O-kay people I got an edb from a guy in alabama.It was wild caught and a juvenile.I had it 2 weeks and it shed,but would not feed on anything I tried.Well I go down in my herp room this mourning and dead!Could it have been from nerves or stress?.Everything else seems fine.Help!
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
dead EDB
craig3758
Apr 16, 2005 02:51 PM
Replies (3)
joeysgreen
Apr 18, 2005 11:26 AM
yup, or any number of other things. Especially since wild-caught. If still available I would refridgerate it and bring to a vet for a post-mortem to find out the exact cause. Are there other animals at stake or was this not mixed with a collection?
craig3758
Apr 18, 2005 07:07 PM
Thanks!Yes I was smart enough to keep it away from other snakes.When it died I cleaned the cage out good.
Carmichael
Apr 18, 2005 11:50 AM
Putting a known wild caught rattlesnake, or any herp for that matter, that hasn't been quarantined for at least 60-90 days (far removed from any established collection) is a recipe for disaster. The snake could have simply died from stress, however, there are a number of known viruses that can wipe out entire collections due to their airborne tendencies (not trying to make you worry, that's just reality). Keep a close eye on the rest of your collection and it may not be a bad idea to thoroughly disinfect any nearby cages and keep the animals in simple set ups (newspaper, hide box, water bowl) until you know you are free and clear.
As far as the cause of death, you would have to do a necropsy for a firm analysis. EDB's are certainly prone to stress, however, it could be stress from a less than optimal environment you created. I have found, particularly with this species, that they are very prone to heat stress issues (they do NOT do well when ambient temps go above 78-80 deg. f even though I do allow my EDB's to bask in areas that reach 88-90 deg F they can also cool down by going to areas in the same enclosure that go down to the lower 70's).
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL
>>O-kay people I got an edb from a guy in alabama.It was wild caught and a juvenile.I had it 2 weeks and it shed,but would not feed on anything I tried.Well I go down in my herp room this mourning and dead!Could it have been from nerves or stress?.Everything else seems fine.Help!
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL
