OK, from what you have told me I will have to think about this and check a book or two. The blood at the mouth is something I will pay extra attention too though the blood at the cloaca will certainly not be ignored. The muscle tone of the snake....now was it more muscular when you first got it or was it basically about the same for the period of time you owned it? It may have been a kind of parasite. May I ask where you buy your rodents from? A business name is not neccesary, what I really want to know is it a frozen rodent supplier or a pet shop? In a way I was glad you said soap and water for cleaning, as opposed to say Windex which is too strong and can kill a snake. However disinfecting is also important[to me anyway] so in the future you may want to score something like Chlorhexedine, which a vet should help you with or one of the big reptile supply places online. It gives me extra confidence and my steam cleaner REALLY makes me sure there's no cooties about. It is a shame the snake was not a bit larger, as it's meals would have also been larger and you may just have had a warning that something was wrong. If it was only eating pinkies that does not leave much to inspect after a snakes does its thing. If it was a parasite it may have got more out of the snakes meals than the snake did leaving it deteriorated, and it withered away. I have to suspect this seeing from what I understand it perished quite quickly. I have some snakes I bought and also hatched this year that are only just beginning to feed, some went for well over 6 weeks with no food at all. They are perfectly fine too. Let me think about this and I will write when I can. I hope some others chime in as well. Answer the few questions if ya can Thanks Tom Stevens

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