Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been raising some black milks with the hopes of future breeding. I've chosen to sell all my snakes but the black milks. Now that the snakes are going, Last night I decided to move my black milks into my office. This morning when I got into my office, I notice one of them was dead. The snake was right side up with its mouth full of wood chips. I thought it strange since their was no food in its cage.
I have kept and breed snakes for many years. I have never encountered such a strange death before and hope to never see one again. Does anyone have an idea what could have killed my buddie.
Thanks for any suggestions:
Jason

This snake ate two small rats every other week.
Never regurged.
Pooped normal looking poop regularly, and was quite active.
He was a great snake and will surly be missed.

Thanks again for any suggestions!
Jason

Sorry to hear the news...

My only snake to die was a 5 yr old corn who randomly started acting funny and I found him dead, his mouth latched onto his side biting himself. Odd....
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Matt from Minnesota

Sorry to hear that Jason. I also like the Black Milks so much I've pretty much gotten rid of everything else. I had a Leucistic Black Rat that was part of a group I kept for around 12 years in some large 6' Neos and she one day started to writhe around with her mouth open getting full of aspen and died. I never found out what it was and the other animals were not affected. She routinely ate rats without any problems also. Never saw it coming either.

I feel for you, the BMs are beautiful enjoyable captives and it takes so darn long for them to blacken (if you even luck out and get some that will completely darken)Losing one after all that work is hard enough let alone your personal fondness of the animal. I hope your not giving up on your project with this set back. They are great animals.

Bob.

Jason,

If I can help you find another male if needed let me know, while looking for mine I've come across some folks with good stock as I'm sure you have too.

my best,
Bob.

Thanks so much for the kind words.
I will be looking to replace him soon. I just need to confirm that it was really the male that died. Since the snake just died today, I havent had much time to look at whats for sale.
Any help with other breeders that have quality stock would be great.

Thanks Again;
Jason

Sorry to hear about your loss. Its a tough thing to loose a seemlingly healthy snake with no apparent cause. Any chance he ingested a bunch of wood chips during a recent meal and it just got to him yesterday?

When's the last time he ate?

Dave
DNS Reptiles

No,
I havent feed him in a few weeks. I dont understand the woodchips in his mouth either. I'm wondering if maybe the move to a different area didnt just stress him out to the point of death? This seems like a long shot! But since he seems to be in a pose like he was watching something, it makes me wonder!
Most of the dead snakes that I have seen over the years were upsidedown. This poor guy was frozen with a mouth full of woodchips. I'm gonna ask my vet what he would charge to do an ecropsey.
My other black milk who is in a vision cage below, appears to be fine!
The whole death just dosent seem right? I'm actually waiting to see if im going to wake up!
Jason

I have found snakes dead with substrate in their mouths on a couple of occasions during the last few decades. I suspect the substrate isn't the cause of death, but rather during their death throes, they manage to get substrate into their mouths.

I would check the cage very carefully to ensure it wasn't something about the new cage/room that led to the snake's death rather than the particular substrate. You don't want the other one dying as well!
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Good Point!
Thanks:
Jason

That's an interesting thought. I've never considered that. I lost a beloved ribbon snake in that manner a few years back and thought for sure that it was the substrate that had killed it. But the critter was over 10 years old.
Huh.
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-Paul

I am so sorry for your loss my friend!

I have been through exactly what you are going through. It really is strange to have a seemingly healthy snake just die out of nowhere.

I lost my 6 foot Burlington Co. northern pine snake back in January. He was only 5 years old. His weight was perfect, no swellings in his body, no puking, no weird looking poop, etc. There were no warning signs or anything.

After wondering what the heck happened with my pine snake and a few others over the years, as well as talking with breeder friends of mine, I have come to the conclusion that snakes die possibly from internal problems that do not show any signs but just simply kill them and we are left to wonder what has happened. This would of course somewhat explain the shock...from keeping them in sterile and clean conditions, good food from good food sources, and good diets and still...some end up dying.

So, my guess is that he had some internal problems going on.

I hope you can find another one!

Take care!
Billy
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Genesis 1:1

hey i'm no vet-and btw yes i'm sorry for you-but i agree with chrish,i suspect death throes/writhing,mouth agape,as how the substarte got in the mouth....the fatc he ended right side up is weird,but no impossible as a coincidence,or the writhing could have subsided just prior to death,and he was able to right himself in his last moments(?)...but yeah the cause?could be something neurological?also-any chemicals nearby where you moved him to?i've heard of similar deaths as i described above,from pesticides/other chemicals in the vicinity of the snake due to inhalation,etc...or like mentioned by others,could be other unknown internal culprits...too bad.my advice,try not to dwell on it,it was quite probably none of your doing,and certainly not intentional if at all.
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"with head raised regally,and gazing at me with lidless eyes,he seemed to question with flicks of his long forked tongue my right to trespass on his territory" Carl Kauffeld

Posted by: jasonmc at Thu Apr 20 13:07:57 2006 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

I've been raising some black milks with the hopes of future breeding. I've chosen to sell all my snakes but the black milks. Now that the snakes are going, Last night I decided to move my black milks into my office. This morning when I got into my office, I notice one of them was dead. The snake was right side up with its mouth full of wood chips. I thought it strange since their was no food in its cage.
I have kept and breed snakes for many years. I have never encountered such a strange death before and hope to never see one again. Does anyone have an idea what could have killed my buddie.
Thanks for any suggestions:
Jason

This snake ate two small rats every other week.
Never regurged.
Pooped normal looking poop regularly, and was quite active.
He was a great snake and will surly be missed.

Thanks again for any suggestions!
Jason

Sorry about your snake. I know less about snakes than anyone here but I wonder if some just have strokes/seisures and bite anything before they die .
Maybe some just die because of that but has nothing to do with anything else, maybe stress can trigger it for some snakes but it was going to happen one day regardless.
My first snake was a ringneck snake he was 7 yrs old (I got him as a tiny tiny snake) he ate great was doing great.
When he was around 7 yrs old he had like a "seizure" I was doing my homework next to the tank and he began to roll and bite the soil take it in his mouth he looked like he was in pain.
I took the tanks lid off and pulled him out and poof he died.
nothing was wrong with the heat,enviroment,he was eating great ,no sprays in area,etc.
It just happened. Looked like a bad stroke.