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My two corns got very sick. (One definitely worse than the other.) Same as the balls. Twisting neck. Couldn't hold head up without wobbling. Looked like they were gasping for air. Generally looking very distraught.

I found a vet who'd see me, but he's on the other side of the state, and that means crossing a mountain pass, with some nasty weather right now. I hated to do it, but not seeing any other choice than to sit and watch every one of my snakes die and wonder why, I decided to risk it. I packed up the two snakes in question with heat packs and headed over. I had to go last night, and stay the night. Both snakes made it.

He seemed to think that they had somehow been poisoned. I left them there.

I racked my brain and racked my brain all the way home. I am generally very careful about what I use in my home. I have a lot of critters here.

Then it struck me. I have loaned my vaccum cleaner to somebody. I know that that somebody had been battling a flea problem in their home. I did not think a thing of it. I got the vaccum back, and stuck it in my closet, and when it was time to vaccum, I just pulled it out and used it. I didn't change the bag or filters or anything. It really didn't even occur to me. I tried to find out what chemicals my friend has used, and she was no help. "Bug bombs and a buncha spray stuff." I am doing all I can to find out what it was, because this is the only thing I can think of. I'll call the lab that is doing necropsies on the dead snakes in the morning and see what they think, too. The vet seemed tothink it plausible. I dunno.

Dealing with animals as many years as I have, I am usually quite aware of how pathogens, parasites and toxins are spread. I can't believe I could do something this stupid. I really kind of hope that isn't what happened, and at the same time, hope is is. Hope for some sort of difinitive andswers.

In the maentime, I am looking forward to hearing from the lab about the dead snakes, and the vet about the live ones. Hopefully they will pull through. One of them looked awfuly sick.

wow, that was way out from left feild! Yah, the symptoms are classic of invertebraticidal toxicity (permethrin, ivermectin, you name it), but from a vacuum cleaner? That lady must've used a whole crap load of toxins... does she have kids? I'd get them out of there.

The toxin might be difficult to diagnose from a necropsy, you might need to ask specifically for the toxin to be tested for-- you'll need to find out exactly what she used.

If this is what it turns out to be, then at least you have an answer that ends with removal of the toxin. Sorry to say it's not good for your currently ill animals though

Ian

Good on you for the extra effort in seeking the vet

Ian

Thank you.

Sadly, one of the corn snakes died, and I opted for euthanasia for the other.

Those, along with losing every one of my ball pythons last week. It was like walking into a train wreck.

I have called the lab that is doing necropsies on the dead snakes, and let them know. They will, hopefully, get back to me tomorrow with some test results. On initial examination of the bodies he saw nothing majorly wrong, other than some spots on the liver. He said they all looked in good condition. (Other than being dead, I guess.)

All other snakes seem fine.

man i feel your pain i went thru an entamoeba outbreak last year that took allot of snakes its a very painfull thing to go thru, no exotics were involved though just inadequate quarrantine of w/c colubrids the way it raced thru my colubrid colony was astonishing(very fast and very devestating) i hope it all works out and you find out what caused it best of luck,,,,,,,,thomas davis

Thanks for the kind words.

It is, indeed, a horrible thing to go through! I've lost snakes over the years. It happens. It's always distressing. But this was crazy. I've never had anything like this happen.

I spend a lot of time looking at my other snakes now, wondering "Is she OK?" "Why did he do that?" "Did I just see her head wobble?" "Why isn't she moving?" "Why is he moving?"

Paranoid as hell, but, so far, all surviving snakes seem OK.