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I had a long-term-captive Senticolis triaspis intermedia (northern green rat snake) for about 2 years. It has never shown any signs of internal parasites, external parasites or other diseases. It has been eating frozen/thawed adult mice and recently switched over to frozen/thawed small rats. She has been kept of aspen bedding. I noticed she stopped defecating before she died. She was lethargic before she died (about 6 weeks). I thought she was lethargic because she was gravid (she had 6 eggs in her). She has been kept at room temperature up until she started mating. Once I observed copulation, I then put her in a heated rack. It was kept at around 90 degrees Fahrenheit on the hot side and room temperature on the other side (which is 78 degrees Fahrenheit). Does anyone know what could have caused this?

Thanks to any advice in advance.

You said she stopped defecating before she died? Maybe she swallowed some of the aspen and was impacted?

That is the only conclusion I can come up with. The snake belongs to a really good friend of mine and I know he always keeps his animals spotless. Anyway, he's waiting until the snake freezes so he can do the necropsy but he did see eggs before he decided the necropsy was too messy and decided to wait. The only other thing I can come up with is a parasitic infestation, but what the hell could do that? I think it was compacted, but other than that I have no idea. Thanks for your input.

Another possibility is that the change in food interfered with normal digestion, so the blockage could have been from an undigested rat.

I lost a 37" Black milk this year shortly after changing from adult mice to rat pinks...and that is what caused it.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

Could of also had to do with the egg production. A friend of mine lost one of her nicest chondros this season, due to some odd infection of her ovaries/eggs, which killed her. The area surrounding the eggs was found filled with thick pus, they think maybe from a ruptured half formed egg. The death was sudden and for no apparent reason as well. If your friend does a necropsy, he should probably be able to tell if the death was from something like this, or impaction.. Tell him I said sorry for his loss, Senticolis are some of my favorite animals.
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DarkWave Exotics

Currently keeping:
1.2 southern scrub pythons
1.0 reticulated python
1.0 albino burmese python
1.2 jungle carpet pythons
1.0 irian jaya carpet python
0.1 sumatran blood python
3.0 ball pythons
0.1 green anaconda
1.2 emerald tree boas
2.2 colombian redtail boas
1.0 sonoran boa
1.0 cancun boa
1.2 normal and albino whitewater rosy boas
1.1 false water cobras
2.2 greyband kingsnakes
1.1 albino and het chinese beauty snakes
1.2 taiwan beauties
2.2 cornsnakes(Opal, okeetee, anery, stripes)
1.1 albino and multi het emory ratsnakes
0.1 albino checkered gartersnake
1.0 pyro kingsnake
1.1 california kingsnakes
0.0.2 tiger leg monkey tree frogs
2 bearded dragons
0.1 nile monitor
1.0 savannah monitor
0.1 russian tortoise

and lots of bugs, furry critters, fish and birds

Thank you for all your help; I was told it was either a reproductive problem or switching the diet to rats. Thanks for your help.

Take care,
Dustin