Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i had a snake die a few days ago and i have no clue what could have happened. we have had him for about four months or so and for the most part of that time he had a RI and so he wasnt eating but even when it was better he wasnt eating. my vet told me that if he didnt eat in a month to try to force feed him. which we did. while in the process he pooped but it was not normal poop. it was the color and consistancy of mud but it smelled like something dead. i have had experiece in forcefeeding and that has never happend before. the next morning the snake was dead. what would have caused the poop to be like it was and could that mean he was sick?

I have no idea what happened, but I am sorry for your loss.

In my limited experience poop does not smell like death. I think what you saw was regurge... that smells like death!!!

I am sorry for your loss. Was this a CB animal? RI's are rather easy to fix if your husbandry is correct.
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Balls, Milks & Coxi!

sounds like the RI may have been the cause of death, or allowed secondary infections..internal parasites, improper temps which prevented proper digestion... which could explain the poop or regurg. As it hasn't been eating for a long time except for what you force fed him..it could have been something it had all along and finally it succumbed to it.
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PHLdyPayne

Well like it has been said The R.I. is probably the cause ,And A protozoan parasite will cause the stool to have a god offal smell but as for as the temp not allowing for proper digestion , it may have had something to do with the R.I. getting started but as you were already treating it the temps would have been up from the normal and as it hadn’t eaten in a couple of months (that is what I think you said ) and it defecated wile you were feeding it and it was dead the next morning I don’t think it had time to rot in the stomach . But as it was sick and hadn’t eaten in a wile you should have fed a small rodent as appose to a normal meal size to allow the flora to build back up in the digestive tract . With it being sick there could have been a secondary infection that you would not have been aware of without further testing AND there are some antibiotics that can cause a fall smelling stool .
Without a necropsy you will probably never know and even if you have it done they may not be able to tell you , but one thing is certain if it had not gotten the R.I. none of the other problems would have come to pass . Thanks DS Reptile Rescue

i dont think regurg comes out of the butt. but i talked to my snake breeder and he conformed it was prob an internal virus. i did try a smaller meal as opposed to a regular meal. the RI had been gone for a few months.thanks for all your help.