bluetattoo
10-25-2003, 05:49 AM
Thank you to all those who offered me advice on trying to get my little Sissaphus to eat. However, the sad news is that on Tuesday morning I awoke to find him dead on the floor of the viv. With hindsight I feel I should maybe have taken him for a post mortem, but at the time, I was a bit distressed, late for work (again) and just disposed of the body.
Does it sound plausible that a young snake (prob about 10-12 weeeks) could die from stress / not eating alone? I had only had him 3 weeks and he had refused everything I offered, however I offered it. I obviously cannot guarantee when (or if) he ate before then.
I DO feel that he was very stressed, and that I contributed to that problem by having two snakes in the same viv (they were the same age, from the same place, and out of the same viv) though this was never to have been a permanent arrangement (especially after reading many of the posts on here) just that my plans for a second viv were somewhat delayed by having my wallet stolen! An example of what I took to be stressed behaviour was that Sissaphus and Azrael in general each preferred the different hides, Azrael at the cool end, Sissaphus the warm. However, especially after eating, Azrael would sometimes use the warm hide, and when this happened, Sissaphus would seem very "put out" and would not use the hide at all, but lay on the floor in the open, or on top of the hide.
Azrael since seems to have been fine, has shed, and has successfully moved up to his first two pinkie meal I don't see an awful lot of him as he seems to spend most of his time hiding, though I know that he is moving about as he is invariably in a different hide every time I check.
Anyway, sorry to ramble on, but any comments as to whether stress and refusing to eat for a period of just three weeks alone are enough to cause the death of a young snake would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks guys
A Very Sad Bluetattoo.
Does it sound plausible that a young snake (prob about 10-12 weeeks) could die from stress / not eating alone? I had only had him 3 weeks and he had refused everything I offered, however I offered it. I obviously cannot guarantee when (or if) he ate before then.
I DO feel that he was very stressed, and that I contributed to that problem by having two snakes in the same viv (they were the same age, from the same place, and out of the same viv) though this was never to have been a permanent arrangement (especially after reading many of the posts on here) just that my plans for a second viv were somewhat delayed by having my wallet stolen! An example of what I took to be stressed behaviour was that Sissaphus and Azrael in general each preferred the different hides, Azrael at the cool end, Sissaphus the warm. However, especially after eating, Azrael would sometimes use the warm hide, and when this happened, Sissaphus would seem very "put out" and would not use the hide at all, but lay on the floor in the open, or on top of the hide.
Azrael since seems to have been fine, has shed, and has successfully moved up to his first two pinkie meal I don't see an awful lot of him as he seems to spend most of his time hiding, though I know that he is moving about as he is invariably in a different hide every time I check.
Anyway, sorry to ramble on, but any comments as to whether stress and refusing to eat for a period of just three weeks alone are enough to cause the death of a young snake would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks guys
A Very Sad Bluetattoo.