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What happened to my snake?!

Chusi

Chusi

Chusi
Hello all...I have 12 snakes. 8 of which are cornsnakes. All my cornsnakes are doing fine except one and I don't understand what happened or where I went wrong.

My baby Aztec Amel Cornsnakes, about 3 months old, stopped eating about three weeks ago. He would eat, but would regurgitate the food within a couple days. I tried giving him smaller portions so that he would be able to keep it down. He has his own cage to himself. A hide spot and water bowl. I have the warm area at 85 and the cool area at 75. He was eating perfectly well before. (two pinkies a week). But now he is so week, and honestly I don't think he'll make it. :cry: He can hardly move his head. I don't know where I went wrong. I've never lost a snake before. I know that I'm no expert... but all my other snakes are doing very well and I've had some of these snakes for 4 years.
:shrugs:

What I did notice about him was that there are three spots of black inside his body. I can see it through the light. Normally I would think that it was the food I just fed him. But he hasnt kept anything down in weeks? Is this old decaying food???

Even if he will not make it. Please let me know where you guys think I went wrong... I have been reading these threads for weeks, and you all seem to know the most about these beautiful creatures.

Thanks...
 
It doesn't sound like you've done anything wrong and I can only share with you my personal experience.

I have had perfectly normal, eating and growing hatchlings that just one day decided to stop eating. There wasn't an conceivable reason for them to do so. Some started eating again and some didn't. You must understand that in nature, these creatures have large clutches because the survival outlook is dim. We have already dramatically increased their odds of reaching adulthood.

I know this doesn't help much, but it might prevent you from beating yourself up. :)
 
A good point from CAV. The only thing you didn't mention in your post was if you were feeding him in a separate container or in his viv. Could be he ingested some substrate, and it has caused an impaction. Sometimes it's possible to "massage" the blockage toward the vent. If indeed this is the case.
 
This may or may not be relevant, but you said you have "a hide" for the snake. Do you only have one hide with this problem snake? If you do and it's on the cool side, it may be that it's not digesting food properly (which would cause the regurges). I would assume that if the snake felt threatened and that it needed to hide, it would hide rather than be exposed on the warm side (even if that would be better for digestion).

Any opinions on this?
 
Thanks for the responses...

I'm so sad... the Aztec baby died today.

Thanks so much for all your responses. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't me who didnt take care of it properly. Even tho I have a lot, I know that I'm no expert...

To answer some questions... I do feed them seperately in a cardboard box that has only a paper towel on the bottom (so to keep the box clean for next time). And as for the hides, I have one hide... but it is a long tunnel kind that goes along the entire length of the cage. So half of it is on the warm side... and the other half is on the cool side. =P I was watching it and he tends to stay somewhere in the middle... more near the warm side....

But yeah... I don't know what went wrong. =( I'm so sad tho, I've never lost a snake before. And its still so young. I was really excited to see how it would look as an adult.

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions.
 
im really sorry to hear that you had to lose a snake...i have a poem i took from www.rainbowbridge.com ...i lost a cat....and got it creamated...and there was a card ....that said :: ya it has no relation to a snake....but its a beautiful tought..go to the web site....and theres nice background music and you can register your pet to rainbow bridge


animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong aga :cry: in, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

:sobstory: :cry: :cry: :sobstory: ...
:-offtopic but im sorry you lost a pet..
 
i dont have along poem or any fancy words. but im sorry to hear about your loss, i only have the onesnake i would be devastated if i lost her, good luck with your other snakes.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your loss Chusi. No matter how many snakes I see pass through my collection, or how many babies I hatch out, its always hard to lose one, especially one thats so young and has been doing so well. I don't think you did anything wrong. Sometimes, you can't dictate who will make it and who won't. Unfortunately, mother nature takes that charge. The only thing you can do is just ensure that your other snakes are healthy and well cared for.

Last week, my adult male amel striped Vlad passed away from cancer. He gave me 8 great years of his life, and about 70 great kids that carried his legacy. I had no intentions of really keeping any babies from his last clutch that's due to hatch in about 2 months, but I've changed my mind and will definitly keep a little striped male to remind me of Vlad, even if he doesn't fit into my breeding plans (sometimes its good just to have a pet...even for breeders). I have about 20 corns, but each one is my child, and I love them unconditionally. My vet and I tried to do everything we could for him, but it was just moot. I will miss him terribly, but I know I did everything I could, and gave him the best life I could. Even though it pains me to great lengths to lose him, I know now that he feels no pain...and is giving those angel mice one hell of a heart attack! :)
 
Thanks Everyone...

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone to responded! I really appreciate it. I hope I didn't do anything wrong. But I can't help but think I didn't do enough.

I gave my Aztec a nice little burial in my box garden yesturday. Hopefully he'll go to that rainbow. =)
 
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