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I would say the bad shed was not to do with humidity but because of whatever the underlying condition was. Bad sheds can be for a number of reason, some being husbandry but i also believe poor shedding can be an indicator that their is something wrong health wise. I can't tell you what happened to your snake, it would take a necropsy.
 
I totally agree with Skeptic, as i have plenty of time on my hands i did a bit of searching on spontaneous or otherwise unexplained death in reptiles and it is amazing how far reaching this phenomenon is, it is also amazing how many theorys go with it, the 1 that keeps popping up time and time again is asymptomatic head and neck injuries caused mainly from unseen falls and crush injuries, (asymptomatic because u cannot see any visable problem) just as in Mammals it is possible for reptiles to have a bleed in their cranium from an unseen fall that can kill the reptile without there being any symptoms at all, it is the same with spinal injurys particularly in the neck where a nerve might be damaged but untill the reptile gets into a certain position is fine then bingo the nerve severs and paralysis of the lung or heart occurs. It is fascinating yet troublesome reading but can shed quite a bit of light on a lot of spontaneous deaths in reptiles, from what i have read about the way in which you care for and love your babies Sarah i would be very surprised if it was a husbandry issue and unless the necropsy shows anything different i guess you just gotta put it down to bad luck. I am very sorry for the loss of your MD, i know how i would feel if i lost 1 of mine, chin up and show the rest of them how much you love them with a big cuddle each xxx :) ..........................................Ron
 
I totally agree with Skeptic, as i have plenty of time on my hands i did a bit of searching on spontaneous or otherwise unexplained death in reptiles and it is amazing how far reaching this phenomenon is, it is also amazing how many theorys go with it, the 1 that keeps popping up time and time again is asymptomatic head and neck injuries caused mainly from unseen falls and crush injuries, (asymptomatic because u cannot see any visable problem) just as in Mammals it is possible for reptiles to have a bleed in their cranium from an unseen fall that can kill the reptile without there being any symptoms at all, it is the same with spinal injurys particularly in the neck where a nerve might be damaged but untill the reptile gets into a certain position is fine then bingo the nerve severs and paralysis of the lung or heart occurs. It is fascinating yet troublesome reading but can shed quite a bit of light on a lot of spontaneous deaths in reptiles, from what i have read about the way in which you care for and love your babies Sarah i would be very surprised if it was a husbandry issue and unless the necropsy shows anything different i guess you just gotta put it down to bad luck. I am very sorry for the loss of your MD, i know how i would feel if i lost 1 of mine, chin up and show the rest of them how much you love them with a big cuddle each xxx :) ..........................................Ron
Could some of the unexplained deaths be because some keepers do not get a necropsy done so it is classed as unexplained or were all of the samples deemed unexplained after the necropsy? Very interesting read there Ron thanks for doing the research. I am with you on the fact that Sarah does seem very loving of her reptiles and seems to not have any husbandry issues. I hope you get the answers you are after Sarah.
 
I found him this morning, half way between the two parts of the enclosure heading upwards: However he was bent back over on his back with his mouth wide open. It appears like he fell back on his head but I doubt with a snakes muscular strength that would be the case.

The way you described finding him reminds me of a tragic experience I had years ago with my 7 foot carpet. My cabinet enclosure had a drawer section which I had converted to a "hide-box" where the snake could sleep in total darkness. Anyway the snake had crawled half way out of the hide-box then for some reason decided to crawl back into it.
Suffice to say the hole wasn't big enough & as the snake attempted to crawl out & back in it got wedged in the hole & I can only guess either suffocated or died of spinal injuries.
 
Could some of the unexplained deaths be because some keepers do not get a necropsy done so it is classed as unexplained or were all of the samples deemed unexplained after the necropsy? Very interesting read there Ron thanks for doing the research. I am with you on the fact that Sarah does seem very loving of her reptiles and seems to not have any husbandry issues. I hope you get the answers you are after Sarah.

Good question Andy and a point i did not expand on from my research, yes a lot of unexplained death is because of a lack of necropsy's, "BUT" here is the kicker, in about 90+% of the necropsy's i read about it was a jaw to vent incision with inspection of the organs, gut cavity, trachia and digestive tract with a possable microbiology but did not include spinal inspection or craniotomy, so i suppose it is up to the individual to ask their vet to include these other tests, although i feel most vets would charge a fortune to do these extra's, so then it is just unexplained death, IMO (and others i have read about) a proper necropsy should include spinal and cranium. :) .................................Ron
 
Good question Andy and a point i did not expand on from my research, yes a lot of unexplained death is because of a lack of necropsy's, "BUT" here is the kicker, in about 90+% of the necropsy's i read about it was a jaw to vent incision with inspection of the organs, gut cavity, trachia and digestive tract with a possable microbiology but did not include spinal inspection or craniotomy, so i suppose it is up to the individual to ask their vet to include these other tests, although i feel most vets would charge a fortune to do these extra's, so then it is just unexplained death, IMO (and others i have read about) a proper necropsy should include spinal and cranium. :) .................................Ron
It sounds like an area that has not been explored a lot and may change enclosure designs in the future. Very interesting.
 
It sounds like an area that has not been explored a lot and may change enclosure designs in the future. Very interesting.

I wonder about all the commercially available enclosures being two feet high, as in a 1200 x 600 x 600 size. They can be great for some species, but are they really appropriate for terrestrial pythons, which will nevertheless go for the occasional clumsy climb?
 
i feel most vets would charge a fortune to do these extra's, so then it is just unexplained death, IMO (and others i have read about) a proper necropsy should include spinal and cranium. :) .................................Ron
Surely that would just be a simple Xray, shouldn't be too difficult?
 
Surely that would just be a simple Xray, shouldn't be too difficult?

The trouble with low to medium resolution xray which most vet practices use is nerve damage and cranial bleeds are next to impossible to detect :) .........................Ron
 
Update: So the autopsy came up with nothing and I have had another death! The snake in the adjoining cage has now passed away too. That is two snakes in the same month and in close proximity. The only thing I can think is it is too cold over night in my house and they freeze... But I have little yearlings who make it through the night no problem. I currently have a mite infestation but it is becoming under control and I don't even know if mites can kill!

I am so upset and at a loss, I don't even know what I am doing wrong...

I am moving all of my snakes out of the room with the 'infected' cages and desperately trying to figure out what is going on.
 
Sorry for your loss Sarah.
Having lost a second snake so soon I`d be checking for Sunshine virus.
 
The simplest explanation is usually the right one.How were you treating the mite problem? Were both snakes still feeding etc?
 
The first snake who passed away was still feeding very well, the second however never fed in my care and had not fed in the previous owners care for months either. It was a rescue animal and I was trying to get condition back on her but she was resisting. The mite problem came after the first snakes death and I have recently been treating the mites by using a secondary predatory mite which are harmless to reptiles.
 
Mites can be very deadly, jump onto treating them ASAP. I can only recommend Top Of Descent if you have a severe infestation, just be careful with dosage on the juvinilles.
 
How cold is it getting in your vivs?
Do you know of any reason why the second snake was not feeding??
Did the second snake come from a large collection??
How long had the previous owner had the second snake?
 
The mites in my collection have nearly been obliterated, I've noticed the numbers dwindling. Now that you mention it, there were only two snakes infected with the mites and she was one of them. The other snake I have been washing in oily water and he only dropped two mites today, so I believe the predatory mites are working very well.
 
How cold is it getting in your vivs?
Do you know of any reason why the second snake was not feeding??
Did the second snake come from a large collection??
How long had the previous owner had the second snake?

The lowest the temps would drop would be roughly 10 degrees early in the mornings.
The second snake had been injured in the previous keepers care and had not eaten since.
The second snake came from a single snake collection and was quarantined for three months before being moved into my collection.
The previous owner had the snake for slightly longer than a year.
 
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