Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Tonight I said goodbye to my friend Phoenix, a beloved Gopher snake.

I am wondering if I did something wrong, although the vet says I did not. Phoenix was fine 3 days ago, aside from having not eaten since beginning of November. I kept asking the vet, the store I got him from, the man that raised him, if I should worry that he was not eating. Everyone said no, he's probably hibernating, it's the cold time of the year and he's a North american snake. He'd lost weight, but was still fairly active when I'd handle him.

Today I went to get him out of his tank and he was listless. I took a fecal sample in and it came back negative. Tonight I rushed him in to the vet only to have him die before they got him in back to assure he was stable. 20 minutes later the kids and I were saying good-bye. The vet says it was more than likely an enlarged heart or heart that was not functioning properly, it's common in reptiles. I don't know, this is my first snake...They offered to do a necropsy. Poor little guy, I can't imagine putting his body through that.

Is there something I did wrong? He was on paper pellet substrate, had a dish with about an inch of clean water in it every other day, a basking lamp and hide rock. The temp was about 75 to 80 degrees Farenheit all the time. Was I missing something?

Gosh, I miss him, it's so dark in here without his lights on.

Sorry for your loss.How old was the Gopher? I don't think you should be beating yourself up, from the sounds of it, you did as much as you possibly could have. Sometimes things just die, there can be any number of reasons, natural or freakish. We had a baby red tail that was fine one day and dead the next with a giant bulge in his belly. Evidently something twisted and stopped him from digesting propery. When we found him he was on the hot end of the enclosure trying to digest. Things just happen some time.
Adam

I'm not really sure how old he was. I bought him from a local store here in March 2004. He was raised by a man that had used him in reptile education. He was in great condition when I got him, and fed once a week (1 to 2 small mice) up until August, then once a month until November. No bulges, but boy did he lose weight in the last few months. He was about 3 ft. long, which from what I was told and have read was about full grown? I was told the feeding would slow down when he reached adulthood too.

Thank you for your reply. I'm still trying to "digest" this all myself. Even only having him a short time, he was great friend.

Hey there friend!

I am so sorry to read about what happened, and it is refreshing to see how you described your care and your thoughts about the loss of this pet you love. I can tell that this snake had a great owner and had a great home.

I have had some experience with snakes just dying for no obvious reason. Last year, I had a pine snake that I had for 5 months ( she was 8 months old at time of death ) die for no reason that I could tell. She had paper towel substrate, bottled water, very good food, proper temps, etc. She ate up until a few days before she died. I go in and as I was cleaning cages I found her dead. To say I freaked out is an understatement.

I had a necropsy done and some abcesses were found on her liver. The vet had no idea how that happened, but most likely she may have been born with it, and could have contributed to her death. The vet also was astonished at her visible health and beauty. Things like that happen, and that was an example. I was so tore up about it, and even though I took all the measures to prevent anything from happening, that still happened. That showed me that there are things that are beyond our control and animals can die for a number of reasons, some which we may never know.

Do you know the age of the gopher snake? He may have also been a full grown adult that died from old age. A lot of times in cases of age, they do lose weight before they go. I am seeing that now with my beloved banded cal king that is most likely 16 years old.

My condolences to you and your family. Pets, to me, are one of the biggest blessings in life and it sounds like your snake had it made being owned by all of you. Always cherish those memories and also allow yourself the opportunity to possibly get another snake for a pet. I know you won't regret it.

Take care!

Billy
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Genesis 1:1