Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, my royal that I've had for about three weeks ( she's 3 months old ) has been a reluctant feeder, I thought that all that was over when she did finally eat, left her overnight and looked in on her the next morning and she was fine. Walking past her box in the evening and she was dead. Just her head in the water bowl upside down and turned 180 degree's along side her body. Anybody got any idea what might have happened, do Royals have a habit of this? Prior to this he has appeared well
and in good health and has been quite lively.

Sounds like she wasn't eating for a while (more than 4 weeks since birth) and then when she finally did eat she wasn't strong enough to digest the meal and it killer her. I let my babies go 4 weeks from hatching and then I get them to eat a meal whether they like it or not. If you let them go over 6 weeks from birth with no meal you start getting into death territory. I think they get so weak that they cannot digest the meal and it starts to rot in their system which causes them to die. Very small meals will help this not to happen but it's still touch and go.

Sorry about your loss.
Corey

I agree also the weaker thay get the more there is a chance that perecites can get a foot hold and take over.
So sorry for your loss .
PS. GOOD LUCK WITH ALL YOU DO !!

By reluctant feeder I assume that means it has eaten before, so I am not sure if malnutrition/starvation would be the cause...especially in a snake that is 3 month old. I had a yearling die suddenly earlier this year, I opened it up and found no obvious cause of death. Just make sure you disinfect everything well so you don't potentially contaminate any other reptiles.

Sorry!
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8.15 Normal ball pythons
2.0 Pastel ball pythons
1.0 Plains Garter
0.1 Normal Kenyan Sand Boa
1.1 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa
1.0 Mid-Baja Rosy Boa
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat
1.2 Dumeril's Boa
-----My list is too long, so I'll stop here!
*Amy*

yes she had eaten prior to me getting her. I am getting another royal from the same shop, but from a differnt breeder. i have cleaned and bleached anything that I am going to re-use. I am also taking the time to find out as much as possible and not have the same thing happen. I know that it was not my fault that she died but you still feel guilty anyway.

If I were you I wouldn't purchase another snake from that shop again. If the snake was delivered to the shop sick, it could have infected every cage they have by now and pet shops don't routinely completely clean their cages nor do they quarentine the new animals. You would be able to buy one online from a breeder and pay shipping for cheaper than pet shops sell these animals for anyway. Alot of the larger breeders produce alot of normal offspring that they whole-sale out and I'm sure they would be more than happy to give you a good deal on a normal male/female pair.
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Josh & Krysty Hutto
J&K Reptiles

Various Ball Pythons:::

1.0 striped vanilla
1.2 Citrus Ghost and hets
1.2 Albino and hets
2.3 het Pied
1.1 Pastel (male has additional gene going on with him)
a bunch of female holdbacks and several rescue normal males

0.1 columbian boa, she's a feeding monster, controls my
over production of rats, lol
0.1 brazilian rainbow boa, another rat eating monster
1.1 corns

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

Can I ask what a "Royal" is?
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1.1 100% het albino W. Hognose
0.1 66% het albino "red" W. Hognose
1.0 Pastel Ball Python
1.0 Common Snapping Turtle
1.1 Bearded Dragon

a royal is another (more correct name) for a ball python.
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-0-1 Rescued Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-2-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet, Isis
0-0-1 Rescued Fit and Trim Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Royal python is the actual name of a ball python....I beleive the term 'Ball' was coined by the North American market due to the python's habit of coiling up into a ball when it feels threatened.
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PHLdyPayne

What is the origin of the term 'Royal' Python?

I've always assumed it was due to the snake being worshipped and having temples/shrines devoted to it in parts of Africa.

Someone correct me if I've been wrong all these years. Thanks.

BB
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"Have you hugged your drummer today?" --- Me

In some parts of Africa the species is worshipped.

Central Pets Says it better than me:
The Ekoi people of Nigeria tell a tale of Python, who took from his mouth a shining stone and sold it to Sheep for a farm. Through a series of events the stone ended up in God's hands who placed it in the night sky whereupon it became the moon. Indeed the royal denotation of the Ball Python's scientific name (Python regius) is no accident.
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8.15 Normal ball pythons
2.0 Pastel ball pythons
1.0 Plains Garter
0.1 Normal Kenyan Sand Boa
1.1 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa
1.0 Mid-Baja Rosy Boa
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat
1.2 Dumeril's Boa
-----My list is too long, so I'll stop here!
*Amy*

This is by no means a stone cold fact.. but this is my guess as to where "royal" python came from.
In Ghana, one of the ball's primary habitats, it was either the first king was named Regius, or that's what they called kings. So, when it got the name Python regius, that translates into royal python. Or something similar, with the _____ in front of python being associated with royalty.
Just my take. That was just a correlation I made during a world history class as I was spacing out thinking of snakes, and everything else that was outside the boring classroom LOL.
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Mike.
-Baseball and Ball Pythons complete me.-

It's hard to say but in the picture, you animal already looks distressed. Has it only had one meal? I have hatchlings go more than 2 months without eating their first meal and once they do, they are fine. They do not lose much weight at all. IMHO, your animal looks sick. Where did it come from? What did you feed her? Was it F/T? I did have a baby chondro die after feeding her a F/T mouse pink from a pet store. I'm sure the mouse pink had something to do with it.

It it's just a bad pic, I apologize for the sick comment. And sorry to hear about your loss. That sucks!
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

I bought her from a local exotic pets specialist store. Yes her last meal a F/T puprat which she wolfed down. I've Added a few other pics to get your opinion?

that snake looks very thin in the second picture. There could have been a very heavy parasite load in the animal from the start. Alot of reptile specialty stores get there animals from importers and import baby balls this time of the year are bargain basement animals, they all suck.
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Josh & Krysty Hutto
J&K Reptiles

Various Ball Pythons:::

1.0 striped vanilla
1.2 Citrus Ghost and hets
1.2 Albino and hets
2.3 het Pied
1.1 Pastel (male has additional gene going on with him)
a bunch of female holdbacks and several rescue normal males

0.1 columbian boa, she's a feeding monster, controls my
over production of rats, lol
0.1 brazilian rainbow boa, another rat eating monster
1.1 corns

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

Sorry to hear about your loss. I would not buy from that pet store again.
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Dave

www.DNReptiles.com
Myspace/DNReptiles
Myspace/blog

he looks very skinny?! I would guess that he is a CH that has never been treated for parasites and they finally got the better of him.
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Nita Hamilton
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Ball Pythons
ballpythonworld.com