I just spoke with my veterinarian, who has had contact with the lab. The cause of my big albino's death has been determined: egg impaction. According to the lab, they discovered eight rotten eggs in her uterus, and there was quite a bit of pus build up, etc., in there. Has anyone else had any experience with something like this? I have extensive experience with all the big pythons, but I've never been much of a breeder. My two Burmese had been breeding each of the last three years, but it was because they were caged together; it wasn't a planned breeding program (they just bred on their own; I guess there's nothing else to do in that cage!). In 2001, the female laid 38 eggs. She didn't lay any in '02, and this year, back in April, she deposited 40. However, none hatched (I didn't exactly try very hard to incubate them; I didn't really want 40 baby Burmese). I go to great lengths to make sure my snakes are properly cared for, and do my very best to ensure their health. That this happened has been quite troubling to me.
And the sad thing is that I am having a new outbuilding constructed for my snakes, and the albino (her name was Alberta) was to get a veritable reptilian condo -- 12 feet long, 4 feet wide, cypress mulch substrate, walk in enclosure. Sadly, Alberta will never see her condo. Murray, the male, will now inherit the big cage.
Alberta's final dimensions were 16 1/2 feet long, 150 pounds on the nose. I had over-estimated her weight but under-estimated her length. (I usually told people she was 14 feet, 180.)
She still made quite an impact, even in death. As the lab techs were putting her carcass on the scales to weigh her, a group of students on a field trip walked in. When they saw her stretched out, they went nuts and ran back and grabbed their classmates and teachers. She commanded attention in life and in death.
She was a very special lady.
RP
