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Heartbroken, baby died!

beth4000 said:
Thank you, Nanci! I noticed over the past 2 months that people really respect your opinion. : ) and looked at your advice when we were having the shedding issues. I am glad that he was already dead when I found him and had to tell the kids. : ( I did say the same thing to my son about getting one that was a little older next time. I was thinking about maybe contacting the herp. club in our area.
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Make sure you sanitize everything before you re-use it. I read here that diluted chlorine bleach will kill everything except this one thing. I don't recall what it was, but the suggestion was to use ammonia.

I asked if ammonia would kill everything the bleach would kill, but never received a reply...so I used them both.

Maybe someone can elaborate on the sanitizing procedure.
 
I think an older snake would be just the ticket to helping your child feel better!
Your herp club might be a good place to look...orrrr....just check out the classified section of this forum. Many of us can ship, and I have recieved many of my snakes this way.

Oh, and you are right. Nanci is the BEST!! If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as one of Nanci's critters, for sure!
 
I agree with most of what I have read here, but...

the minor issues with heat and light, etc., probably would not have caused his demise if he didn't have some other complication. Even if his warm hide was too hot, he was able to escape from it. But it could have been added to with anything from a congenital condition that took a while to develop, to some kind of infection that got out of hand because of some extra stress, to some kind of added stress due to some environmental cleaners or toxins.

Usually if it is a strong toxin, you will get immediate reactions, such as neurological symptoms like twitching and crawling upside down. You didn't see that, so I doubt that it played a big part. But it is important to keep any solvents (paint, or certain cleaning fluids, such as carpet cleaners, and especially anything with phenol, such as Pine Sol and Lysol), or poisons (such as bug spray) out of the animal room. Sometimes people don't think about those common items as causing a possible problem. I don't think they were a real problem in your case, judging by your description. But something like that could have been a contributing factor, if present.

Unfortunately, unless a necropsy is done right away, it is impossible to venture a really good explanation. But if you were to get a 1 - 2 year old, maybe around 2 - 2.5' or so from your local group, you could really start out right with an animal that had a known history, and might not take as long to settle in. In that case, with your set up, research, and everyone here for support, I think your chances of success will be excellent.
 
Caryl said:
I'm so sorry for your loss. It's terrible to have to say goodbye to a pet, and worse when one doesn't know why.

Others have mentioned some of the same things that occur to me. Here are some of my thoughts, for what they're worth. I hope that you're soon able to take joy from a new corn.

RIP, Copper.



I'm glad you're going to try again. I wish you nothing but good luck with your next corn.
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Thanks for the advice, Caryl! He didn't have any regurges. I'm still a bit confused on the temp. issue. If I use a thermostat with the heat pad and that is set at 85 degrees, what should the air temps be? These were at 85 warm end and 75 cool end. These went down to 75/65 at night with the black light and almost 60 without! Aren't these temps too low for digestion?

He ate throughout his shed without any problems. The throat area issue really did bother me. It was so hard to tell! When he ate, I could see a line. I was worried about messing around this delicate area plus he wasn't too happy to be touched there! I'm thinking that the bad shed was due to the too hot and dry conditions.
 
Nroc said:
Make sure you sanitize everything before you re-use it. I read here that diluted chlorine bleach will kill everything except this one thing. I don't recall what it was, but the suggestion was to use ammonia.

I asked if ammonia would kill everything the bleach would kill, but never received a reply...so I used them both.

Maybe someone can elaborate on the sanitizing procedure.
Click to expand...

Thanks Nroc! Good advice! : ) Thanks for reminding me.
 
kathylove said:
the minor issues with heat and light, etc., probably would not have caused his demise if he didn't have some other complication. Even if his warm hide was too hot, he was able to escape from it. But it could have been added to with anything from a congenital condition that took a while to develop, to some kind of infection that got out of hand because of some extra stress, to some kind of added stress due to some environmental cleaners or toxins.

Usually if it is a strong toxin, you will get immediate reactions, such as neurological symptoms like twitching and crawling upside down. You didn't see that, so I doubt that it played a big part. But it is important to keep any solvents (paint, or certain cleaning fluids, such as carpet cleaners, and especially anything with phenol, such as Pine Sol and Lysol), or poisons (such as bug spray) out of the animal room. Sometimes people don't think about those common items as causing a possible problem. I don't think they were a real problem in your case, judging by your description. But something like that could have been a contributing factor, if present.

Unfortunately, unless a necropsy is done right away, it is impossible to venture a really good explanation. But if you were to get a 1 - 2 year old, maybe around 2 - 2.5' or so from your local group, you could really start out right with an animal that had a known history, and might not take as long to settle in. In that case, with your set up, research, and everyone here for support, I think your chances of success will be excellent.
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Thanks for the pep talk! : ) I'm feeling better already. He really didn't spend any time in the hide on the warm end. I guess I now know why. If he was on that end at all it was usually up in a plant. The hide that he used the most was in the middle. The tank was kept in my son's room so no harmful chemicals around. The tank had been used for tropical fish a few years ago and I cleaned it with a diluted bleach and water solution. Can't remember the exact ratio but what was recommended.

Makes me feel a little better thinking that maybe I wasn't totally responsible and I think getting an older snake is a good plan.
 
beth4000 said:
Thanks for the advice, Caryl! He didn't have any regurges. I'm still a bit confused on the temp. issue. If I use a thermostat with the heat pad and that is set at 85 degrees, what should the air temps be? These were at 85 warm end and 75 cool end. These went down to 75/65 at night with the black light and almost 60 without! Aren't these temps too low for digestion?

He ate throughout his shed without any problems. The throat area issue really did bother me. It was so hard to tell! When he ate, I could see a line. I was worried about messing around this delicate area plus he wasn't too happy to be touched there! I'm thinking that the bad shed was due to the too hot and dry conditions.
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As far as the ambient temps go try not to worry about them as much. Where I live it gets pretty cold in the winter and my room sometimes gets into the 60's and my corn is doing just fine. I use a herpstat thermostat to keep my warm side temp at 84.6(right on the mat). I never even measure the air temp. My snake doesnt hover so I dont worry about it much. If he gets a little chilly he can just slither over to the nice heat mat and warm up. Good luck with your next corn. If you have any question just ask. P.S. I've always heard too hot is always worst than too cold.
 
Sorry about your snake, looks like people here have been giving some good advice though.

But I just wanted to say hello neighbor :wavey: I'm in Appleton, and work in Neenah/Menasha

What petco did you get your snake at?
 
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If it gets chilly I normally toss a towel of 1/2 the cage top to keep the drafts out. But yes you want to measure the temps right on the glass at the mat. The hide on the warm side also does a good job of keeping heat in where your snake is settled.

I know you guys will do just fine on the next snake. Please don't be too hard on yourself.
 
I wish all owners (including myself) were as educated about snakes prior to purchasing one ! I agree with nanci it sounds as if the incomplete shed may have had something to do with his demise and i also agree that a sub-adult would be great for your family babies are flighty and agile and VERY VERY good escape artists adult snakes that have been cared for well are normally much more passive,easier to keep track of, and yes a little more hardy Good Luck to you and your family and don't be afraid to post something sooner next time !
 
I'm so sorry your baby snake died. I hope that you will get another, and I hope it will thrive for you, you sound like a caring and concerned owner.
 
I didn't mean to imply anything you did was wrong. I hope it wasn't taken that way. People here at CS.com can be very helpful with epople and I was just looking at a few of the things that may or may not have contributed, but in my opinion, I really do think there may have been an underlying problem that you really wouldn't be aware of. Sadly, sometimes snakes die, with no apparent reason. Hatchlings are more fragile than older snakes. Don't give up, there has been some very good information passed along to you in this thread. I think I can speak for many who have posted here, most of us have lost a snake. It's not something to beat yourself up over though. I'm sure you'll succeed if you try again. But don't be afraid to ask for help in this forum, because there are many here who will gladly offer tips and suggestions.
 
Everyone has done such an excellent job with advice and I think that is so awesome. I don't have anything to add I just want to say I am so very sorry for your loss. To be honest with you my very first snake died five days after I purchased him. I think it may have had something to do with the substrate I was using. I spent months researching and had a perfect cage set up with heat pad controlled by thermostat, two thermometers with probes, everything, but the substrate I bought at the reptile show with the snake. It was like a brown bark, homemade (probably from someones backyard) and I was told this would be fine for my new little snake. Again five days later he was dead. I have no idea what caused for sure caused him to die. I spent a long time "guessing" and a long time beating myself up about it. It was so depressing. Anyway (I am so long winded sometimes) the point I want to make is, the advice you have been given has prompted some changes in your setup and provided some knowledge to use moving forward. There are plenty of other snakes out there that for sure that can use a brand new home with loving owners. Young or established aged snake, I think you should definitely go for it again. I did and I did it again and again and again and again LOL.
 
I, too, lost my first cornsnake. That was about 10 years ago & I have no idea why. Imhotep seemed fine the day before, came in the next day with the thawed pinkie & s/he was gone. Curled up in a hide as though Imhotep had passed while sleeping. I suspect it was a temperature thing, because I did not know at that time that UTHs got too hot. This was when I didn't really have access to the interwebz & someone gave me the snake & I assumed the advice they gave me was correct. Stupid me! I know better now. Anyway, you sound like you would be a great snake parent, so I do hope you will try again in the future.
 
beth4000 said:
Thanks for the advice, Caryl! He didn't have any regurges. I'm still a bit confused on the temp. issue. If I use a thermostat with the heat pad and that is set at 85 degrees, what should the air temps be? These were at 85 warm end and 75 cool end. These went down to 75/65 at night with the black light and almost 60 without! Aren't these temps too low for digestion?

He ate throughout his shed without any problems. The throat area issue really did bother me. It was so hard to tell! When he ate, I could see a line. I was worried about messing around this delicate area plus he wasn't too happy to be touched there! I'm thinking that the bad shed was due to the too hot and dry conditions.
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I wish every pet had a person as caring as you. :D With a heart as big as yours obviously is, you deserve many happy years with your next new corn.
If your thermostat is set at 85 & it's holding there, you don't need to worry about the air temperatures unless they're really extreme - say, above 90 or below 50. It's true that 60 is too low for digestion, but if the UTH is 85 and a warm hide is available, the snake will go to that spot.

No worries; your husbandry was certainly respectable and (as others said) shouldn't have caused any problems if the snake was healthy. You did your best and have no reason to feel badly about any of it.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your NEXT snake and how much fun you're and your son are having with it. :rolleyes:
 
....Forgive me, I'm tired. I meant to say: I'm looking forward to PIC's of the happy snakey in the new home...
..sheesh...
 
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