad on one side. And used newspapers or paper towels as a substrate.
There was a water bowl that was big enough for him to emerge in, and I gave him fresh water everday...There was also one of those fake vine things that I set up so he can perch if he wanted.(and sometimes he did)

I also had a heat lamp that I dangled over the top of the tank in the middle...it was high enough up that it wouldn't b hot, but just warm. (75 watt) and I had 2 hiding spots. On the heated side of the tank, I had one of those hiding logs that you buy from the store, and on the cool side I put 2 toilet paper roll...thingys.

I misted the tank often b/c I live in a dry climate in North Dakota now. Actually..I misted around once a day...but didn't over do it....I figured the paper towels, and the heat lamp would help keep the humidity for a good amount of time. I used a screen top...................so....i dunno what happened.

Also....the heated side was maybe 75 degrees.....and the cool side was like 70. He would almost always chill on the cool side of the tank......... :bomb:

[gracefullbytch628]

Thank you everyone for the sympathy and advice, I really appreciate it

[MegF.]

Sounds like your warm side was a little cooler than it should be. You want about 82-86 degrees. Usually an Under tank heater will keep the belly heat up though. Sounds like you had a snake that just had a health problem. Without a necropsy it would be hard to tell. Very sorry to hear about your loss though.

[gracefullbytch628]

So..does this mean that the mushy stomach was the result of being too cold??

The wierd thing is....the warm side...either way was warm...but he would always chill on the cool side....wouldn't his snake instinct tell him to go over to the warm side if he was cold??

[Spirit]

I agree with Meg. Sorry for your loss.

[Quigs]

the heated side was maybe 75 degrees.....and the cool side was like 70
Doesn't sound to me like you know what the temp was for sure. Perhaps a nice indoor/outdoor digital thermometer will help next time.

You can not accurately predict temp without a good digital themometer (or temp gun). You assumption of his temps might have been way off. Could have been too chilly or possibly even way too hot (hence staying on cool side).

Hard to tell.

[Joejr14]

I'll add onto that.

A 75 watt red lightbulb throws off some serious heat. I've got my thermometer probe at the very back of my rack, and if I've got my light on aiming anywhere near my rack--facing any direction, it's always right around 80. Now granted when I dont have any heat going it's usually 77 degrees or so, but I think a lot of us dont realize the type of heat that lights put out.

[MegF.]

Doesn't sound to me like you know what the temp was for sure. Perhaps a nice indoor/outdoor digital thermometer will help next time.

You can not accurately predict temp without a good digital themometer (or temp gun). You assumption of his temps might have been way off. Could have been too chilly or possibly even way too hot (hence staying on cool side).

Hard to tell.

I was just about to make the same reply Quigs and ask if they had a thermometer. You're just too fast for me!

[babbaloo99]

I'm really sorry to hear about your snake. It's easy to grow attached so quickly. As hatchlings, there are somethings that just can't be helped. My only thought was that in a 10 gallon tank with a UTH and a heat lamp placed in the middle might not have provided enough variance for a cool and warm side. The UTH's can get quite warm without a thermostat/rheostat control on it. Couple that with a heat lamp and it could have been pretty warm. Regardless, a squishy stomach never seems to be a good sign of something that hatchlings recover well from.

[gracefullbytch628]

well the problem is...the heat lamp was not directly on the tank........it was dangling really high above it........so if anything...it kept it mildly warm......it was definetly NO where near HOT.......I can definetly say that for a fact.

I took really good care of him and everything........but ....b4 i pick up my milk snake i'm getting a thermostate control for the viv

[Joejr14]

I am sorry but no you cant say that for a fact. You didnt have a thermometer in the tank, so you cannot say anything about the temperature for a fact.

[Azruial]

Do you have a herp vet near you? That way you could find out exactly what killed it.

[sherry]

im so sorry to here about your loss. get another snake and good luck.

[gracefullbytch628]

No, unfortunatly..north dakota isn't fortunate enough to have a herp vet :nope:

But....I am getting a Milk snake mex mex I believe from a close friend of mines...boss....:)....So..wish me luck...and Yes i'm getting a thermostat control so there won't b temp problems if that WAS the case.

Thank you all for your input and sympathy !! :spinner:

If anyone has more suggestions or tips for me please post them :) thanks again.

[Azruial]

Just make sure that the thermostat has a PROBE that you can place on the ground, snakes get a lot of heat through their stomachs so it is easy to overheat if you only monitor the air temp.

Good luck with your new snake :)

[Susan]

My deepest sympathies at your loss.

Please make sure you thoroughly clean/sterilize everything in the tank that you may re-use with your new snake...just in case your little corn died from something that might be contagious.

[Drizzt80]

No, unfortunatly..north dakota isn't fortunate enough to have a herp vet :nope:

But....I am getting a Milk snake mex mex I believe from a close friend of mines...boss....:)....So..wish me luck...and Yes i'm getting a thermostat control so there won't b temp problems if that WAS the case.

Thank you all for your input and sympathy !! :spinner:

If anyone has more suggestions or tips for me please post them :) thanks again.

First of all, where at in ND are you (you can PM me if you feel more secure that way)? A vet doesn't necessarily have to be a herp vet themselves in order to do a necropsy and get results that they can understand or talk to someone who does know the results.

I'd definitely recommend a thermostat and $10 indoor/outdoor digital thermometer from Wal-Mart/K-Mart/Target (take your pick). I'd say your temps were way too hot:
10 gallong tank, UTH heater (can get to 110 F at the surface, 75 watt bulb even placed above the tank a short distance adds to the heat, and the snake hanging out on the 'cool' side all would indicate to me a temp problem.

I keep my rack systems at 80 - 82 in the back with room temp, 70's, in the front. I can tell just by my snakes' behavior that 80 turned into 82. They move to the front for a while until they adjust.

Also wonder about the shipping/traveling arrangements from December to present as you bought the snake in NY and now are in ND . . .

Lastly, as a recommendation, I'd figure out 99.9% sure what went wrong the first time through before getting a new snake. You don't want the same thing to happen the second time around!!

D80

[gracefullbytch628]

OK...lets see...when I moved to North Dakota, I brought my snake with me on the train. He was in a container with holes...and paper towel on the bottom. I had him in my back pack wrapped in 2 big t-shirts to keep the warmth. When I got on the train, I didn't want the vibrations to be too strong so instead of putting my back pack on the floor, i put it on the seat next to me. Before we left I gave him water, and for the next 2 days, i would take him out to give him water once in the morning and once at night. (He always drank it, it was really cute...i swear he knew i was his mommy lol :laugh:

Anyway, I didnt' bother him at all after that b/c i didn't want the handling too be too much for him.
When we got to the new apartment...I left him in his new viv for a week before I touched him.

Anyway......I'm hunting for that indoor/outdoor thermometer you were talking about today.