old snake :(

[junglelove]

so my woma is 15 i know they can live longer but his body is old i know the timing is coming up to let him go but how do you bring your self to do it. hes not in pain.

 

[snakelady-viper]

 

[Lawra]

I thought snakes can live 20-30 years. I certainly hope my woma doesn't only live to be 15 What are your reasons for wanting to put him down?

 

[Ramy]

While I've only had dogs get old so far, I don't imagine snakes are much different. If they're still eating, pooping and shedding okay, then I can't see why you'd put them down. I certainly won't pay expensive vet bills for an animal that might not live much longer, but I'd only be going to a vet if there are health problems. If he's tired all the time, then I wouldn't get him out so often I'd let him rest.

EDIT: I suppose I never feel like I've had to "let go" when an animal ages gradually, because you get used to it over time. It's only when it feels like an animal has died "before it's time" that I've found it hard.

 

[andynic07]

Judge your decision on quality of life. If your mates quality of life is suffering then it is time to say goodbye I think.

 

[redbellybite]

Judge your decision on quality of life. If your mates quality of life is suffering then it is time to say goodbye I think.

Agreed......just because he is old and slow these days and he may not look in tip top condition doesn't always mean time for the green dream ...he still could be quite content for his age and ability ,if he actually has no on going problems with feeding ,craping and shedding and no respiratory dramas then I say let him live out his old age ...if in any doubt see a good well acknowledged reptile vet or long time herp keeper that may have had dealings with old snakes too and get their opinion on your old mate ,before you make the final decision...

 

[JrFear]

I'm curious what an aged snake looks like any pics?

 

[TrueBlue]

At 15 your snake is still quite young, its got plenty of years left and will still comfortably breed, as long as it hasnt been power fed in the first few years.

 

[junglelove]

im well aware they can live a good old age. he hasnt eaten for months regurjd after force feeding. he has pnemonia which i dont understand because i kept the heat on all winter.

 

[Trimeresurus]

Why does a snake that old need force feeding?

What are your temps?

Has it been to a reptile vet?

It sounds sick and stressed to me.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

Keeping it on heat all winter is not a great option with any adult animal in my opinion.
They should be wintered, their body needs time to rest.

Heating over winter for adults I believe reduces their life span. We all wear out, and at different rates depending upon the conditions in which we live. If our bodies are made to work 30% harder than they should then is it not fair to assume that we will in essence be 30% older than our actual years?

 

[junglelove]

trimeresurus well der hence the vet trip. pauls pythons do you realise that no zoo "profesionals" dont cool most of their animals during winter and they have snakes in their 30s unless you intend on breeding the animal. like humans and oher animals reptiles do get sick even if you do things by the book tumour cancers etc unfortunatly its life.

 

[Trimeresurus]

I was stating that it sounds sick and stressed because it's sick and stressed, not because of it's age.

I'd still like to know why it needed to be force fed at that age, did it miss it's meal for the week or was there a health issue there?

But it sounds like you already know everything anyway.

 

[redbellybite]

I'm sorry but I agree with cooling too ...I do it for around two months in dead smack winter ...but that's just me .

 

[Newhere]

Hello, you said your snake isn't in pain in your first post but if he has pnumonia and hasn't eaten for months I think its safe to say he might be in some pain. What does the vet think? Is it a case of treating the pnumonia so he can live out the rest of his life or does the vet think its time for him to go?

If hes not healthy then he certainly wont be happy and if the vet can't help him I think you have to do whats best for the snake as starving to death would be a lot worse than being put down.

Hopefully he just has pnumonia and he can be treated and then start feeding again and spend a few more years with you. I'm sorry if this is not the case.

 

[TrueBlue]

The main cause of pnumonia in snakes is stress, the wrong temps are just one thing that will stress the snake out enough to get it. They can still get it even when kept with correct temps, as many other things can stress a snake out enough to get it.

 

[Rlpreston]

trimeresurus well der hence the vet trip. pauls pythons do you realise that no zoo "profesionals" dont cool most of their animals during winter and they have snakes in their 30s unless you intend on breeding the animal. like humans and oher animals reptiles do get sick even if you do things by the book tumour cancers etc unfortunatly its life.

I'm sorry to hear your pet is sick.

Am not sure where your animosity is stemmed from but the previous posters are only trying to share information with you. Whether you take it on board is all up to you but "well der" and "do you realise" are immature and pretty offensive. If you didn't want any opinions on the matter probably best to finish off this thread, contact your vet again and/or a counsellor for yourself if this is causing you a great amount of stress or anxiety (just in case this is what is the cause of the attitude displayed above).

Hope all works out for you the best it can.